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Jane Bergen wondered what might account for a bloated
(6-Meg) PageMaker file. Jane, there are a couple unlikely
possibilities and one very likely possibility:
- You mentioned 50 bitmapped graphics (screenshots). If
these are stored inside the file rather than linked, that
could eat lots of memory right there. 50 X 100K = 5 Meg; 50
X 50K = 2.5 Meg.
- Did you capture the files in color? If so, the color
information is using up lots of unnecessary space. Convert
the files to grayscale (or use a lower bit depth) and
reimport them.
- Most likely: Every time you turn pages, PageMaker kindly
stores all the changes you've made on the current page.
This is a failsafe mechanism: if you crash, the last saved
version would be the one before you turned the page.
Unfortunately, these saved changes make files balloon
quickly if you're doing lots of revision. To trim the file
size, rename the original file... this is your "just in
case" backup. Then choose "save as" from the file menu and
resave the file using the original name. This often drops
file sizes by 50% or more, and will speed printing and page
turning enormously too.
--Geoff Hart @8^{)} geoff-h -at- mtl -dot- feric -dot- ca
Disclaimer: Speaking for myself, not FERIC.
