PDF shrinking program that doesn't need installing

altomic on 17/02/2014 - 12:04

So my work PC doesn't allow me to install programs due to access/security levels, etc

I often have to email out PDF documents however there is a 20mg size output limit.

Some documents (due to document legislation) have been scanned at a high resolution and exceed that.

there are some online pdf shrinking sites.

However that takes time to upload and then wait and then download.

is there a PDF shrinking prog that can be run from a USB stick without installing?

like Utorrent can run from a usb stick.

P.S. the work supplied adobe 9.0 does not have the shrinking feature. usually i contact IT but they are often busy and I have to wait, which delays me doing my job.

thanks

Computing

Comments

  • ode1online on 17/02/2014 - 12:23

    Is the Adobe Acrobat 9 a PROFESSIONAL version or just the reader ?

    usually there would be a and Adobe Distiller installed! which We use to reduce the documents

    If it is PRO you can right mouse click on the document and CHOOSE Combine supported files with adobe
    Once you follow the steps it should automatically reduce the document but you can select a smaller size as well.
    If you do not have the Pro version then I have NO idea..lol

    • altomic on 17/02/2014 - 20:44

      just the reader.

    • xgtrboy on 18/02/2014 - 07:52

      You said this is for your work so why not advise your manager that you don't have the business tools to do your business work? If they refuse to purchase the tools then you can ask them how else you can do it? That keeps it all above board and visible.

      • altomic on 18/02/2014 - 08:04

        If they refuse to purchase the tools then you can ask them how else you can do it?

        they will say that IT can do it.

        and there isn't the budget to get the full commercial licencing for everyone state wide.

        • xgtrboy on 18/02/2014 - 08:57

          So as long as your manager agrees to the delay in delivery inclusive of extra mucking around etc then this would be the (archaic) process you need to follow. Of course this will be very annoying to you but note that using "portable" apps may go against company policy or software licensing etc.

        • _Bruce_ on 18/02/2014 - 12:18

          I get the impression that many people here have not dealt with slow/difficult IT departments. Working around them is often the only way to do your job.

        • xgtrboy on 18/02/2014 - 12:32

          I completely agree with you, and I have had to do this many times! The problem with this approach is however, that management don't get a true picture of what is required to run IT which perpetuates the circle of IT never getting funding.

        • altomic on 18/02/2014 - 12:41

          I asked IT to shrink a PDF the other day and this new bloke said he could not do it?!? I'm not an IT guy but I know how to shrink a PDF. and this guy had the entire resources of the companies/departments IT department at arms reach. I emailed the regular guy to do it. an hour later done. but that was an hour of having something on delay and sitting there when it should be have been easy to complete and get off my desktop.

          somewhat annoying.

        • xgtrboy on 18/02/2014 - 13:03

          So keep records of how much time you waste in waiting etc and give it to your manager, maybe then the dollars might not seem so much!

  • _Bruce_ on 17/02/2014 - 12:48
    +2

    There are several solutions to your problem. You should really avoid online conversion services unless these documents are public information or your IT/management are happy with you sending them randomly out on the internet.

    Solution 1: Don't use email. Large attchements cause lots of problems, even at 20M, the people you are sending to might not be able to get them (many places still have a 5M limit). The obvious solution here is drop box, but there are many others.

    Solution 2: 'compress' the PDF into multiple files. If you have any reasonable compression utility (7-Zip is free, any others should work if you have them) you can compress the PDF (won't help) while also splitting it into multiple files, any size you like. http://portableapps.com/apps/utilities/7-zip_portable

    Solution 3: Break it up by pages. Here I would use pdfcreator (http://sourceforge.net/projects/pdfcreator/) to spilt up the document. The problem si pdfcreator (and most others) use a fake printer to work, so they need to be installed.

    Solution 4: As above but lowering quality, if you really want to.

    I know this didn't answer your question, but consider some of these alternatives.

    • [Deactivated] on 18/02/2014 - 10:22

      Or just get IT to install a program on the computer.

    • oringal on 20/02/2014 - 01:34

      yeah, highly recommend to use file sharing websites like dropbox or onedrive(skydrive) or google drive and just link them the document in the email.

  • scotty on 17/02/2014 - 13:12
    +4

    ImageMagick — the utility knife for anything image related :) Not too sure whether the Windows binary can work with PDF files, as on Linux it can use Ghostscript to convert the PDFs into images.

    You can then down-sample the images (from 600x600 24bit to 300x300 8bit-colour for example), and then merge the images into a PDF.

    • _Bruce_ on 17/02/2014 - 13:16

      This would work, but it isn't exactle the 'shrink' button the OP is after.

      If you were going to do this, couldn't you just use ghostscript command line directly? Might be a bit more complicated I guess.

      • _Bruce_ on 17/02/2014 - 14:47

        Actually just realised if you are talking this path GIMP can do it, it is hardly a one button operation though.

        http://portableapps.com/apps/graphics_pictures/gimp_portable

      • scotty on 17/02/2014 - 16:00

        Actually it shrinks, but it's not a button :) I guess I've done enough of those (trying to keep a paper-less office) that I just rolled my own bash script that take a list of image files and outputs either a monochrome or a 8bit colour-reduced 300dpi PDF, using just ImageMagick.

  • jv on 17/02/2014 - 13:19
    +2

    is there a PDF shrinking prog that can be run from a USB stick without installing?

    there are 4 listed here

  • bigticket on 17/02/2014 - 13:22

    Firstly, what about you work colleagues? How are they getting around this issue?

    I assume that if your IT department is shrinking the file, find out how they are doing it and do the same on your workstation.

    If that is not possible, then go through the proper channels and have the necessary software installed on your work PC. Surely this would be in the companies best interest in terms of productivity.

    • altomic on 17/02/2014 - 20:39

      Firstly, what about you work colleagues? How are they getting around this issue?

      they just print the pdf out and post it.
      or they wait for IT to convert.

      I assume that if your IT department is shrinking the file, find out how they are doing it and do the same on your workstation.

      due to licencing costs they won't give all us desk jockeys Abode professional. we just have Adobe reader.

      If that is not possible, then go through the proper channels and have the necessary software installed on your work PC. Surely this would be in the companies best interest in terms of productivity.

      we still use Xp and office 2005 - quasi government dept.

      updating to windows 7 and office 2012 sometime in the next 12months. we are struggling with compatibility issues of our major file/database management system which is has been written using at least 12 different programming languages over 20 years.

  • battler on 17/02/2014 - 15:38

    left field idea - transfer file to phone and get some sort of PDF creation app to do it ???
    then transfer back.

    but seriously, do what bigticket says above in last point.

    • altomic on 17/02/2014 - 20:41

      left field idea - transfer file to phone and get some sort of PDF creation app to do it ??? then transfer back.

      brilliant. I was thinking of getting a free standing pc solely for pdf shrinking. I have a spare huawei y201 sitting there gathering dust. -never used and unlocked.

  • Noblejoker on 18/02/2014 - 15:21

    on my corporate PC I was able to install a PDF printer like Cute PDF
    I have found opening the PDF and 'printing' it to the PDF printer allows me to choose small file size and reduce it substantially
    The trick is finding one that allows you to install for current user only so as not to trigger account control

  • xgtrboy on 18/02/2014 - 16:03

    For those technically inclined, you can always ThinApp Acrobat at home so it's portable and use it at work ;)

    • Noblejoker on 19/02/2014 - 14:55

      I have thought about that myself
      have you tried it - does it work?
      Actually tried it using Cameyo but it was glitchy
      I have no experience of Adobe Thinstall

      • xgtrboy on 20/02/2014 - 06:36

        Yes it does - speaking from experience (proof of concept) ;) but again, this is going around company policy etc and not advised!

  • auna on 18/02/2014 - 22:52

    Why can't you split the pdf into archives and send multiple emails?

  • ExtraSalt on 19/02/2014 - 09:20

    imo, it's pretty poor that they cannot give you the appropriate programs. But a way to get around it can be the simple "get the employer to buy Acrobat", or you could save the PDF in multiple parts and send them as separate emails. The only other thing you can do if you want a quick fix, is use a cloud service like Hightail or WeTransfer. I use WeTransfer a lot, its freeware (but you can also get a paid account). You are informed when it's uploaded and downloaded by the client.

    • altomic on 19/02/2014 - 14:12

      imo, it's pretty poor that they cannot give you the appropriate programs.

      agreed

      But a way to get around it can be the simple "get the employer to buy Acrobat",

      cost is too high

      or you could save the PDF in multiple parts and send them as separate emails.

      fiddly

      The only other thing you can do if you want a quick fix, is use a cloud service like Hightail or WeTransfer. I use WeTransfer a lot, its freeware (but you can also get a paid account). You are informed when it's uploaded and downloaded by the client

      have to get all clients on board with that. too many clients. good idea but would be too difficult to implement

      • ExtraSalt on 27/02/2014 - 20:18

        sorry, i never checked back at this post. did u come to a conclusion?

  • [Deactivated] on 19/02/2014 - 13:27

    Firstly http://www.portablefreeware.com/?id=494 heres a program that works
    Secondly http://www.thinstallsoft.com/pdf-compressor-portable/ (this looks much more user friendly)
    Thirdly use google?

  • Cheeper on 20/02/2014 - 01:15

    You may find that even running an external program from a usb stick would contravene IT orders in your workplace. With many places it does…. :-(

    So many have archaic time wasting setups that cost them much more than it would to set it right.

    A slick IT setup more than pays for itself and in most cases is not expensive.

    Feel your frustration…… :-(

  • altomic on 20/02/2014 - 11:35

    trying to download this - http://www.thinstallsoft.com/pdf-compressor-portable/

    it's a .exe file.

    there is a work block on downloading .exe files.

    is someone able to download it —> convert to zip—-> email it to me?

    PM me if you can, thanks (i'll respond with my email)

  • Raspberet on 27/02/2014 - 20:54

    I usually use this one http://compress.smallpdf.com/
    Its web browser based =)

  • Adz81 on 27/02/2014 - 20:58

    I've had some luck with printing a PDF file to a PDF output before… Dropped a 15mb file down to 3, or there abouts… if your work computers allow printing to PDF, it might be an option?

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