You’ve finished a beautiful planner or a photo-heavy ebook, you go to upload it, and the file is too big. Or it uploads fine, but buyers on slow phone connections struggle to download it. Either way, file size is worth checking before launch.
Know your platform’s limits
Limits vary a lot. Etsy’s help center says a digital listing can include up to five files, with a maximum of 20MB per file. Payhip’s help center says each file can be up to 5GB. Check the current limits on whichever platform you use, since they can change.
If you sell on Etsy, the 20MB cap is the one most likely to catch you, especially with high-resolution printables and bundles.
Find out what’s making the file big
In a PDF, the usual culprits are large images and embedded fonts. Adobe Acrobat’s PDF Optimizer includes an “Audit Space Usage” option that shows how much of the file is taken up by images, fonts, bookmarks and other elements. That tells you where to focus.
Ways to reduce the size
- Resize images before you place them. A photo that appears a few inches wide doesn’t need to be a full-resolution camera file.
- Use built-in compression. In Acrobat, the Reduce File Size (Compress PDF) command is the quick option. The PDF Optimizer gives more control, including image downsampling and compression settings.
- Pick the right compression type. Adobe notes that JPEG suits photos, while ZIP works better for illustrations with large areas of flat color.
- Remove extras you don’t need, such as embedded page thumbnails or leftover hidden layers from your design software.
- Export at the right quality from the start. Many design tools offer a smaller “standard” or screen-quality PDF alongside a print-quality one.
Be careful with two settings. Adobe warns that some compression can make images unsuitable for professional printing, so test before you overwrite your originals. And the Optimizer can discard document tags, which screen readers rely on, so leave tags in place if you’ve made your PDF accessible.
Offer two versions when it makes sense
For printables, consider including a lighter screen version for viewing on a tablet and a high-quality print version. Label them clearly in the file names so buyers know which to use.
Split bundles sensibly
If a bundle is still too big, split it into logical parts, such as one zip per month or per category, rather than random chunks. On Etsy, remember the five-file limit, and the 20MB-per-file cap still applies to each zip.
Test the download
Before you publish, buy or download your own product on a phone using mobile data. Open every file. If it’s slow or awkward for you, it will be for your customers too.
Sources
- Etsy Help: How to Manage Your Digital Listings
- Payhip Help: Add Digital Products
- Adobe Help: Optimizing PDFs (Acrobat Pro)
Featured image: Photo: StockSnap (CC0)