PDF export (huge size) from InDesign question

[Colorblind]

Hi, I just produced a simple 37 inches wide X 55 inches high file for some OOH advertising. File consists of one flat CMYK tiff image using the whole layout area, with 2 InDesign text boxes (each of them has 2-3 words) on top of it. Printer requires Print optimized PDF (I usually supply PDFX/1a in that case) at 600 dpi since, at the end, 1 inch will equal 1 foot. So it will be 50 dpi final. I noticed I couldn't export a PDF from InDesign until the tiff file was about 2 gb, about 485 dpi at layout size. I'm not too worried about that resolution difference. I was just wondering if it was an actual PDF limitation? InDesign CS 5.5 limitation? Mac OS limitation (I doubt it). Also, despite the fact I used JPEG (no downsampling) as compression, final PDF size was 1.2 gb. That's quite a scarry size for a PDF! And sure enough, Pitstop tells me the compression for this image is zip even if JPEG was requested. Once again, is that a PDF library limitation? I know I could probably do it all in Photoshop and just supply a .psb file with text and everything but that's not the point here. Any clues?

 

[leonardr]

I noticed I couldn't export a PDF from InDesign until the tiff file was about 2 gb, about 485 dpi at layout size. I'm not too worried about that resolution difference. I was just wondering if it was an actual PDF limitation? InDesign CS 5.5 limitation? Mac OS limitation (I doubt it).

Not a PDF limitation, but may be an issue with InDesign CS 5.5...

Also, despite the fact I used JPEG (no downsampling) as compression, final PDF size was 1.2 gb. That's quite a scarry size for a PDF!

Not at all! We've seem much larger than that...

 

[Colorblind]

Thanks Leonard.

 

[rich apollo]

Hey, Colorblind, was that file being written locally, or onto a network volume?

 

[Colorblind]

Tried both ways Rich.