Handling PDF Size Issues with Protected Files: A Solution Using Microsoft PDF Printer
In a recent project, I encountered a challenge involving a protected PDF file that needed to be included in a multi-page document. The PDF file was around 100 KB, and due to file upload limitations, the entire document had to be under 2 MB. Unfortunately, the protection settings of the PDF prevented it from being added to the multi-page document, citing security restrictions. Additionally, Adobe's PDF printer does not allow printing protected PDFs to a new PDF file—quite a limitation from Adobe! To work around this, I used the Microsoft PDF Printer, which allowed me to save the file as an unprotected PDF. However, this resulted in a significant increase in file size, ballooning to around 3 MB. Despite attempting various methods to reduce the size, such as using "Optimize PDF," "Reduce PDF Size," and online compression tools, the results were minimal. After further research, I stumbled upon a forum suggestion to use the "Print As Image" option in the Ad...