Compress MS Office Files
From Extension Collaborative Wiki
Too many times MS Word and PowerPoint files are much larger than they have to be. Creating an MS Office file that is larger than necessary can be a problem when you need to move the file from one computer to another. This causes frustrations especially when you want to email it or post it on the web for someone else to get it. It also makes a presentation slower to transition from slide to slide. Another problem caused by having a bunch of large images in a Word document is that the document won't print correctly. It may either print in black and white (even though color is selected) or it may crash the printer.
The main cause of unnecessarily large presentation files is inserting large pictures. And if a presentation has lots of pictures the problem just grows - along with the file size.
You have two options for creating a smaller file. First resize the picture file (and save with a new filename) before inserting it into your document. Resize the picture to the size you want it to appear in your presentation and save as a JPEG (for photographs) file.
The second option is to use Office's "Compress" feature to compress the picture after it has been inserted into the presentation. To do this:
- Insert the picture (Insert -> Picture -> From File...)
- Select the picture (get the 'handles' around the picture)
- Format -> Picture
- Select the "Picture" tab
- Click on the Compress... button
- Select the appropriate options and click on the "OK" button
Now, when you save this file, the size will be only as big as it needs to be. It will load faster, slides will advance faster and anyone you email it to or anyone who downloads it will be much happier.
Related Information:
Digital Photo Tips Cornell University
