Ethiopian BDS Network

Even experienced experts often create big-size WinWord or PowerPoint files of 3-8 Megabytes or more due to non-compressed pictures included. These files create problems for e-mail and Internet users in developing countries with insufficient Internet connections. The hereafter presented freeware avoids big-size files and helps you to create slim files for e-mail and Internet use. This BDS Newsletter, for example, cannot be sent without picture compression.

1. Picture Manager (irfanview)

www.bds-ethiopia.net/freeware/iview395.exe 878 KB

Before you insert pictures into WinWord, PowerPoint or Webpage files you have to treat them with a picture manager in order to compress the picture size. Pictures - scanned or digital ones - are about 300 KB to 1,5 MB. Compressed pictures are about 20 KB to 200 KB. After compression, pictures can be included in documents and webpages or sent by e-mail without unreasonably blowing up the respective document. However, compressing pictures brings a certain loss of quality, but must be accepted if you want that your documents are easily downloaded or used by other Internet users. WinWord and PowerPoint documents with compressed photos can go down from from 2 MB to 0,2 MB only!

Instructions: Download the iview395.exe file and double-click it. Extraction and installation is automatic and without problems. Picture treatment is eaysy.

- Open the picturemanager and go to "file - open" and open picture file.

- Go to "image - resize" and set new size at 50% (for width only - height is automatically adapted) - "ok".

- Go to "file - save as", select "jpeg files" and set jpeg save options compression on 30% to 60%. By saving give a new name
and "ok".

60% is medium compression with good quality, 30% is high compression with low quality. Pictures to be included into WinWord or PowerPoint documents should not exceed 100,000 bytes (resize to 50% and then save and compress with 60%-80%). Pictures for webpages should not exceed 30,000 bytes (resize to 50% and then save and compress with 30%-40%).

This photo has been compressed from 1.200.000 bytes to 27.000 bytes!

(resize to 50% and compress to 30%)

2. Easy-Zip file compressor

www.bds-ethiopia.net/freeware/ezip35.exe 1,9 MB

If your files are too big, even without pictures, you can use a "zip-file" compressor for e-mail or download use (but better to create slim files with the above method for picture compression - or combine both methods). Extraction and installation is automatic.

Compress:

- Open Easyzip and create new archive ("new"), give name and select location.

- Then select the file to be compressed on the new screen and "add" it to the new archive.
It depends on the original file on how much compression will be.
Files can be "zipped" up to 85%.

Extract:

- Open easyzip and go to "file - open". Choose your zip-file.

- Click on "extract" icon and choose the location.

3. How to create PDF-files

PDF files are often used in Internet and for documentation because with the Adobe Acrobat Reader everybody can read them for free and pdf documents cannot be modified easily; in addition to that pdf-files are smaller than WinWord-files. PDF producing software is normally very expensive and only few freeware available with good performance. "Nice PDF Creator" is a freeware (7.7 MB) for pdf file production with good performance. In the full performance trial version you can produce 14 pdf-files. Then you must uninstall and reinstall the software for the next 14 pdf documents. The software for download is a big file of 7.7 MB. Once downloaded, installation and pdf-file production are easy.

- Download "Nice PDF Creator" nicepdf.exe 7.7 MB.

- Double-click for installation.

- Even if PDF-file Creator has a good compression rate, in case of included pictures, first
you should compress your pictures with a picture managing software (see chapter 1 above)

- Open PDF Creator - click on "continue trial".

- To convert a WinWord file, click first on the WinWord icon above.

- Select you document to convert.

- Click on "create pdf". The document will be saved in the original folder.

- Under "Settings" you can try different options for compression and quality.

4. PDF - File Reader

If you cannot read PDF files then you have to install a PDF-File reader. A small-size pdf-file reader is the "Foxit pdf-file reader" with 1.2 MB (instead of 12 MB for Adobe Acrobat Reader).

Problems with Picture manager, Easyzip or PDF creator? Ask mail@gagel.net

Previous BDS Newsletters please visit www.bds-ethiopia.net/news.htm.

Print out:

For print-out on A4 go to: "File - Page setup" of your Browser and set all margins on 1cm

if problems: copy in WinWord, go "file - page setup - landscape"

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