Re: [Gnumed-devel] GNUmed > pdflatex generating bloated PDFs

[Busser, Jim]

Having just posted the results of ghostscript on files generated by pdflatex, I 
figured I may as well test its effects on scanned fax images using the same

        pdf2ps orig.pdf orig.ps ; ps2pdf orig.ps smaller.pdf


BTW despite the following file size alterations, there was essentially *no* 
difference in the legibility of the output as compared to the original...


1) a 5-page, optically scanned original that was reasonably 'clean' (black and 
white)

        229K --> 168K

2) re-process the outputted file from the (1), to see what happens to it:

        168K --> 168K

3) a 6-page, optically scanned original where 3 of 6 pages were shaded or 
stippled (on account of some coloured pages)

        451K --> 606K

        however if one *removes* the 3 shaded or 'non-clean' pages:

        86K --> 53K

so it seems that

- the file size savings, while less impressive, are maybe still worthwhile to 
run scanned PDFs through ghostscript before attaching to patients' records
- except, it seems, when the originals were shaded
- there seems to be no risk as far as the visual integrity of what results, to 
doing so

of course, the clinician should be visually inspecting and signing the version 
that is actually being saved in GNUmed and not the upstream version.

-- Jim