Optimizing Geospatial PDF files for PDF Maps

You can bring your maps anywhere with our PDF Maps iOS app for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. You can navigate your own map, locate yourself, make a note at the position collected, measure distances, and export and share the collected waypoints on a desktop or online application.

The PDF Maps app can open maps that are in either GeoPDF or Geospatial PDF format. The GeoPDF format was introduced by TerraGo Technologies while the Geospatial PDF format was introduced by Adobe Systems with the release of the Acrobat 1.7 specification . You can create and export Geospatial PDF files with Geographic Imager 3.2 for Adobe Photoshop or MAPublisher 8.3 for Adobe Illustrator.

Before uploading your map to your device, it is recommended to optimize the file size so that it is as small as possible. This will save storage space as well as improve PDF Maps performance. The optimizing method may be different for each of the applications you use to produce Geospatial PDF files.

MAPublisher for Adobe Illustrator (version 8.3 or later)

• If you have an image placed in your Adobe Illustrator document, it should be optimized as well (small file size). You may want to use Geographic Imager in order to keep the georeference information of the image.
• If the document dimensions are large, you may want to make it smaller. Remember that with PDF Maps, you can zoom in very closely. Large maps require more processing to create the different layers of tiles. To maintain the georeferencing, ensure that the map extent is resized using the MAPublisher MAP View Editor.

Geographic Imager for Adobe Photoshop (version 3.2 or later)

• Reduce the size as much as possible using the Adobe Photoshop function (Image > Image Size ...) or Geographic Imager function: Transform.
• Omit the area you don't need with Adobe Photoshop Crop tool or Geographic Imager Geocrop tool.
• When using Adobe Photoshop tools and functions and Geographic Imager functions, the georeferenced information will automatically be maintained. When making a geospatial PDF file from Geographic Imager, go to Option menu > Convert to Geospatial PDF.

Adobe Acrobat Pro

After creating a Geospatial PDF in Adobe Illustrator or Adobe Photoshop, you can further optimize the file size with Adobe Acrobat Pro.

• Choose Advanced > PDF Optimizer
• Choose Document > Optimize Scanned PDF

Each of these function differently and have many options. You may want to tweak and play with the options to achieve a balance between optimal file size and quality of your Geospatial PDF files.

If you would like to share your professional maps with us on PDF Map Library, please submit it here.

The PDF Maps app has been improving with every release -- with enhancements and new features. If you have any questions, comments or feature requests, please feel free to drop us a line at support@avenza.com.