Product-specific questions - PPTshare File Compressor ™

This FAQ relates to product-specific questions about PPTshare File Compressor. For answers to more general PPTshare File Compressor questions, check our Purchase questions page.

About PPTshare File Compressor™

Using PPTshare File Compressor

Do I have to install PPTshare File Compressor?
Can I still edit my PowerPoint presentation after I have optimized it?
I've tried dragging a PowerPoint file onto the PPTshare File Compressor icon, but nothing happens. Am I doing something wrong?
My presentation isn't optimizing as well as I would expect. What are the possible reasons?
I've downloaded the latest version of PPTshare File Compressor and it no longer works on my computer. What should I do?
I've downloaded the latest version of PPTshare File Compressor and my registration key no longer works. What should I do?
When I try to email a presentation using PowerPoint's 'Send To Mail Recipient (as Attachment)' feature, the PPTshare File Compressor Integrated Edition does not automatically offer to optimize the presentation. Why is this?

About PPTshare File Compressor

Questions about PPTshare File Compressor, how it works and what it does to your PowerPoint presentations:

Q: How does PPTshare File Compressor work?

A: PPTshare File Compressor works by intelligently reducing the size of graphics (logos, pictures, images, clipart, etc) and, optionally, other embedded documents (such as Excel spreadsheets) within a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation (PPT) file.

Q: Which versions of Microsoft PowerPoint will it work with?

A: PPTshare File Compressor works with presentations created using any version of Microsoft PowerPoint from PowerPoint 97 onwards. However, the Integrated Edition of PPTshare File Compressor only integrates with versions of PowerPoint from PowerPoint 2000 onwards.

Q: Do I need to have Microsoft PowerPoint installed?

A: No. You do not need to have PowerPoint installed in order to optimize your presentations.

Q: How much will PPTshare File Compressor compress my PowerPoint presentations?

A: This will depend on how many graphics and embedded objects your PowerPoint presentation contains, and how large they are. Users have experienced compression rates as high as 95% with no discernible loss of quality to their presentation.

Q: Will compression software such as WinZip do the same job?

A: No - however, once you have optimized a PowerPoint file with PPTshare File Compressor, zipping it will often reduce the size of your presentation further.

Q: Will PowerPoint's 'Compress Pictures' feature do the same thing as PPTshare File Compressor?

A: PPTshare File Compressor will achieve significantly better results that PowerPoint's 'Compress Pictures' feature. This is because PPTshare File Compressor intelligently selects the most appropriate format and compression level for each image in your presentation, while PowerPoint's 'Compress Pictures' feature merely reduces the image resolution and discards any hidden information. Additionally, PPTshare File Compressor allows you to flatten any embedded objects in your presentation. Our tests have shown that, on average, PPTshare File Compressor achieves 28% better file size reduction than 'Compress Pictures'.

Q: If I send an optimized presentation to someone, do they need a copy of PPTshare File Compressor to open it at their end?

A: No. The optimized presentation remains in the PowerPoint format.

Q: Is the free trial version limited in any way?

A: The free trial version of PPTshare File Compressor is fully functional and identical to the full version in every way. The only limitation is that it will be disabled after 10 uses. A use will be counted every time PPTshare File Compressor succeeds in reducing the size of your PowerPoint file by more than 10%. Once your free trial uses have expired, you can unlock PPTshare File Compressor by purchasing a registration key.

Q: Why were my PowerPoint files so large to start with?

A: Generally, a lot of the file bloat experienced in PowerPoint presentations is due to a combination of:

Graphics stored in uncompressed formats, such as TIFF or BMP.
Large images being scaled down or cropped within PowerPoint, as PowerPoint still stores the full-size image within the presentation file.
Embedded objects from other software packages, such as Excel charts, Photoshop images or Visio drawings.

Q: What is the Integrated Edition of PPTshare File Compressor?

A: The standard version of PPTshare File Compressor is a stand-alone tool that does not require installation and makes no changes your copy of PowerPoint. However, some users have told us that they would prefer to optimize their presentations from within PowerPoint.

We created the Integrated Edition - a special version of PPTshare File Compressor that enables you to access PPTshare File Compressor right from the PowerPoint menu bar. You can also automatically optimize a presentation from within Outlook, before emailing it. Additionally, you can optimize a presentation by right-clicking it in Windows Explorer. PowerPoint integration works with all versions of PowerPoint from PowerPoint 2000. Outlook integration works with all versions of Outlook from Outlook 2000. Please note that, unlike the stand-alone version of PPTshare File Compressor, the Integrated Edition requires installation.

Q: What file formats does PPTshare File Compressor use when optimizing graphics?

A: When optimizing the graphics contained in PowerPoint presentations, PPTshare File Compressor intelligently chooses one of three file formats, depending on the type of graphics:

The JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) format is great for photographic images containing lots of colors or smooth gradients.
The PNG (Portable Network Graphics) format provides an excellent replacement for the popular GIF file format, offering better compression (between 5% and 25%) and more features for us to take advantage of.
The EMF (Enhanced Meta File) format enables very clear vector graphics to be stored at a tiny file size, making it perfect for flattened embedded objects such as Corel Draw drawings or Excel charts.

Q: What does 'Flatten embedded objects' mean?

A: Embedded objects (such as Excel charts, Visio drawings or Photoshop images) tend to store far more information than PowerPoint actually requires in order to display them (a Photoshop image will, for example, store all of the layer information that built up during its creation). Flattening an embedded object removes this 'behind the scenes' data, leaving only the information that PowerPoint needs in order to display the object correctly. This drastically reduces the file size, but means that the object will no longer be editable from within PowerPoint. This is why PPTshare File Compressor always asks before flattening an embedded object in a PowerPoint file.

Q: I'm running PowerPoint on my Apple Macintosh, will I be able to use PPTshare File Compressor?

A: PPTshare File Compressor only works on PCs (Microsoft Windows 98 or later). However, presentations optimized using PPTshare File Compressor should work fine with Mac versions of PowerPoint.

Q: Can I optimize several PowerPoint presentations at once (batch processing)?

A: We do not currently offer batch processing functionality. However, batch processing can be achieved using the 'outlook integration' feature of PPTshare File Compressor Integrated Edition. Simply attach the presentations that you wish to optimize to an email using Outlook.

Q: Does PPTshare File Compressor work with any other presentation software?

A: PPTshare File Compressor will also optimize presentations created using OpenOffice.org or StarOffice, providing they are saved in the PowerPoint file format.

Using PPTshare File Compressor

Questions about using PPTshare File Compressor - the first place to look if you are experiencing any difficulties:

Q: Do I have to install PPTshare File Compressor?

A: It's up to you. The normal version of PPTshare File Compressor is a single, stand-alone file. Just place it wherever you like on your computer (we find the Windows Desktop is a convenient location) and either double-click its icon, or drag a PowerPoint presentation file from an Explorer window onto the icon.

If you'd rather optimize your presentations from within PowerPoint or Windows Explorer, install the Integrated Version of PPTshare File Compressor to add PPTshare File Compressor functionality to the PowerPoint menu bar.

Q: Can I still edit my PowerPoint presentation after I have optimized it?

A: Yes - PPTshare File Compressor will not affect the structure or layout of your PowerPoint presentation. The only point to bear in mind is that once the presentation has been optimized, increasing the size of images may increase the size of your PowerPoint file. Of course, you can always re-optimize the presentation to reduce the file size again.

Q: I've tried dragging a PowerPoint file onto the PPTshare File Compressor icon, but nothing happens. Am I doing something wrong?

A: You have probably already opened PPTshare File Compressor. If PPTshare File Compressor is already open, you should drag a presentation onto the PPTshare File Compressor window, rather than its icon.

Q: My presentation isn't optimizing as well as I would expect. What are the possible reasons?

A: PPTshare File Compressor works by optimizing graphics and embedded objects. If a presentation doesn't contain this type of content, it is unlikely that PPTshare File Compressor will be able to further reduce the size of the presentation.

Q: When I try to email a presentation using PowerPoint's 'Send To Mail Recipient (as Attachment)' feature, the PPTshare File Compressor Integrated Edition does not automatically offer to optimize the presentation. Why is this?

A: Unfortunately, this is a problem with the way in which PowerPoint and Outlook interact. When you create a new email using this method, third party add-ins (such as PPTshare File Compressor) are not enabled. To get around this problem, PowerPoint 2003 users can select 'Send To Mail Recipient (for Review)' instead. Alternatively, simply open Outlook and attach the presentation in the usual manner.