Minimizing File Size

Nobody likes dealing with big, bloated files. They're greedy resource hogs that slow down your system and wreak havoc on your ability to work quickly and efficiently. Any extra white space around the image is a file-fattening waste because it's not necessary for printing the image. One way to simplify the image is to choose Flatten Image from the side menu of the Layers palette, and then use the Eraser tool to clean up any stray pixels in the white area surrounding the image. Finally, to discard any extra space, choose Image > Trim, turn on all the check boxes at the bottom, and then choose whichever top choice would make Photoshop find a white pixel (Figure 5.29).

Figure 5.29. The Trim command will discard any extra space in your image.