attachments are being made larger

[Lindylu]

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger)
Processor: Power PC
Email Client: pop

When I attach a file, Entourage 2008 is making the file sometimes as much as 3.5MB larger. For example, the file is 4.5MB, and when attached in Entourage it then says it's 7.83MB. Right now I'm looking at a little file that's only 44k and in the Entourage attachment window it says 60.16k. What gives and how can I stop. I'm running MAC OS 10.4 and Office 2008 with all latest updates.

 

[Sue Donum]

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger)
Processor: Power PC
Email Client: pop

When I attach a file, Entourage 2008 is making the file sometimes as much as
3.5MB larger. For example, the file is 4.5MB, and when attached in Entourage
it then says it's 7.83MB. Right now I'm looking at a little file that's only
44k and in the Entourage attachment window it says 60.16k. What gives and how
can I stop. I'm running MAC OS 10.4 and Office 2008 with all latest updates.

I believe you'll find this to be true with *every* email client. The
attachment (in your example) itself may be 4.5MB...but the email program
must "pack it up" for transmission. The additional MB (3.5MB, in your
example) is "overhead" that represents the additional "packaging."

 

[Lindylu]

I'm sorry but files sizes are what they are and can be made smaller when sending, not larger. I also run 3 other email programs and none of them do this, including Entourage 2007 on my IBM. There's something else affecting this version. But thanks for the feedback.

 

[William Smith]

I'm sorry but files sizes are what they are and can be made smaller
when sending, not larger. I also run 3 other email programs and none
of them do this, including Entourage 2007 on my IBM. There's
something else affecting this version. But thanks for the feedback.

I would say that what you're seeing is probably a misrepresentation of
actual file size. Entourage must add your file to its own database file
before sending and it may be representing its storage amount rather than
its sending amount.

I wouldn't worry that Entourage is needlessly adding bloat beyond what
is needed for encoding files to send them.

Hope this helps!

--

bill

William M. Smith, Microsoft Interop MVP - Mac/Windows
Entourage Help Page <http://entourage.mvps.org/>
Entourage Help Blog <http://blog.entourage.mvps.org/>
YouTalk <http://nine.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/youtalk>

 

[Sue Donum]

I would say that what you're seeing is probably a misrepresentation of
actual file size. Entourage must add your file to its own database file
before sending and it may be representing its storage amount rather than
its sending amount.

I wouldn't worry that Entourage is needlessly adding bloat beyond what
is needed for encoding files to send them.

Hope this helps!

Attachments are encoded, and it's always been my understanding that the
resulting "overhead" ("encoding penalty") can be significant. (See
<http://nihlibrary.ors.nih.gov/Relais/mime.htm>, and (for an OE MVP
perspective)
<http://www.tech-archive.net/Archive/Windows/microsoft.public.windows.inetex
plorer.ie6_outlookexpress/2004-10/1146.html>).

 

[William Smith]

Attachments are encoded, and it's always been my understanding that the
resulting "overhead" ("encoding penalty") can be significant. (See
<http://nihlibrary.ors.nih.gov/Relais/mime.htm>, and (for an OE MVP
perspective)
<http://www.tech-archive.net/Archive/Windows/microsoft.public.windows.inetex
plorer.ie6_outlookexpress/2004-10/1146.html>).

I'm not disputing what you're saying. The size of the attachment will
increase after encoding. It can be significant sometimes and other times
it can be nominal.

The important thing is that we know it's normal.

--

bill

William M. Smith, Microsoft Interop MVP - Mac/Windows
Entourage Help Page <http://entourage.mvps.org/>
Entourage Help Blog <http://blog.entourage.mvps.org/>
YouTalk <http://nine.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/youtalk>

 

[Sue Donum]

I'm not disputing what you're saying. The size of the attachment will
increase after encoding. It can be significant sometimes and other times
it can be nominal.

The important thing is that we know it's normal.

According to <http://nihlibrary.ors.nih.gov/Relais/mime.htm>, it varies with
the encoding method:

Uuencode: ? 42%
Binhex: ? 40%
Base64: ? 37%
Quoted-Printable: ? 3%-200%

And OE MVP Jim Pickering pegged the "typical" encoding penalty at about 30%
(<http://www.tech-archive.net/Archive/Windows/microsoft.public.windows.inete
xplorer.ie6_outlookexpress/2004-10/1146.html>).

"Nominal" would seem to apply only to some portion (whatever that may be) of
Quoted-Printable encoded attachments.