Inspect the real package
List the size of each final file and identify unnecessary duplicates. Do not estimate from your source project or assume compression will preserve every needed feature. Buyers with slower connections or limited device storage may benefit from separately labelled essential and optional files, provided the purchase promise remains clear.
Know the hosting constraint
Payhip’s digital-product help documents a per-file allowance, while Etsy’s instant-download listing has a smaller count and size constraint. Check the actual service rules before preparing the upload. Marketing language about unrestricted file types should not override the more specific help documentation or the file types your buyers can use.
Do not trade usability for a smaller number
Aggressive compression can make diagrams, text or print material less useful. Keep an unchanged master and inspect the exported customer file. This publication does not perform technical pattern proofing; a small file size is not evidence of correct scale, readable instructions or a complete package.
Document a deliberate choice
Record why a large file is necessary and whether a lighter alternative genuinely serves the buyer. Avoid sending customers to an unrelated public file host merely to evade a marketplace limit. If the required package does not fit a service, compare an appropriate platform rather than obscure the actual delivery arrangement.
An original working example
Keep a simple size record with the original export, the proposed customer version and the reason for any reduction. Inspect text and diagrams after optimisation, not just the final number of megabytes. A fictional package with three near-identical draft PDFs can become smaller by removing drafts without compressing useful material at all. That is preferable to damaging the only correct file. Do not treat this as technical print certification: scale, line clarity and craft-specific correctness require their own checks. When optional material is large, explain its purpose so a buyer can decide whether it belongs in their immediate download rather than retrieving everything by default.
Sources used for this page
These records support the facts and comparisons above. Merchant-controlled records are labelled so you can separate product claims from independent evidence.
- Adding a digital product — Merchant documentation · help.payhip.com · Merchant-controlled · checked 2026-09-27
- Etsy digital listings — Merchant documentation · help.etsy.com · Merchant-controlled · checked 2026-09-27