Illustrator EPS export

Hello

I'm sorry to bug you again. I have been sent an RGB EPS file. I have been asked to make a modification (very trivial) and return the file in CMYK. The file is a logo for Press (I unfortunately cannot attach the file due to contractual reasons) and arrived with me as a 12.8 Kb EPS. When I save or export the file (even without any changes), whatever format I choose, whatever options I deselect, the file is still huge. The smallest I have been able to get the file is about 380 Kb! Here are all the header comments from the original RGB file:

Code:

---

%!PS-Adobe-3.0 EPSF-3.0
%%Creator: 0.44
%%Pages: 1
%%Orientation: Portrait
%%BoundingBox: 0 0 419 127
%%HiResBoundingBox: 0 -2.2380573e-007 418.27719 126.12479
%%EndComments
%%Page: 1 1

---

So I cannot tell what application created this lean file. The headers for the Legacy Illustrator CMYK EPS I export contain:

Code:

---

%!PS-Adobe-3.1 EPSF-3.0
%%Creator: Adobe Illustrator(R) 11

---

The logo contains no fonts. It is a simple line drawing as you can tell from the size of the file I received. These are the settings I used. Can I not get this file any smaller? I've never come across this before.

If it is a simple line drawing and you want to keep it a EPS file I would save it as a Legacy 8. I would never save it as a Legacy 3 unless the printer asked for this version. I would even go up to version 10 if it was possible as this would let areas of transparencies be exported and I would have thought all printers could handle PDF. The PDF export might be as large but the files size would depend on the version of Illy you were using as from CS onwards exporting a PDF changed. If the file is going to the printer why are you worrying about file size anyway?

I am only worried about the file size as a matter of principle. How can somebody send me a file that is absolutely perfect and only 12.8 Kb and when I make no changes to it, the smallest I have been able to get the file in Adobe Illustrator 11 is about 380 Kb! It just sounds really weird that Adobe adds so much junk to the file when the original was lean and perfectly-formed.

I also have Xara Xtreme, but it did not recognise the EPS format so I was unable to see how big the file would have been if I had made no changes to it and simply saved it.

To my great surprise Inkscape cannot open any flavour of EPS. The only apps I have that can save to vector EPS are Illustrator and Xara.