Exporting pdf's to Data Driven Page is slow

Question

I've been exporting pages to a map book using data driven pages and I do not understand why it exports so fast sometimes and why it exports slow at other times. I'm trying to export 19 different sets of pdfs and it goes so slow sometimes I have to let it go overnight  and I can only do one set at a time. But sometimes it exports real fast and I can finish all the sets in one day. Can anybody explain to me what causes it to export so slow sometimes.

Thanks.

ScottLouque · Answer

OK Thks. I'll try that next time. I just printed each page to a pdf individually bc I had a short time frame to have this and exporting was taking to long.

RobertBorchert · Answer

Everything is on a server. It is odd to me and I am at a lost to explain why it takes so long . I'm starting to trhink it m,ay be more of a network issue. Anyway I've given up trying to export them out. I printed each one to a pdf individually. We have a hurricane bearing down on us and I have 14 different flood levels with 7 pages to each flood level. Can't waste time trying to figure out the export 
problem.

Sounds like a network issue.  However, the more data you have in your layout the longer it is going to take. I have a particular project I export and there are a lot of things going on for each page and it takes upwards of 10 to 20 minutes to export a single page.

You can speed things up by adjusting the quality.  Play with it a little bit.  Lower it way down and export review the quality and increase it until it is good.

Use compression.  turn off all other programs when exporting.  Exporting to pdf can use up a lot of memory and other programs such a mail program etc chew up resources that ArcGIS could be using.  Pause your drawing while you export and turn off caching

ScottLouque · Answer

Everything is on a server. It is odd to me and I am at a lost to explain why it takes so long . I'm starting to trhink it m,ay be more of a network issue. Anyway I've given up trying to export them out. I printed each one to a pdf individually. We have a hurricane bearing down on us and I have 14 different flood levels with 7 pages to each flood level. Can't waste time trying to figure out the export 
problem.