ZIP is a compressed file format. Zipping a file creates a version of the file that is considerably smaller in file size than the original. This version has a .zip file extension.

Zipping large files before uploading them to our FTP will reduce the time it takes to transmit the files. We can then "unzip" the files on our end, restoring them to their original state.

Mac
Option 1: Create a ZIP file within the Finder in OSX.
1. Find the file you want to Zip. (If you have multiple files, create a folder and place your files inside it.)
2. Right-click or Control-click on the file (or folder) and choose "Create archive of [file name]".
3. OSX creates a ZIP file.

Option 2: Use a compression utility (we recommend Stuffit for Mac).

PC
Use a compression utility (available software for Windows includes EasyZip, PKZip, the popular WinZip, and many others, all available online).

NOTE:
• We do NOT recommend creating self-extracting archives.
• Some PDF files and compressed image files will exhibit little to no file size reduction when zipped, if data compression has been applied within the file itself. If you find that your ZIP files are not appreciably smaller in file size, don't bother zipping.