PDF File created in CF MX prints SLOW

[HJSchmidt]

After A LOT of playing around, I finally figured out how to create a PDF file, add watermarks, images on certain pages, footers and security.  PHEW!

But now, when the user downloads the PDF file, it is pretty big and when you print it, a progress bar that reads "flattening:xx%" comes up for every page and takes a long time to print.

The PDF I created is not a PDFForm, so I am not sure why "flattening" is coming up.  In any case, I need the file to print faster.

So here is the main question, once I have created a PDF file and it is on my server, is there a way to flatten (I know flatten is not the correct word, since flattening is for forms - but I hope you understand what I mean) the file so that it can no longer be stripped of watermarks, footers, etc?  I imagine doing so, will also make the file print more quickly.

For example, if I take my PDF file and print it to a 3rd party distiller program as a new PDF file and I open the new file, it prints almost instantly.

I can't attach the file, so here it is on my server:

https://www.calcerts.com/mybigpdf.pdf

[HJSchmidt]

Here is a better example.

https://www.calcerts.com/PBR1.pdf

is the original PDF file that is uploaded by a user.  Note that it is only 48kb in size.

I take the file, add a couple of watermarks and a footer for each page as well as a small image on the last page, add security on it and BAM, the file:

https://www.calcerts.com/PBR1_AFTER.pdf

is now 1.5 MB and it takes a LONG time to print.

Thoughts?