We all have files that we can't delete for one reason or another, and there's at least one time that we all have something we need to send over the Internet. Either way, it can be a space-hogging problem. Compressed files take up half the space of a normal file, though, making them a favorite for both storage and file sharing through email or posted on a Web site.
The things you can actually do with StuffIt Deluxe 11 are fascinating. Configure StuffIt Deluxe to automatically compress any of your rarely used files, and your computer has much more space to work with. Generally the thing that most of us will be doing is just picking the files we want to compress and letting StuffIt do its thing.
This process is easy. First, you'll need to open StuffIt Deluxe - and it helps things go smoothly if you have a folder already open that contains the files you want to compress, but this isn't necessary. Next, you need to click the "New" button on the StuffIt Deluxe toolbar. After clicking, you'll see a StuffIt Deluxe window open that asks you to name your new archive and choose a location for it. Make sure that the location you choose is easy to remember. You don't really want to search through your whole computer looking for one single archive.
While you're in the "New" window, you can choose to create a StuffIt (.sit), Zip (.zip), or StuffIt X (.sitx) archive. The only real difference you'll notice between StuffIt Deluxe archive types is who can and can't open them. If you're just storing your files in an archive, go for the StuffIt X type - it is the smallest. If you're going to share your archive with someone else, consider using the StuffIt Zip type because it can be opened by the most computer users.
Now for the easiest part: All that you have to do is drag and drop files or folders into the new StuffIt Deluxe archive window. As you drag and drop items in, StuffIt Deluxe will show information about each file in the archive. Very useful stuff.
Easy? Yup. What makes it even better, though, is that the archive you just made with StuffIt Deluxe is about 25 percent smaller than what you could make with any other compression program. That's power.
Phebe Durand
