Compress PDF DocHow to Reduce PDF File Size
Eight ways to make a PDF smaller while keeping text sharp.
1. Run it through a PDF compressor
The quickest win. Drop the file into our PDF compressor on Recommended: scanned and image-heavy PDFs typically shrink 80–95%, while text, links and forms stay intact. Nothing is uploaded.
2. Lower the image resolution (DPI)
Scanners and phones often save images at 300–600 DPI. On screen and in normal prints, 150 DPI looks sharp, and 96 DPI is fine for email and portals. In Compression settings, choose Extreme (96 DPI) or set DPI yourself.
3. Convert scans to grayscale
Color scans of black-and-white paperwork waste two thirds of their data. Turn on Convert images to grayscale under Advanced options.
4. Remove pages you don’t need
Blank scan pages, cover sheets and appendices add weight. Delete them in any PDF editor or print only the pages you need to a new PDF before compressing.
5. Scan smarter next time
Scan documents at 150–200 DPI in grayscale instead of 600 DPI color. Many phone scanner apps have a “document” or “black and white” mode that is much smaller.
6. Strip metadata, thumbnails and duplicates
Editors embed XMP metadata, page thumbnails and repeated copies of the same logo or font. Our compressor removes these automatically and merges duplicates.
7. Save from the original app, not by printing scans
Exporting a Word or Google Docs file as PDF keeps text as text (tiny). Scanning or “printing to image” turns every page into a large picture.
8. Aim for a target size
If a form has a hard limit, let the tool search for you: compress PDF to 100 KB, 200 KB, 1 MB or any size.
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