How to Reduce PDF File Size
Large PDFs are often caused by high-resolution images, embedded fonts, unnecessary metadata, or scanned pages. Reducing the size can make documents easier to upload, email and archive.
Common approaches
- Downsample very large images when print quality does not require them.
- Use appropriate image compression for photographs.
- Remove unnecessary embedded data when the workflow allows it.
- Use OCR for scanned documents when searchable text is needed, while checking the resulting accuracy.
Balance size and readability
A smaller PDF is not automatically a better PDF. If text becomes blurry or small details disappear, the compression level may be too aggressive. Keep an original copy before applying destructive optimization.
After optimization
Open the resulting PDF and check pages, images, fonts, hyperlinks and file size. For important documents, compare the optimized file with the original before distribution.