How to Compress a PDF Under 500KB

What makes a PDF big

Text and vector graphics take very little space: a ten-page report exported from a word processor is often under 200 KB. Images are what make PDFs heavy, and a scan is nothing but images, one per page.

Start from the source

If you still have the original document, export it again as PDF instead of scanning a printout. If you must scan, 150 to 200 dpi in greyscale is enough for text documents and certificates.

Fix the file you have

Run the optimizer first; it is lossless and quick. If the file is still too big, reduce the images: convert the pages to JPG, compress each one, and combine them back into a PDF.

• Remove blank pages and pages the form did not ask for.
• Keep the original file; always compress from it, not from an already compressed copy.
• Open the result and zoom in on small print before uploading.

Why compress in the browser

Documents for applications often contain ID numbers, signatures and addresses. Working in the browser keeps the file on your device instead of on someone else's server.