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Upload the PDF file you want to compress.
PDF Compressor | Reduce Image-heavy PDF File Size
This first PDF compression workflow rebuilds pages into a lighter image-based PDF. It works best for scanned and image-heavy documents.
How to use
Choose quality
Adjust the quality slider to choose the compression level you want.
Download result
Review the size difference and download the compressed PDF file.
Real-world scenarios
Useful when a submission portal rejects scanned PDFs because the files are too large.
Shrink scanned contract PDFs before sending them as email attachments.
Reduce oversized submission PDFs when portals enforce strict upload limits.
Compress image-based PDFs before sharing documentation with a team.
What to check before compressing PDFs
This tool works best on image-heavy PDFs, especially scans. Text-heavy PDFs may not shrink as dramatically, so it helps to understand the file type first.
When compression works best
- Scanner-made image PDFs often shrink well.
- Phone-photo PDFs also tend to benefit from compression.
- Submission documents with many images often become upload-friendly after compression.
Things to check before compressing
- If the document has small text, lowering quality too much can hurt readability.
- Some PDFs are already highly compressed, so the size drop may be limited.
- Decide whether you only need to pass an upload limit or still need print-friendly quality.
Practical workflow tips
- For submissions, start with medium quality and zoom in once after export.
- If several PDFs must be delivered together, compress after the final merge.
- For image-based PDFs, compressing the original images first can sometimes work even better.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of PDF benefits most from compression?
Image-heavy PDFs, especially scans, usually benefit the most. Text-heavy PDFs may not shrink as much.
Can compression make text hard to read?
Yes, especially when the document contains small text. It is safer to try medium quality first and zoom in on the result.
Should I compress before or after merging PDFs?
If the final submission is one combined file, compressing after the merge is usually easier to manage. If the source images are huge, compressing earlier can also help.
What if the PDF is still too large after compression?
You can lower the quality a bit more, remove unnecessary pages first, or go back to the original image sources and reduce them before building the PDF again.