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Hi,
I would like to find a way to compress pdfs created by my scanner. I always choose the lowest dpi (I think I can't go lower than 150) and the smallest file size. The problem is that I need to upload these pdfs on a site that requires sizes of no more than 300KB. After I digitally sign the pdf, it often happens that it exceeds this maximum size.
I tried using a program called free pdf compress, but, weird enough, the compressed file turned out to be even bigger than the original size, regardless of the options I chose.
As these are private documents, I wouldn't like to use public sites to compress the pdfs. So I'm looking for a good program that does that.
Any suggestions? Commercial or not, although I'd prefer freeware.
I would like to find a way to compress pdfs created by my scanner. I always choose the lowest dpi (I think I can't go lower than 150) and the smallest file size. The problem is that I need to upload these pdfs on a site that requires sizes of no more than 300KB. After I digitally sign the pdf, it often happens that it exceeds this maximum size.
I tried using a program called free pdf compress, but, weird enough, the compressed file turned out to be even bigger than the original size, regardless of the options I chose.
As these are private documents, I wouldn't like to use public sites to compress the pdfs. So I'm looking for a good program that does that.
Any suggestions? Commercial or not, although I'd prefer freeware.
Solution
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- May 16, 2010
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I use Wondershare for all my pdf work - don't know if it will help with your problem but worth a try:
All-in-One PDF Converter, Editor, Filler & Merger
All-in-One PDF Converter, Editor, Filler & Merger
- Joined
- Jul 4, 2015
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- 8,998
This one does cost some money ($50) I think but does make smaller PDFs. CutePDF - Convert to PDF for free, Free PDF Utilities, Save PDF Forms, Edit PDF easily. You could even try the free Cutepdf writer, which is an emulated printer. So basically
- Scan in your file to pdf
- Then "print" it to the cutepdf writer and see if that reduces the size
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- Mar 14, 2023
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Thanks for sharing your recommendation! Online tools like PDFSail can be quite handy for quick PDF compression tasks, especially when you need to meet strict file size limits (like under 300KB for scanned documents).
However, here are a few tips to keep in mind when compressing PDF files, especially if you work with scanned documents frequently:
However, here are a few tips to keep in mind when compressing PDF files, especially if you work with scanned documents frequently:
- Compression Level vs. Quality: Aggressive compression can reduce file size dramatically, but sometimes at the cost of image/text clarity—be sure to review the output quality.
- Security: When using online tools, avoid uploading sensitive or confidential documents, as privacy can’t always be guaranteed.
- Batch Processing: If you handle many PDFs regularly, consider desktop tools (like Adobe Acrobat, PDFsam, or even free utilities like PDF24 Tools) for batch processing and offline security.
- OCR Support: Some PDF compressors can also perform OCR (Optical Character Recognition) on your scans, making the text selectable/searchable in the compressed file.