Are you curious about how to reduce file pdf file size? Or about how to lower down the size of pdf file? In this article, we will tell you how to reduce pdf file size. If you are sending a PDF document to someone via email, usually the PDF file is large so the recipient has to wait a long time before downloading it. Sometimes, larger files can be annoying and unprofessional. That’s why we have to compress it and reduce its size.
We all know that making the pdf file size smaller could save more money for you, because less data means lower bandwidth cost. It is one essential thing for a company with limited budget, such as small business, printing service providers and others. But it is not easy to reduce the pdf file size at home, as many compress settings can only be used on commercial PDF software. However, if you are on Linux or Mac OS X, there are some totally free pdf compression tools waiting for you here.
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There are many ways to cut down pdf file size, such as reduce pdf font size and compress images in a pdf file. You can also use a free online tool to decrease the size of your PDF.
How to determine the size of your PDF document
If you’re using Adobe Acrobat, checking the size of your PDF is simple. Just click on File, then Properties. You’ll see lots of information about your document, including its size.
Alternatively, you can navigate to the folder containing your document, right-click on it, and click Properties.
Larger files will take longer to upload, are cumbersome to share electronically (via email, for instance), and will use up your law firm’s file storage more rapidly. And even when the courts accept larger file sizes, they prefer to handle smaller, optimized files.
So, how should you set about reducing the size of your PDF documents? Here are five quick tips.
#1 Avoid scanning PDFs wherever possible
It’s a common misconception that, to create PDFs, or to combine multiple documents and exhibits into a single PDF, you need to print everything out and scan it together. Electronically converted files are generally much smaller in size than scans.
You only ever need to scan documents that exist in paper form only — all other documents can be electronically converted from the original file by saving them as PDFs. Furthermore, individual documents can be quickly combined as PDFs using software such as Adobe Acrobat, avoiding any need to print out documents to combine them.
#2 Save as “Reduced Size PDF”
If your file is still very large after you’ve created it electronically, rather than by scanning, there are still some steps you can take. The simplest is to re-save your file as a reduced-size PDF.
In the latest version of Adobe Acrobat, open the PDF you wish to re-save as a smaller file, choose File, Save as Other, and then Reduced Size PDF. You’ll be prompted to select the version compatibility you need and then you can click OK to save. We recommend setting your compatibility with at least Acrobat X, as that version is still widely used.
This method is quick and simple but be warned that it will reduce the quality of images and will remove digital signatures. If you want more control over how your PDF is compressed in Acrobat, use the optimization method described below instead.
#3 Use Adobe Acrobat’s PDF Optimizer
Sometimes you’ll want more control over which elements of your document are reduced in quality or removed. In these circumstances, you should choose the PDF optimizer tool.
Before you optimize a file, it’s a good idea to audit the file’s space usage — review which elements, such as fonts, images, and so on, are using the most data. The results of this may give you ideas about where best to reduce file size.
To begin optimization, open your PDF in Acrobat, click File, Save as Other, and then Optimized PDF. In the dialog box that appears, click on Audit space usage in the top right-hand corner. You’ll see a table of information a bit like this:
The optimizer gives you complete control over the elements of your PDF that will be compressed. Select the checkbox next to a panel (e.g. Images, Fonts), and then select options in that panel. There’s a lot of choices, so it’s worth reading through the Adobe help file to understand what each option does.
Okay, we know that not everyone uses Adobe Acrobat. What options are available to you if you’re using other software or only the basic Adobe Reader? Here are two more options for reducing the size of your PDF file if you’re not using Acrobat.\
#4 Reduce the size as you save in Word
In Word, to convert a document to PDF, you use the Save As option. This option generally produces a fairly small file, depending on the number of images in your document. However, if you find that your Word-converted PDF is still too large, there is a further option in Word that will produce a significantly smaller file. Here’s how to use it:
Open the Word document you are going to convert to PDF. Click on the File button and then Save As. In the Save as type menu, select PDF and enter your preferred file name. Here’s the extra step: where it says Optimize for at the bottom of the dialog box, select Minimum size (publishing online).
#5 Use a print-to-PDF tool
Other (non-Adobe) PDF tools generally contain features that will reduce the size of your PDF. However, if you’re looking for a free option, there are some available. Currently, the most downloaded free PDF creator (according to download.com) is PrimoPDF.
Once you’ve installed PrimoPDF, simply open the PDF you wish to compress (in Acrobat Reader, or a web browser, for example), press Ctrl+P to open the print dialog, select PrimoPDF from the list of available printers, and then click Create PDF.
Note that this method, like simply saving as a reduced-size PDF in Adobe Acrobat, reduces image quality and resolution.
Adobe Acrobat Pro
If you have Adobe Acrobat installed on your computer, there’s a tool within the application called “PDF Optimizer”. This is one of the best and easiest ways to shrink a PDF document.
To get to this, open your PDF in Acrobat, click Tools > Optimize PDF. A toolbar with a few options will appear just above the PDF.
If you click Reduce File Size, you can choose to reduce a single or multiple files. Next, you’ll choose the file location and name. Once you click Save, Acrobat will apply default settings to your file to attempt to reduce its size.
If you click Advanced Optimization, you’ll have more options to ensure you maintain the quality you need. To help with this, in the Advanced Optimization window, click Audit Space Usage, and you’ll be able to see how much space each kind of element is taking up within the file.
Using default setting, our sample file shrunk from 11,775KB to only 212KB, making Adobe Acrobat Pro one of the most effective PDF compressor in this list. It’s a paid tool, after all, but there was one free tool that performed better with default settings. Adobe Acrobat Pro DC will set you back $14.99 per month, but you can get a 7-day free trial.
Browser PDF Tools
NeeviaPDF
If you want more control over the quality of your compressed PDF, try DocuPub’s NeeviaPDF (for files less than 24 MB in size).
To keep things simple, you can choose one of the presets, which range from low compression (for a higher image quality) to maximum compression (for a lower image quality). You’re also given the option to discard certain elements from within your PDF. This includes things like forms, annotations, and page labels, which can unnecessarily increase the size of the file.
Our sample PDF lost 98% of its size, clocking in at only 203KB, down from 11,775KB. This was the smallest we achieved in our tests, and the result looked just fine. How much of the original PDF you want to discard depends on how much space you really need to save.
Re-save the PDF to reduce PDF size
We don’t mean that you have to redo it from scratch. A simple, yet handy trick to reduce the size of a PDF file is to strip out unwanted objects, remove tags, and compress images. You can do that with any program that has a “print to PDF” option, or with the free online software. With most PDF editing tools, the file size reduction can be done in just a few easy steps:
- Open the PDF file
- Choose the Export / Save as dialog
- Select the PDF as file type
- Click Save and you’re done
Compress PDF with Adobe Acrobat or Nitro
Whether you are using Adobe Acrobat or Nitro PDF Professional, you can reduce PDF size in a simple, yet highly effective way. The “Save” feature is often much faster than the “Save As”, simply because any additional changes to the file are appended at the end of the file, without a complete rewrite, so a bulk of info is just adding up. Instead, by using the “Save As” feature, you can forget about this and reduce PDF size.
All you have to do is:
- Open the PDF editor
- In Acrobat go to File – Save As – Click Save once again
- In Nitro PDF Professional go to File – Save As – Choose the file you want to compress – Click Save
Remove unwanted objects from PDF files
There are many features that can help you decrease the size of your PDF files. Some of the best tools are Adobe and Nitro PDF. The size of a PDF file is increased by links, bookmarks, form fields, and JavaScript. But this shouldn’t be an issue. Whether you use the Nitro PDF Professional or Adobe, just follow the steps below. They’ll surely help you reduce PDF size:
- Open the PDF in the PDF editor
- In Nitro PDF Professional: Go to File > Optimize PDF > Click Custom
- In Acrobat: Go to File > Save as other > Optimized PDF. More details here
- Choose the objects to remove
- Press OK to complete
Clear unused space – Use the PDF Optimizer
There is unused space on your PDF that you might not be aware of. It’s always better to know what pulls up the size of your file. Getting rid of the unused space is often the easiest way to reduce PDF size. If you are using Adobe, then you should follow these simple steps:
- Select Tools > Advanced Optimization
- Click on PDF Optimizer
- Select the Audit Space Usage
Conclusion
PDF files are great to save info, view on computer or print out. You can also share them with others by emailing the pdf file. But sometimes you may need to remove some pages in PDF before sharing. Also you need to reduce PDF file size if it is too big. Sometimes you may thanks to lower the cost of printing paper by cutting down the cost of ink.
You may find that you are so frustrated with the size of your pdf document. The file size is enormous and take up all the space on your hard drive and it makes you wondering what should be the best way to make your pdf smaller. How to reduce pdf file size online without losing quality. Use online PDF compress tool like CompressPDF to easily create smaller, better-looking PDFs using excellent compression algorithms.