Reduce scanned document online. How to reduce pdf file size? Programs and online services. How to reduce the size of a pdf file using online services

PDF files with lots of graphic elements look nice, but transmitting them over e-mail– sheer torment due to the large size of such documents. There is no need to wait long for the file to be attached to the letter, because you can reduce its size with virtually no loss of quality. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to do this - choose whichever you want.

It is worth noting, however, that half of the methods listed below are only possible using Acrobat DC from Adobe installed on your PC. This is a paid product, but the 30-day trial version is completely free. It is available on the official Adobe Systems website.

Using CutePDF or another PDF converter

You can reduce the size of a PDF file using one of the converters, for example, CutePDF. It allows you to convert files from any printable format to PDF, as well as change the document size, increasing or decreasing the quality of images and text. When installing of this product is created in the system virtual printer, which instead of printing documents converts them to PDF format.

1. Download CutePDF from the official website (free) and install. Don’t forget to install the converter along with it, otherwise nothing will happen after clicking the “Print” button.

2. Open the file in a program that supports its format and has the ability to print documents. If it's a PDF file, you can open it in Adobe Reader; and if the file is in doc or docx format, it will do Microsoft Word. Click on the “File” menu item and select “Print”.

3. When the printing settings window opens, select CutePDF Writer from the list of printers.

4. Click on the “Printer Properties” button, in the window that opens, click on the “Advanced” button and select the content display quality. To compress the file to the desired size, select a quality lower than the original quality.

5. Click the “Print” button and save the file to the desired location. Only PDF is available for saving, regardless of what format the document was originally in.

Using online tools

If you don’t want to download and install anything, then you can compress the PDF file online. Compressing and converting documents online is fast and convenient.

1. Find a suitable tool on the Internet, such as Smallpdf. Unlike other similar online tools, here the user is not limited in the size and number of documents he can upload.

2. Once you visit the site, upload it required document. This can be done by clicking on the inscription and selecting the file using Explorer, or by dragging the file with the left mouse button and dropping it in the desired area. You can also add a document from Dropbox or from " Google Drive A".

3. When the process is complete, click on the “You can save the file” button and select a location on your PC for it. To upload a compressed document to Google Drive or Dropbox, click the corresponding icon on the right side of the button.

In addition to Smallpdf, there are many other online compressors on the Internet: Compress PDF, Online2pdf, PDFzipper and others. Some allow you to upload files up to 50 MB in size, others - up to 100 MB, others have no restrictions at all, but they perform their work at approximately the same level.

In Adobe Acrobat

You can compress a PDF file in Adobe Acrobat DC, but not in the free Adobe Reader.

1. Having opened the document in Acrobat, click on the “File” menu item, then select “Save as another” and click on the line “Reduced PDF file”.

2. Click in the drop-down list on the version of the program with which your document should be compatible. By choosing the newest version, you can compress the file as much as possible, but there is a risk that it will become inaccessible in previous versions of Acrobat.

3. Click on the “Ok” button, wait for the compression process to complete and save the compressed document to the desired location.

Another PDF compression method in Adobe Acrobat DC

If you have Adobe Acrobat installed and need to compress a document located on your PC, it is much more advisable to use the previous method. The same method can be used when required file uploaded to, say, Google Drive, and you need to download it, reducing the size at the same time.

1. Log into Google Drive from your account, double-click the PDF file you want to compress, and click the printer icon to open the print screen.

2. In the window that opens, click on the drop-down list and select the Adobe PDF line.

3. By clicking on the “Properties” button, you will open another window where you need to select the “Paper and Print Quality” tab, and then click on the “Advanced” button at the bottom of the window.

4. In the drop-down list (see screenshot below), select the desired document quality, at the bottom of the window click on the “Ok” button, then in the next two windows also click on “Ok”.

5. Save the reduced file on your PC.

Using Adobe Acrobat and Microsoft Word

The essence of this method of compressing PDF documents is that you first convert the file from one format to another, and then convert it back.

1. Open the PDF document through Adobe Acrobat, go to the "File" menu and select "Save As".

2. Click the “Select another folder” button, then select the file type “ Word document(*.docx)" and save location. Click on "Save".

3. Having opened the document in Microsoft Word, click on the “File” item and select the “Save as Adobe PDF” sub-item.

Using PDF Optimizer

This method of reducing the size of PDF files also requires the use of software from Adobe Systems.

1. Open the document you want to reduce using Adobe Acrobat. Next, go to the “File” menu, click on the “Save as Other” line and select “Optimized PDF File” to launch the PDF document optimizer.

2. In the “PDF Optimization” window that opens, click on the “Estimate space usage” button to understand which elements take up how much space in the file (in bytes and percentage).

3. Having assessed what can be reduced and what does not make sense to compress, close the window by clicking on the “Ok” button and set the necessary compression parameters. To do this, in the left part of the window, left-click on one or another item, and in the right part, change the parameters.

4. You can delete images, change them from color to black and white, compress them, change resolution, change built-in fonts, etc. Having “played enough” with the parameters, click on the “Ok” button and save the optimized file to the desired directory.

A way to compress PDF files on Mac OS X

PDF documents created operating system Mac OS X is noticeably larger in size than files with the same content created by Adobe Help Acrobat. If you are a Mac OS X user and want to reduce the size of the PDF file you create, do the following:

  1. Open the TextEdit application, then click on “File” in the program menu, and then select “Print”.
  2. In the lower left corner of the window that opens, you will see a button called PDF. Click on it, and then on the line “Compress PDF” in the drop-down list. The result is a more compact PDF file.

Archiving a file

To ensure that the document takes up less space on your computer, you can archive it using one of the archivers, for example, 7Zip or WinRAR. Both programs are quite popular, but the first is distributed free of charge, and the cost of using the second is over a limited period. trial version, you'll have to pay.

To compress a document using the 7Zip archiver, right-click on the file, then with the left mouse button, first click on the 7Zip line, and then on the inscription “Add to “file_name”. Then the archive will be created automatically.

If you want to set certain parameters before archiving, select the “Add to archive” line. Then a window like the one in the screenshot below will open.

By using an archiver, you can significantly reduce the size of a document, as well as create an archive consisting of several files, compressed and combined with each other. This will make it much easier to store and transmit them via email. Just before sending an archived PDF file, make sure that the recipient also has an archiver installed, otherwise he will not be able to open the archive.

Note: Adobe Acrobat and Adobe Reader are not the same thing. Reader is free, but its feature set for editing PDF files is extremely limited, so you can only reduce the size of documents in Acrobat. However, Adobe Acrobat is a paid program. And if you don’t have it and don’t want to buy it, use other options for compressing PDF documents that are not associated with it.

How to compress a PDF file to reduce its size?

  1. You can change the compression settings if you wish. Start compressing the file by clicking on the appropriate button.
  2. Save the compressed files.

How is a PDF file compressed?

There are different methods used to reduce the size of a PDF file. How effectively a file is compressed depends on what data the PDF file contains. For example, PDF files with images compress well. PDF24 uses the following PDF compression methods:

  1. Removing font information that is not needed when displaying a PDF file.
  2. Reduce image size depending on this parameter DPI.
  3. Reduces image quality depending on the specified quality parameters.
  4. Modify PDF file and compress structural data.

How to reduce PDF size without losing quality?

PDF24 allows you to compress files without loss, but in this mode the file size may decrease slightly. How it works:

  1. Click on the highlighted area at the top of the page and select the files to compress.
  2. Switch the lossless compression mode and start compressing the file by clicking on the corresponding button.
  3. Save the compressed files.

Why is my PDF so big?

If the PDF file contains images, the file size may be large. This is usually why large PDF files are created. A text-only PDF file weighs much less. If your PDF file has images, you can use PDF24 to create small images, reducing their size and quality.

Does PDF compression degrade quality?

The PDF24 compression tool has several modes. Normal compression mode reduces the size and quality of the image as it has a greater impact on the file size. You can enable lossless compression mode, but this will have a minor effect on the size. Often deterioration in quality is not a problem. The only question is how acceptable the quality is in relation to the size.

Do PDF files compress well?

Yes, if the PDF contains images. They can be individually compressed and reduced in size. Compressing PDF files without images is not as effective.

Are PDF files compressed?

PDF files typically use internal compression tools for the objects they contain. However, such compression is not necessary. Some objects may not be compressed. The PDF creation program determines which objects will be compressed and which will not, but the PDF standard itself does not imply compression.

Is it safe to use PDF24 tools?

PDF24 takes file and data security seriously. We want users to be able to trust us. Therefore, we are constantly working on security issues.

  1. All file transfers are encrypted.
  2. All files are deleted automatically from the processing server within an hour after processing.
  3. We do not store files or evaluate them. Files are used only for their intended purpose.
  4. PDF24 is owned by the German company Geek Software GmbH. All processing servers are located in data centers in the EU.

Electronic documents can be saved in various formats, one of the most popular all over the world is PDF (Portable Document Format). The format was developed by Adobe Systems and is intended for storing and representing text and graphic information V in electronic format, you can work with documents using the official Adobe Reader program, as well as other third-party software. Today, many manufacturers of printing equipment support PDF at the hardware level, which allows you to print documents without using any additional software. The format is universal, and files with a ".pdf" extension display the same regardless of the device or tool you use to open them. For documents it is possible to set different levels access, which is very convenient, and among other advantages, the files are compact and do not take up much space by modern standards. However, sometimes users still need to compress documents so that they take up even less disk space. The PDF format has nothing against this and can be compressed using various means, as we will discuss below.

PDF file compression methods.

The PDF format is used quite widely for various purposes, including professional activity, for home use, can often be used for study, so sometimes files can reach quite impressive sizes. You may need to compress a PDF document for various reasons, for example:

  • Freeing up disk space (in some cases, lack of memory is really a problem and the count is in megabytes).
  • For the purpose of sending files. Sometimes, to send a PDF, the document needs to be reduced in size, since many websites email clients, the programs do not accept large files and there is often a limitation on the permissible size.
  • Increased document opening speed (on low-power devices, hefty files open noticeably slower).

In such cases, compression usually comes to the rescue, and this is not difficult to do even with minimal computer skills. Automation of processes in programs and services today allows you to perform various tasks that would require more time and knowledge if performing the same actions manually.

Options for how to compress a PDF file

There are several methods and even more tools that can be used to compress PDF files. You can use any convenient option available. Let's look at how to compress a PDF document using various methods.

Archiving

The most ancient method of compressing information, which has been used for decades and has not lost its relevance today, is adding files to an archive. Using standard archive programs, such as WinRAR or 7-Zip, you can either resize a PDF file and save disk space, or collect several documents in one archive file, which will significantly increase the efficiency of data transfer to another device. Sending an object to the archive is very simple. Let's look at an example free software 7-Zip (the program must be on the computer to perform the procedure), how to reduce the size of a PDF file by archiving:

  • Select the desired file, right-click to call up the context menu.
  • Find 7-Zip in the list of options and click “Add to archive...”.
  • Settings are available in the window that opens. The minimum setting involves selecting a format and compression level, after which we apply the changes by clicking “Ok”.

The same procedure can be done in WinRAR:

  • The utility window displays file system device, select the folder to create the archive and click “Add”.
  • In the settings menu, on the “General” tab, select the compression method.
  • Go to the “Files” tab and add documents to be archived, and then apply the changes.

The file will not lose quality, and after unpacking it will be available in its original form. In addition, using an archiver program big file can be divided into several parts for sending by mail, because many email clients are not capable of sending voluminous documents, and the recipient will be able to assemble these parts into a single whole by extracting them.

Compression by reducing quality (DPI)

DPI is the number of dots per inch, one of the parameters used to indicate the resolution of image conversion processes. The higher this value in the picture characteristics, the higher the quality, while the density of the pixels will also affect the size of the object. Therefore, you can reduce the weight of a PDF file by saving it with a different number of dots per inch. The solution to compressing an object in this way is quite effective in the case of voluminous scanned documents.

The decrease in quality is not always noticeable to the eye, since it is believed that a person is not able to see more than 300 dots per inch (which is what the standard in printing is based on), so most often when changing the DPI you cannot visually determine the difference. As you increase the quality further, only the file size will increase, and printing an image with a high DPI value will be noticeably slower. If images are intended to be displayed on a monitor screen, you can scan (or reduce documents) with a resolution within 72 dpi (web standard), since the monitor will not display more, and increasing the number of dots will only increase the file size, for this reason it also more difficult to process. You can manipulate this parameter using various software, for example Adobe Acrobat, Fine Rider, Libre Office, Cute PDF Writer, etc.

Method 1

Let's look at how to compress a PDF file by reducing the dpi using the Draw tool from office suite Libre Office:

  • Launch the software and select the “Draw” option in the main menu.
  • Open the PDF document in the program and in the “File” menu click “Export to PDF...”.
  • In the settings window that opens, you can change the compression level, quality, including resolution (DPI), as well as other settings.
  • When the parameters are specified, click the “Export” button, which allows you to create a new document with the current settings.

Method 2

Another tool for working with files of this format Cute PDF Writer expects to create a line when printing a document with the specified compression characteristics. So, to reduce the number of points, we perform the following actions:

  • After installing the software from the official website on the device (we install both available files), you need to open the PDF file using any program that reads the format (for example, Adobe Reader).
  • Call the print option (from the application menu or by pressing Ctrl+P).
  • Now in the printer selection line we indicate Cute PDF Writer, to the right of it we click “Properties”.
  • Open the “Paper and Print Quality” tab, click “Advanced...”.
  • In the new window you can set the print quality in DPI, as well as set other parameters.
  • Having completed the necessary settings, click “Ok” to apply the changes.
  • Now we carry out “Print”, thus saving the resulting PDF file in a different quality.

The format of the object does not change during the procedure, you only change the DPI of the content, while reducing the file size; sometimes you can greatly reduce the quality, which in certain cases is unacceptable, for example, when working with high-resolution images.

Converting to DjVu format

Another way to compress electronic PDF document To make it weigh less, convert it to another format, namely DjVu. Lossy compression technology provides even greater file compression than is offered by the PDF format. So, without reducing the DPI, we will get a similar object of a smaller size. You can convert using special applications or online services (more about them below). For example, you can use a simple and convenient PDF to DjVu converter. Converting using the utility is not difficult; to do this, you need to specify the location of the source file, as well as the path where we will save the resulting object in the new format, and then set the necessary conversion settings (you can leave the default settings). In this way, files are compressed quite well, but quality is also lost during the conversion process, so it’s not always this decision may be optimal. It is convenient that the object can be opened in programs that support the format, without the need to extract it, as is the case with archives.

Using Online Tools

Fast and convenient way perform compression so that the PDF file weighs less, without installing software on the device. There are many services online that can carry out the procedure online. Let's look at some of them.

Excellent service with a wide range of tools for working with PDF. You can perform compression, conversion to various formats, merging, splitting elements, and other actions. You can reduce the size of an object without losing quality. Compressing PDF using an online service is very simple:

  • Add a file (click the red select button to upload from the device, or using the add buttons from Dropbox, Google Drive, download from the cloud, you can also drag and drop elements to the appropriate area).
  • When an object is added, you can select compression settings or leave the recommended ones.
  • Click the “Compress PDF” button.
  • After the procedure on new page You can download the finished file. The weight of the object will be less, with almost the same level of quality.

PDF2Go

Changes to the PDF file size, as well as other actions on the object, can be performed using the PDF2Go online tool. The service offers many tools for editing, compression, conversion and other tools for working with PDF. You can reduce the weight of the document in this way:

  • By analogy with the previous service, an element is added from the computer by pressing the select button, dragged to the specified area, and downloaded from the cloud (Dropbox, Google Drive). You can also provide a link to the file you want to convert.
  • Now in the compression settings, select the required quality from the drop-down list. It is also possible to convert color pages to black and white (if required, check this box).
  • Click the green “Save Changes” button.

Another good service to perform PDF compression, as well as other tasks (editing, converting, splitting or merging files, etc.). Working with the tool is also simple; in the compression section we do the following:

  • We select a file from the device, download it from the cloud, or drag the object to the appropriate area.
  • After waiting for the compression process to complete, you will see how much the file was compressed and can download it.

Convertio

The online service allows you to convert documents from PDF to DjVu, as well as simply compress them, leaving them in the same format. You can add an item from your device, Dropbox, Google Drive, or specify a URL, and when the process is complete, download the results or send them to cloud storage. In addition to working with PDF, this service is capable of converting elements various formats(audio, video, images, documents, archives, presentations, etc.). There are many resources on the Internet that allow you to work with PDF online. Some of them have restrictions on the size of the downloaded file (for example, up to 50 MB, 100 MB), others do not, but all online services operate on a similar principle: we download the object, make compression settings and be satisfied with the result. The interface is intuitive, so even an inexperienced user will not have any difficulties in working with the tools.

Programs for working with PDF files

You can also reduce the weight of a PDF document by using programs that require installation. In some cases, this method will be more convenient than using online services, since this makes it possible to work in the absence of the Internet.

You can compress a PDF document to the desired size in this way:

  • Open the object in Acrobat and in the “File” menu select the option “Save as another” - “Reduced PDF file...”.
  • Now you should select a program version from the available list so that the document obtained as a result of the procedure is compatible with it. If you select the latest one, the item may not be available for previous versions. Click “Ok”.
  • At the end of the process, you can save the result by specifying the path.

An alternative option is to select the “Save as Other” option from the “File” menu – “Optimized PDF file...”. This way, when reducing the element size, you can fine-tune the necessary compression parameters.

CutePDF Writer

The program allows you to create PDF files from almost any application that supports printing. Software does not have GUI and acts as a printer subsystem by installing a virtual printer on the computer. In addition to converting objects to PDF, it is also possible to compress finished elements, for which we perform the following actions:

  • Open the document in Adobe Reader, where in the “File” menu we select “Print”.
  • In the print settings window, select CutePDF Writer from the list of available printers and click “Properties” next to this line.
  • In the next window, click “Advanced”.
  • Among additional parameters We find “Print quality”, here you can lower the DPI in the drop-down list. For example, if you lower it from a high value to 300dpi, you won’t notice a difference visually.
  • Having set the required number of points, click “Ok”, then “Print” (this way the document is saved and not printed).

The functionality of the application will allow you to reduce the size of the selected PDF document, convert images to PDF, and combine objects. The compressor also has the ability to create profiles with different parameters, which is convenient when the program is used by more than one user; the same option can be used to switch between created parameter templates. As for compression, there are settings for color and black and white documents. The first option will also ask you to change the color depth and simplify the image. It is possible to adjust the compression percentage, but you shouldn’t get carried away, otherwise the result will not be quite similar to the source.

Free PDF Compressor

With help of this instrument you can only vary the size of the PDF, for which the software has several ready-made templates settings from different parameters quality. The compressor interface is simple and clear, you just need to specify the source, select the path to save the result and mark the desired settings option, and after pressing the appropriate button the process will begin.

We have covered several effective methods for performing PDF compression. Whatever method you use to reduce the weight of documents, each of them is convenient and good in its own way, it all depends on the individual requirements for the result.

How to compress a PDF file to reduce its size?

  1. You can change the compression settings if you wish. Start compressing the file by clicking on the appropriate button.
  2. Save the compressed files.

How is a PDF file compressed?

There are different methods used to reduce the size of a PDF file. How effectively a file is compressed depends on what data the PDF file contains. For example, PDF files with images compress well. PDF24 uses the following PDF compression methods:

  1. Removing font information that is not needed when displaying a PDF file.
  2. Reduces the image size depending on the specified DPI setting.
  3. Reduces image quality depending on the specified quality parameters.
  4. Modify PDF file and compress structural data.

How to reduce PDF size without losing quality?

PDF24 allows you to compress files without loss, but in this mode the file size may decrease slightly. How it works:

  1. Click on the highlighted area at the top of the page and select the files to compress.
  2. Switch the lossless compression mode and start compressing the file by clicking on the corresponding button.
  3. Save the compressed files.

Why is my PDF so big?

If the PDF file contains images, the file size may be large. This is usually why large PDF files are created. A text-only PDF file weighs much less. If your PDF file has images, you can use PDF24 to create small images, reducing their size and quality.

Does PDF compression degrade quality?

The PDF24 compression tool has several modes. Normal compression mode reduces the size and quality of the image as it has a greater impact on the file size. You can enable lossless compression mode, but this will have a minor effect on the size. Often deterioration in quality is not a problem. The only question is how acceptable the quality is in relation to the size.

Do PDF files compress well?

Yes, if the PDF contains images. They can be individually compressed and reduced in size. Compressing PDF files without images is not as effective.

Are PDF files compressed?

PDF files typically use internal compression tools for the objects they contain. However, such compression is not necessary. Some objects may not be compressed. The PDF creation program determines which objects will be compressed and which will not, but the PDF standard itself does not imply compression.

Is it safe to use PDF24 tools?

PDF24 takes file and data security seriously. We want users to be able to trust us. Therefore, we are constantly working on security issues.

  1. All file transfers are encrypted.
  2. All files are deleted automatically from the processing server within an hour after processing.
  3. We do not store files or evaluate them. Files are used only for their intended purpose.
  4. PDF24 is owned by the German company Geek Software GmbH. All processing servers are located in data centers in the EU.

Many PC users face the problem of not knowing how to reduce the size pdf document to make it more compact. This article will clear up any doubts you might have about choosing a desktop converter program or an online service to compress a PDF file.

PDF (from Portable Document Format) is a format created by Adobe Systems using the capabilities of the PostScript language. It is platform independent and is designed to present printed products, documentation and presentations in electronic form.

PDF documents are suitable for exchanging information between users around the world.

Advantages of the PDF format:

  • cross-platform - the document can be seen as it was created, regardless of the platform;
  • compact, supports many information compression algorithms;
  • machine independence (it can be printed on a printer and printing unit);
  • multimedia (supports videos and audio tracks, hypertext elements, as well as page previews);
  • safety. File creators can set security options, including the ability to lock (open, edit, or print after entering a password).

You can open a PDF document using free version Adobe Reader or plugin available in most browsers. IN Google Chrome this format is supported even without installing the plugin. Editing a PDF file is possible in paid version Adobe Reader programs. Many programs have also been developed for this format and converting documents from it.

PDF files can include photographs, text information, forms, etc. The appearance of the displayed document does not depend on the type of platform: in Windows and Mac OS it will look the same both on the screen and when printed.

Why do you need to compress PDF files?

The size of a PDF file often reaches tens of megabytes due to the volume and abundance of graphic elements. This can cause difficulties when sending files by e-mail or when placing them in cloud storage.

Let's consider free tools to compress a PDF file and reduce its size: online services, as well as applications for Windows.

Are you looking for a way to compress a PDF document? From our article you will learn how to reduce the size of a PDF file and choose the appropriate option.

Using converters

CutePDF will allow you to convert a printable file into PDF and reduce it to the required size.

Install CutePDF by downloading it for free from the official website. First, the document should be opened in a program that supports the PDF format, with the ability to print. It is better to do this in Adobe Reader or Microsoft Word. Click on "File" and then "Print".

When opening the window with settings for printing, select CutePDF Writer from the list of printers.

Hover your mouse over “Printer Properties”, in the window go to “Advanced” and make a choice in what quality its contents will be displayed. To compress a file, set a quality level lower than the original document. Click on "Print" and then save to PDF.

Adobe Reader Pro DC

First, open the document in Adobe Acrobat DC, click on “File” in the menu, “Save as another” and then on “File in reduced size PDF format”.

Then you need to select programs from the drop-down list with which the document is required to be compatible. If you focus your attention on latest version, you will have the opportunity to compress the file as much as possible, but there is a risk that the recipient will not be able to open it in older versions of the program.

After clicking "OK", wait for the compression procedure to complete, and then you can save the file to the desired location.

The same method is advisable to use if the file is located on Google Drive and you need to download it, having first reduced the size.

Go to Google Drive, double-click on the PDF file you want to compress, and then on the printer symbol to open the print screen.

In the new window that opens in front of you, select Adobe PDF from the drop-down list. By clicking on the “Properties” button, you will see a new window in which you should go to the “Paper and Print Quality” tab, and then to the “Advanced” button at the bottom of the window.

Select the file quality in the drop-down list, click “OK” at the bottom of the window, then “OK” in 2 more windows. Save the document on your computer.

Microsoft Word

How to reduce size pdf file using Word and Acrobat?

This method consists of converting a file from format 1 to format 2, and then converting it back.

First, you should open the PDF file in Adobe Acrobat, in the “File” menu, click on “Save As”, “Select another folder”, specify the file type “*.docx” and the location where it will be located on the PC. After clicking the “Save” button, open the document in Word, select “File” and “Save as Adobe PDF”.

PDF Compressor

WITH using PDF Compressor can reduce a PDF file for publication on a website, on a social network and for sending by e-mail. This service will not reduce document density (DPI); clarity is maintained when scaling and printing.

By clicking on the “Download” button, you can select up to 2 dozen files. You can drag them to the download area and wait for the processes to complete. Download compressed documents by clicking on their icons, or all files as a ZIP archive.

Archiving

To make the file take up less space on your PC, you can archive it using one of the popular programs: WinRAR or 7Zip.

To compress a document using 7Zip, hover over right button mouse on the file, and the left mouse on the 7Zip line, select “Add to “file_name””, and the archive will appear on the screen. Before compression begins, you can specify some characteristics by selecting “Add to archive.”

Using an archiver, you can compress a file or create an archive of several documents, which will make it easier to send them by e-mail. Before sending the archive to the recipient, you need to check whether he has this archiver installed.

Online converters

Smallpdf online service

This service is simple in functionality, but has additional features: Import a document from Dropbox or Google Drive, and then save it to cloud storage after finishing the online compression process.

IN this service produced pre-setting to compress a file up to 144 dpi, therefore different compression rates are possible. For example, a file whose size is 6 Megabytes can be compressed 2 times, and the quality will not decrease.

But it happens that a file whose size is 100 megabytes will be compressed to 88 megabytes due to the use of elementary file size reduction algorithms.

iLovePDF

In iLovePDF you can upload a document from your own PC, as well as from the cloud Dropbox service or Google Drive, and then select the compression level. The higher the compression ratio used, the worse the quality of the output file. A 100 MB file with maximum compression is compressed to 50 MB.

PDF files are quickly compressed for free, without restrictions on using the service, with automatic deletion from the service within an hour. The limitation of the service is to download 1 file at a time.

Free PDF Compressor

This program is not regularly updated, but works perfectly on Windows 10, Windows XP, etc. If online tools are not available Free PDF Compressor may be useful.

Free PDF Compressor will give you the opportunity to choose 1 of 5 presets for compressing a PDF file. Specify the parameters, the path to the saved file and select “Compress”.

PDF optimization

You can open the document in Adobe Acrobat. By clicking on “File” in the menu, click on “Save as Other”, and then on “Optimized PDF File”.

In the PDF Optimization window, click on Estimate Space Usage. After its implementation, you will understand what and by how much percent you can compress. Then you should close the window by clicking “OK” and select compression characteristics. Using left button mouse, click on the selected compression level, and on the right change the characteristics to achieve the required level of quality.

You can delete photos, convert them to black and white, compress them, change resolution, change fonts, etc., and then save the document to the desired folder.

Please note that many conversion and compression programs can be downloaded for free on official websites.

Choose a program or online service based on your needs for the quality and degree of document compression.

When choosing the version of the format in which you save the file, make allowances for the fact that the recipient may not have latest version program and, therefore, he will not be able to access the document you sent.

Conclusion

On many modern PCs the size hard drives amounts to several terabytes. However, every megabyte is valuable if you need to quickly transfer a file by email or post it on the Internet. We hope that you found all the information you needed about compressing a PDF file, and you were able to use our recommendations.