How to Compress PDF Files

Got a PDF you need to send but can't because it's "too big"? Do your PDF files take up too much of your hard drive? Many of us encounter problems with large PDF file sizes on a daily, especially those of us who rely on PDF files for our sources of day-to-day information and articles we need for school, work, and other life necessities. PDFs are great and convenient tools which clearly makes life a lot easier for all of us. However, sometimes, PDFs can be a pain too.

In this article, we will give you a step-by-step tutorial on how to compress PDF files and shrink PDF file sizes to make your PDFs a lot more convenient and easy to use.

How to Compress PDF Files and Reduce PDF File Sizes

STEP 1: Download and install the PDF Compressor.

Your easier PDF experience begins with clicking on the download page. It will take you to a new window which will show you more details about the PDF Compressor. Read through it, and click on the download link below the description. Your PDF Compressor software will immediately begin downloading. Once the download finishes, follow the instructions to install the application.

STEP 2: Add your PDF files.

After the installation process, open your PDF Compressor and click on the "Add" button or the "Add Folder" button to add your desired PDF files.

STEP 3: For scanned PDF files, check your settings.

Scanned PDF files have a different set of qualities than that of your text PDFs. For this reason, you need to first change either the "Compress Quality" slider or the "DPI" option if you are trying to compress a scanned PDF. Alternatively, you can also use the default settings.

STEP 4: Start compressing!

Finally, click on the "Start" button. This should begin compressing your PDF file. Wait for the PDF Compressor to do its magic and, voila, you have successfully compressed your PDF file and reduced its size.

Some Frequently Asked Questions

1. Why is the compressed PDF file still big or even bigger than before?
This problem usually depends on what kind of PDF you are trying to compress. As such, you need to first check if your PDF file is a text PDF or a scanned PDF.

For Text PDFs, the problem arises because the PDF file has already been compressed prior. Text PDF files mostly have already been compressed once it is created. Because of this, the file size could not be reduced anymore. Hence, you will end up with a PDF file size that has remained the same or has become even bigger than before.

The PDF Compressor will only work properly if the text PDF file has not been compressed yet. Otherwise, the file size would not be shrinked successfully.

For Scanned PDFs, it is mostly because of prior compression. Scanned PDF documents are made from images which make it possible for the program to compress it and shrink its size. However, sometimes, the program will not work properly on scanned PDF documents for one primary reason: it has already been compressed.

PDF files cannot be compressed twice. Hence, once a PDF file has been compressed, you cannot compress it again.
2. Why are the pages of the compressed PDF file blurring?
For scanned PDF documents, you might encounter problems with blurring. Here, you need to check the "Compress Quality" and "DPI" values. If these two values are too low, the compressed PDF file would not be able to retain its good quality, resulting to blurry pages. To solve this, try turning the "Compress Quality" higher than 80% and setting the "DPI" value to 150.