How to compress a pdf file. How to Compress a PDF File: Tips and Tricks

Nowadays, many computers already have hard drives ranging in size from hundreds of gigabytes to several terabytes. But still, every megabyte remains valuable, especially when it comes to fast downloading to other computers or the Internet. Therefore, it is often necessary to reduce the size of files to make them more compact.

There are many ways to compress a PDF file to the desired size so that you can then use it for any purpose, such as sending it via email in a matter of moments. All methods have their pros and cons. Some weight loss options are free, while others cost a fee. We will look at the most popular of them.

Method 1: Cute PDF Converter

The Cute PDF program replaces a virtual printer and allows you to compress any PDF documents. To reduce weight, you just need to configure everything correctly.

It is worth remembering that a decrease in quality entails file compression, but if the document contained any images or diagrams, they may become unreadable under certain conditions.

Method 2: PDF Compressor

Until recently, the PDF Compressor program was just gaining momentum and was not so popular. But then, too quickly, it received a lot of negative reviews on the Internet, and many users did not download it precisely because of them. There is only one reason for this - the watermark in the free version, but if this is not critical, then you can download it.

The program compressed a file with an initial size of just over 100 kilobytes to 75 kilobytes.

Method 3: Save PDF at a smaller size using Adobe Reader Pro DC

Adobe Reader Pro is a paid program, but it does a great job of reducing the size of any PDF document.

The method is very fast and quite often compresses the file by almost 30-40 percent.

Method 4: Optimized file in Adobe Reader

For this method, you will again need the program. Here you will have to tinker a little with the settings (if you want), or you can just leave everything as the program itself suggests.

Method 5: Microsoft Word

This method may seem clumsy and incomprehensible to some, but it is quite convenient and fast. So, first you need a program that can save a PDF document in text format (you can search for it among the Adobe line, for example, Adobe Reader or find analogues) and Microsoft Word.

This is how you can reduce the size of a PDF file by one and a half to two times in three simple steps. This occurs due to the fact that the DOC document is saved as PDF with the weakest settings, which is equivalent to compression through a converter.

Method 6: Archiver

The most common way to compress any document, including a PDF file, is an archiver. For work it is better to use 7-Zip or WinRAR. The first option is distributed free of charge, but the second program, after the trial period expires, asks to renew the license (although you can work without it).

The PDF file is now compressed and can be used for its intended purpose. Sending it by mail will now be much faster, since you won’t have to wait long for the document to be attached to the letter, everything will happen instantly.

We reviewed the best programs and methods for compressing a PDF file. Write in the comments which method was the easiest and fastest for you to compress the file, or suggest your own convenient options.

If you've used PDF files often, you know that they can sometimes be quite heavy with images or other graphics. Fortunately, there are now many ways to compress any type of file, including PDF documents.

In this article I will tell you a couple of ways to reduce the size of PDF files. If you have Adobe Acrobat (not free), then this is much easier, but we will only use free methods.

Method 1 - SmallPDF.com

This is the easiest way to make your PDF file smaller. Using this free service you can also convert PDF to: Word, PTT, JPG. In general, the functionality is very extensive, but we will return to our goal.

So, go to the website smallpdf.com. Next, select the language at the bottom of the screen.

To download an already reduced PDF file, click the " You can save the file" By the way, the service works with Google and DropBox cloud storage, which is very convenient. You can upload files from the clouds, as well as move already compressed documents to them.

Among other online services, I would also recommend using pdfcompressor.com/ru/ or convertio.co/ru/compress-pdf/. I especially liked the last service; if you select a high compression ratio, the document size will decrease by 15-20%, although there is no significant loss in quality.

Method 2 – PDF Compressor Program

A wonderful free program for compressing documents in PDF format. You can download it on the official website pdfcompressor.org. We install and start working with the program. First you need to upload the file, to do this, click on the “ Add file"or simply drag the PDF into the central area of ​​the window.

Compression using PDF Compressor is good because the document does not lose quality. It is also useful that in this program you can work with PDF documents in batch mode, compressing 100 or more files at a time.

Method 3 – Free PDF Compressor

Free and easy to use program. You can download it from freepdfcompressor.com. After installation, go directly to compression.

Upload the document by clicking on the " Browse" in the first line. In the second line we indicate the path where the compressed PDF file will be saved.

In this lesson we will learn how to compress a PDF file in different ways and with different qualities (according to different PDF file sizes)

Our task: reduce the size of an existing PDF file in order to send it by mail or if we simply need a smaller document size.

What we have in stock: the actual PDF files themselves or the file that needs to be reduced in size.

What we get at the end:

In our case, I suggest using online services for working with PDF files (that is, all manipulations with PDF files will take place on the websites of the services we need).

From the large abundance of services and sites, I would recommend 2 of them, with the help of which we will reduce our PDF files to a minimum size with maximum compression or to “decent” compression but while maintaining the normal quality of photos in the PDF document.

So, I present 2 services for working with PDF files: and . In principle, one service would be enough (SMALLPDF.COM), but the PDF-DOCS.RU service has something that I will talk about a little later in this lesson;)

SMALLPDF.COM

Let's start with the SMALLPDF.COM service. By clicking on the link above we will see something like this:

This service has an intuitive interface, in my opinion, it won’t be difficult to figure it out, and you won’t be able to get lost in the functions. Therefore, in our case, this is an excellent solution to our mini-problem.

Let’s say we have a “compress PDF” folder and it contains all the files or one PDF file that needs to be reduced in size (I have 1 PDF file in the folder):

In order to compress the required PDF file, click the “Select file” button:

After selecting the PDF file we need, the file selection window will close and the service will begin manipulating the PDF file. The next thing we will see is the process of preparing and compressing the PDF file:

After passing the “100% Loading” stage, the page will refresh and we will see a block with the result of compressing our PDF file “big_file.pdf”:

From this data we learn that our original file “big_file.pdf” is compressed by 71% (a good result) and that now it “weighs” 2.84 MB, and was originally 10.14 MB. Below we are offered a link to download the already modified file:

Click “Download PDF” and the download of the compressed PDF file will begin:

Finally, in our “compress PDF” folder there are 2 files - an uncompressed file “big_file.pdf” and a compressed PDF file “small_file.pdf”:

With this service for compressing PDF files “SMALLPDF.COM” the lesson is completed, let’s move on to the next service with its distinctive capabilities “PDF-DOCS.RU”.

PDF-DOCS.RU

So it goes to . At the time of writing this lesson “Compressing PDF Files,” the main page of this service looked something like this:

Why did I choose this resource to solve our problem: in this service we can achieve higher compression ratio of PDF file compared to SMALLPDF.COM, but the quality of photos and images in the final PDF file (compressed) will be noticeably worse accordingly.

Let's start using the service. What we have at the initial stage: 1 PDF file in “raw”, uncompressed form:

First, we need to indicate to the service the PDF file that we want to compress. Click on the “Select file” button:

As a result of this, a new window will open in which we will specify the path to the PDF file. In our case, this is the “compress PDF” folder and the file located in it “big_file.pdf”. Next, we need to set the compression level of the PDF file; for this, there is a special field in the “PDF-DOCS.RU” service:

We click on this field (I highlighted it in the figure above), we are asked to choose from three options the degree of compression of the PDF file:

In our case (for maximum PDF compression) we use the “best compression” item. Now all parameters for compression are configured, click the “Forward!” button. and the service will begin downloading our source file and compressing it:

After clicking the button, the service will begin its work and a message will appear while the work is being completed:

Some time later, after the PDF-DOCS.RU service has completed all the necessary work on compressing the PDF file, we are informed that the compression has been successfully completed:

Based on the data presented, we see that our compressed PDF file now weighs only 1.7 MB. This, in my opinion, is a very good result in terms of the quality of the drawings in the PDF file.

Now we need to download our compressed PDF file. To do this, click on the link below in the “Download file:” field. In our case, the link to the file will be called “new-314_big_file.pdf”, click on this link to download the file:

Clicking this link will begin the process of downloading the PDF file. In some cases, depending on the browser and settings you are using, clicking on the download link may cause it to open in the browser. If the file opens in a browser, simply save it to your computer.

As a result of our manipulations to compress the PDF file, we have 2 PDF files in the “compress PDF” folder:

As we can see, the source file weighs only 1.7 MB, which is very convenient for sending by email or uploading to a server.

Compressing PDF files is not as complicated a process as it might seem at first glance. There are a number of programs with which you can perform these actions easily and quickly. They will be discussed in this article.

Advanced PDF Compressor provides the user with the ability to reduce the size of the required PDF document. Here you can clearly see how much this file has been reduced. Also, thanks to Advanced PDF Compressor, you can convert images into one or more such documents, or group any number of PDF files into one. A significant difference from other similar programs is the ability to create profiles with different settings, which, in turn, simplifies its use by several people.

Free PDF Compressor

Free PDF Compressor is a free software tool that is only capable of reducing the size of a specified PDF document. For these purposes, there are several template settings that can be selected based on the required quality. Thus, the user is able to give a PDF file the quality of a screenshot, an e-book, and also prepare it for color or black and white printing.

FILEminimizer PDF

FILEminimizer PDF is a simple and easy-to-use program that does an excellent job of compressing PDF files. For these purposes, the user is offered four template options. If none of them suits you, you can use the settings and set your level. In addition, it is the only product that provides the ability to export a compressed document directly to for later sending by email.

CutePDF Writer

CutePDF Writer is a free printer driver that is designed to convert any document into PDF format. In addition, the program is capable of compressing PDF files. To do this, go to the advanced printer settings and set the print quality to be lower than that of the original. Thus, the user will receive a PDF document with a significantly smaller size.

The article contains the best software tools with which you can significantly reduce the size of the required PDF document. Unfortunately, none of the programs reviewed have been translated into Russian, but despite this, working with them is very simple and convenient. All you have to do is decide which solution to use, because each has its own unique capabilities.

Hello everyone, my dear friends and guests of my blog. Today I will show you how to compress a PDF file for sending or uploading to a website using special programs and online services. I'm sure you work with PDFs often, but sometimes there are times when they take up so much space that they exceed the allowable upload size. What to do then? Don't be sad. All these methods are absolutely free, so you don’t even have to worry about it.

First of all, I would like to show you how you can reduce the size of a pdf file using online services without installing programs. Naturally, not everyone will want to install an additional application that will load the system, while one of these four services will come to our aid completely free of charge.

Small PDF

I'll start, perhaps, with my favorite service. It helps me out almost always, and it helps reduce the file size without losing quality. At least it's not noticeable.

But I want to warn you right away that this does not mean that any size will be reduced by 5 times. How lucky. It all depends on various factors.

Well, for those who are not familiar with this service, I say - you can make no more than two transactions per hour. This is a limitation of the free version. But if you need to do more operations, then the price for an unlimited monthly lop will be simply ridiculous for you.

PDF Compressor

Another pretty good online service that has proven itself well.

Of course, the main disadvantage of this service is that it cannot work with very large files. When I tried to download the previous 147 MB ​​file, I received an error about the size being exceeded.

PDF2Go

Also a very cool service that helped me out a couple of times. I didn't have any complaints while working with him.

As you can see, this document has been compressed even more powerfully than in the first case. Not even 5, but 20 times. Of course, if you don’t really need such a small document, then you can set it to better quality, for example 150 or 300 dpi.

I talked more clearly about the three above services in this video.

PDFio

Well, the last thing for today I would like to consider is the Pdfio service.

But sometimes this service may give you a message that our file is already compressed incredibly well and will not further reduce its weight. This is the main disadvantage. Therefore, I would not recommend that you use this thing first.

Programs for working with PDF files

Well, now let's talk about the individual applications that you will have to install. Of course, not everyone likes it, but the program will always be with you, even if the Internet is turned off.

Adobe Acrobat

Let's start with the official application from Adobe, which is the creator of the PDF format itself and therefore is completely aimed at working with it.

1. In order to compress a PDF file as much as possible, enter the program itself and open the document whose weight you want to reduce. To do this, click on the menu “File” - “Open”.
2. Now click on the "File" menu again, but now select the option "Save as different" — "Reduced PDF File".

After this, you will receive a reduced size document. But Adobe Acrobat has one more trick. You can choose "Optimized PDF File".

The difference between these two functions is that here you can adjust various settings so that you can see for yourself what you can sacrifice and what you can't sacrifice. For example, you can reduce the quality, remove active links from the document, which also affect the weight, and optimize for quick online viewing.

You can even apply custom downsampling for color and monochrome images (forced reduction in the number of pixels). Thus, by lowering the quality of graphics in Adobe Acrobat, we also reduce the size.

Naturally, this is the most convenient way. However, its disadvantage is that you need to install a special paid program. Although, who am I kidding? More than 95 percent of our users (and even more) do not purchase a license. But in fact, the program can be downloaded from the official website and used for free for 7 days.

CutePDF

This is not exactly a program, but rather an add-on with which you can save a PDF file from Adobe Acrobat Reader, in which this function is not available by default. If you still don’t have an Adobe reader, download it for free from Adobe website. Just be careful, as the installer imposes McAfee antivirus. Uncheck all boxes.

First you need to download for free CutePDF Writer from the official website, and then run the installer. Just don't try to find the program, it won't be there. Now follow the instructions carefully.

This add-on is pretty good considering that it's free. But of all the options I have proposed, I like it the least. The fact is that in this way it will not always help you compress the PDF file to the minimum size. Sometimes it turns out that the volume, on the contrary, also increases, especially if it initially takes up less than 1 or 2 megabytes.

Archiving

Well, perhaps I’ll tell you about the most ancient method, which helped us out at a time when there were no converters or online services. Many people forget that a file can be compressed using any archiver, for example using the free 7-zip.

If you do not have the 7-zip archiver, then you can download it from here, and then install it as a regular program.

Additionally, many email clients cannot send large files. But the archiver can split one document into several parts, which can be sent by mail and put together by regular extraction.

I just tried to reduce a file that weighs 420 kb, and in the end I ended up with an archive of less than 300 kb. That is, archiving copes well even with small volumes and after so many years, it does not lose its relevance. Naturally, this method is relevant for sending or sending by mail. And after the recipient receives the archive, he will unpack it and it will be in its original form.

You can read more about working with archivers.

Why do you need to reduce the size of documents?

Typically, these actions are carried out in three cases:

• To free up disk space. You have seen for yourself how much space can be freed up.
• For forwarding. Many sites, programs and email clients do not accept large volumes for sending and are limited to a certain maximum size. Compression can help us with this.
• Speed. The larger the document, the longer it takes to open. Sometimes, if the computer is weak, this can even lead to freezing.

Best regards, Dmitry Kostin.