Why compress a PDF file at all? I understand, pictures, videos that weigh tens, if not hundreds of megabytes, the same music. They need to be squeezed. In fact, files also need to be compressed, because in some cases they can be more than a couple of kilobytes. This often applies to books and large articles with pictures.
Fast compress file PDF document can be sent by mail, where the downloaded file size is set to a fixed size. When uploading to your website or other resource where you want to save space. There are many options for why this should be done, so in the article I will reveal all the known methods.
How to compress PDF online using services
Compressing a PDF document via the Internet is the most popular and convenient way. There are many services to carry out the process, which I will describe in this article. Here we go?
pdfcompressor.com
The resource may not be the best, but working with it is easy and convenient. To load a document into the resource window, just move it there, or click the button "Download" and select a file on disk. Suppose I take a book on computer architecture that is 19 MB in size. Now I’ll upload it to the site and see how efficiently it compresses the document.
As a result, the book shrank by 49%, almost doubled, which means its size is now 9.7 MB.
Compressing PDF format is not the only thing that can be done on the resource. It also does image conversion and ODT type to PDF format, PDF to DOC conversion and vice versa, same with HTML, PUB, ePub. The disadvantage of the service is that it is slow to upload a large file to the server, so you need to be patient and wait if you decide to compress the file to 100 MB.
ilovepdf.com
The next PDF compression option is the ilovepdf.com service. Also popular, but that’s not important to us, is it? You, as a user, are interested in the effectiveness of this service. We'll check it now.
Having visited the resource, you have two methods of uploading a file to the server - click the button "Select PDF file" or drag it there. I choose the same book about computer architecture weighing 19 MB. 3 compression options immediately appear in the window - low compression, recommended And extreme. Depending on the type you choose, the quality of the document will either not be affected or will suffer more. Let's try extreme compression.
We are waiting for the PDF file to download and the compression process to begin. According to my observations, loading occurs at a low level. Approximately 60-70 Kb/s, my Internet is not shit, which means this is a limitation of the service itself.
As a result, the document shrunk by 50%, as in the previous case and its size was 9.4 MB. We can conclude that ilovepdf.com and pdfcompressor.com cope with their task almost equally. It's up to you to choose which one is more convenient. By the way, the components of the document were not damaged, that is, images and text.
In addition to the ability to perform the process that we are currently implementing, the resource can do the following useful things:
- Merge and split PDF files;
- Compress PDF;
- Convert PDF to Word, PowerPoint, Excel, JPG and vice versa;
- Insert watermarks into the file;
- Remove security passwords;
- Flip the document at any angle;
- Uploading files from the Dropbox and Google Drive cloud.
Please note that an unregistered user can upload a file up to 160 MB; after registration, you can upload files up to 200 MB.
smallpdf.com
Almost no different from previous services, but who knows, maybe smallpdf.com can compress pdf better? This is what we will find out now.
I upload the book document in PDF format to the resource and wait for the process to complete. The result was almost identical to the previous ones - 9.6 MB.
Now the compressed file can be downloaded to your computer or saved to . By the way, the functionality of the service has the same capabilities as all other sites.
jinapdf.com
Right now, without further ado, I am uploading the book file to the jinapdf.com server. I hope that this compressor will be better than other options.
The result was much worse than the others: with 19 MB we were able to achieve compression of up to 17.4 MB. Therefore, I will not use this option.
Additional tools can be found on the website:
- Convert PDF format to Word, Text, JPG and vice versa;
- Convert image to text;
- Merge PDF;
- PDF extraction;
- PDF Splitting.
In short, nothing new and all services are eerily similar to each other.
pdfio.co
You can upload a document from a cloud computer or via a link, or by drag-and-drop. After downloading, wait a little and look at the result.
So, the beautiful and pleasant interface gave us the worst result - 18.2 MB. Probably worse could be the lack of any compression.
You can compress a pdf without losing quality, to do this you need to select “Low compression”, or slightly degrade the image quality by selecting the “High compression” option.
In addition to the “unique” functions that the resource has, you may have noticed the “Online text recognition” item. The top panel contains image compression options, various converters and converters from MP4 to GIF.
pdf.io
Very simple website with a big button "Select a file" with which you need to select a PDF document. There are options for downloading from the cloud or via a link.
In this case, it was possible to compress the PDF by 37%, maybe someone will have a better result, I can’t say. Rather it depends on the document.
You can download the file to your computer or upload it to Dropbox or Google Drive.
pdf2go.com
Last hope guys. I move on to the last service on this list and voice my verdict. Then I'll move on to programs.
The result is 17.48 MB.
The conclusions are obvious, only the first two services from the list provide normal tools for compressing PDF files.
How to compress a PDF file using programs
Using programs is less convenient, since you need to find a worthwhile option, download and install. Luckily, I've put together a few options that are on par with their online service brethren.
Adobe Acrobat
Well-known program for viewing PDF documents. For those who don’t know, you can use it to save a document at a reduced size. To do this, go to “File”, select “Save as Other” and click on the “Reduced PDF File” option. This feature is only available in the paid version.
The best way to view PDF is . I consider this the most convenient utility, but I did not find a compression function there.
The most effective way to compress a document of our format is to run it in the online tools that I described above, and then compress it using an archiver, for example.
Let's say I already have a compressed file. The same book in PDF format. I right-click on it to bring up the context menu and select the 7-ZIP > Add to archive option.
In the settings you set the same parameters as mine. You can play around, maybe you will achieve better results.
I achieved the following size after compression into the archive - 9.66 > 8.54. Not very much, but sometimes that's enough.
We looked at a bunch of methods on how to compress PDF online or using programs. In fact, I did not consider some utility options here, since there is a lot of hassle with them. From all of the above, we came to the conclusion that the most effective compression methods are:
Good day!
PDF files seem to be good for everyone, but they have one cornerstone... The fact is that the size of some PDF files is far from “ideal”; often, when they weigh even 100÷500 MB, sometimes it reaches 1 GB! Moreover, such a file size is not always justified: i.e. it doesn't have any very high-precision graphics that take up so much space.
Of course, when you are dealing with such a size, there are difficulties in transferring it to other PCs, tablets, phones (for example, your phone simply may not have enough memory for dozens of similar files!) .
In such cases, you can reduce the size of the PDF "somewhat" by compressing it. By the way, compression can be done in different ways. Actually, this is what today's article will be about...
By the way! If you remove some pages from a PDF document, you can reduce its size. If this option suits you, then I recommend this note:
Method No. 1: archiving
Perhaps the simplest and most obvious is to add PDF files to the archive. Thus, sometimes it is possible to significantly reduce the size they occupy. In addition, it is much faster and more convenient to copy one archive file from one PC to another (rather than a dozen, or even a hundred PDF documents) .
Addition! The best free archivers for Windows -
To send a file to the archive, just 1-2 mouse clicks are enough. For example, in such a popular archiver as 7-Zip (you can also find it in the link above) : just right-click on the file and select from the menu that appears "Add to archive..." . See screenshot below.
In fact, my file was compressed almost 3 times! Example below.
Advantages of the method:
- after unpacking the archive, the PDF file does not lose its quality;
- ZIP archive formats can be opened by most modern ones;
- one archive file (with hundreds of PDFs inside) is copied much faster than doing the same with the same files without adding them to the archive.
Disadvantages of this method:
- to open a file, you need to extract it from the archive (and not all PCs/phones/tablets may have the required archiver installed);
- Not all files can be compressed equally well: one can be compressed very decently, another by 0.5%...
- When choosing some archive formats, it may take considerable time to pack the files.
Method number 2: compression using quality reduction (DPI)
DPI is the number of dots per inch. The more dots per inch, the higher the quality of the displayed image (and the larger the file weighs). Naturally, when resaving a PDF file, you can specify a new number of dots per inch (DPI) and thereby reduce the file size (along with its quality).
However, I would like to note right away that it is not always the case that when DPI is reduced, the picture quality deteriorates (in many cases you will not notice the difference by eye!).
You can do a similar procedure in many programs : Adobe Acrobat (not to be confused with Adobe Reader), Fine Reader, Cute PDF Writer, Libre Office, etc. Below I will give a couple of free examples...
1) Libre Office ()
A good and free office suite (I have previously recommended it as an alternative to MS Office). It has the DRAW program in its arsenal, which can easily and easily make changes to PDF (including changing DPI). Let's take a closer look...
To launch DRAW - launch Libre Office, and select "DRAW Drawing" from the menu.
A window will open with many options for saving. Here you can change the compression quality, resolution (DPI) and other parameters. In general, I have highlighted the most necessary things in the screenshot below.
After setting the parameters, click the export button to create a new file.
Fast, simple and easy! Is not it?
2) CutePDF Writer ()
This free program, after installation, "creates" a separate special line when printing a document (with the necessary properties for compression)...
Those. install it, then open some PDF file, say, in Adobe Reader (can be used in any other PDF reader) and press “Print” (combination Ctrl+P).
Then select the line " CutePDF Writer", and open its "Properties".
Properties of CutePDF Writer
Then you need to open the print quality tab and go to “Advanced”.
Here you can set the print quality in DPI (and other parameters).
NOTE.
By the way, you need to install both files, which are available on the program’s official website!
Advantages of the method:
- we do not lose compatibility (the file remains the same PDF);
- the operation goes quite quickly;
- The DPI change operation can be carried out by dozens of different programs.
Disadvantages of this method:
- in some cases, the quality drops significantly (for example, if you are dealing with schemes and high-quality portfolios, this option most likely will not work).
Method No. 3: converting to DjVU format
The DjVU format, on average, provides stronger compression than PDF. And we must admit that DjVU is one of the few formats that really competes with it.
To convert from PDF to DjVU, in my opinion, it is most preferable to use one small utility - PdfToDjvuGUI .
PdfToDjvuGUI
Of. website: http://www.trustfm.net/software/utilities/PdfToDjvuGUI.php
Note: Please note that the utility sometimes incorrectly reads the “names” of files written in Russian.
PDF to DjVU - a small utility
It’s very simple to use: just add the desired file (Add PDF), set the settings (you don’t have to touch anything) and press the button "Generate DjVU". A “black” window should appear for a while, after which the program will inform you that the file has been re-converted.
By the way, the program will place the DjVU file in the same folder where the original PDF was located. As an example, see the screenshot below. Without changing the quality (and the program allows you to change the DPI), we managed to reduce the space occupied by the file by almost 2 times!
PS
Below are a few more online services that can perform a similar conversion operation.
Advantages of the method:
- maximum file compression (i.e. saving disk space!);
- the file can be immediately opened in the reader, just as you do with PDF (i.e. it is not an archive).
Disadvantages of this method:
- Large files require significant conversion time;
- quality may be “lost” during conversion (so check important graphs manually to see how they were compressed);
- The DjVU format supports fewer programs than PDF.
Method #4: Using Online Tools
An excellent site for quick compression and conversion from one format to another. Files up to 20-30 MB in size are processed literally within 10-15 seconds! The service does not affect document markup, links, menus, etc. elements. Compression occurs due to graphics (that is, the PDI parameter).
Another universal service for quickly converting PDF to DjVU, or compressing PDF without changing the format. The result can not only be downloaded to your PC, but also immediately sent to a cloud drive: Google Drive, Dropbox...
The service offers 3 compression levels: minimal, normal and extreme. It works very quickly, processes files up to 3-040 MB in 5-10 seconds. (at least that was the case with my dozen test files) .
The files have been compressed // Service "I love DPF"
I will also note that on this service you can split a PDF file into several parts, convert it to other formats, combine several PDFs, etc. In general, it’s quite a multifunctional service, I recommend you check it out!
Advantages:
- no need to install any programs on your computer;
- services can be used even from mobile devices;
- As a rule, compression of small files on services is faster.
Flaws:
- confidentiality (I think not everyone will decide to send some of their documents to an unfamiliar service);
- the need to upload/download files to the service (if the Internet is not very fast and there are a lot of files, this will turn into a headache).
Additions on the topic are welcome...
PDF files have been and still are an extremely popular document format for a long time. Moreover, the ability to edit pdf files is much weaker than other office documents, such as DOC or DOCX in Microsoft Word, ODG in LibreOffice Writer.
Yet PDF is used by a huge number of computer users. Sometimes the size of a pdf file takes several kilobytes, but more often the size can reach several tens of megabytes due to the large number of pages with heavy graphic elements. This can pose certain difficulties when trying to send pdf files by email or upload them to cloud file storage.
To help you reduce the size of your pdf file, in this article I will review free tools that will help you compress the file and reduce its size. Among such tools, I will present online services and individual Windows applications. If you have your own options for cool pdf compressors, please recommend them in the comments.
If you're looking for a quick and easy way to make your PDF files smaller without the need for complex manipulation, then Smallpdf is for you. This is an online service that is easy to use, allowing you to simply drag and drop files onto the service and perform compression. This is really handy when you need to be able to periodically compress files from anywhere.
Smallpdf online service
While the service is fairly basic in its functionality, it does have some additional features, such as the ability to import a file from Google Drive or Dropbox and save it back to the cloud once the compression operation is complete. The only downside is that there is a limit of 2 PDF compressions per hour. If you want more, you'll have to fork out $6 a month.
Compression results are mixed. The service is configured to compress a PDF file to 144 dpi without specifying any settings. Hence the different compression ratios. For example, a 5.72 MB source file can be compressed to 3.17 MB in size without any loss in viewing quality, which is not bad at all. However, it also happens that a file of 96.98 MB in size is compressed to only 87.12 MB. This once again proves that the Smallpdf service uses the simplest algorithms to reduce the size of a pdf file. However, if you just want a smaller file size, then Smallpdf is definitely for you.
iLovePDF
Platform: online
Another online service, but one that offers a little more compression options. iLovePDF allows you to upload a file from the system, Google Drive or Dropbox, and then select one of three compression levels. The more compression you apply, the worse the quality of the output PDF file will be. But this also means that the output file will be smaller.
Online service iLovePDF
Using the same file as in the first case, 97 MB in size and applying extreme compression, I was able to compress it to 50.29 MB, i.e. cutting it by more than half is an excellent result.
I was able to download any pdf files; They compress quite quickly, and besides, I did not notice any restrictions regarding how many times the service could be used. The only limitation of the service is downloading one file at a time.
Files are automatically deleted from the service after about an hour. This limitation can hardly be called serious. During this time, you can have time to download the resulting pdf file to your computer or send it to the cloud.
If you are looking for an online PDF compressor that compresses PDF files as efficiently as possible without significant loss of quality, try iLovePDF.
Free PDF Compressor
Platform: Windows, offline
This lightweight compressor does what you need it to do and nothing more. Although it is not updated regularly, it works great on Windows 10 and previous operating systems up to Windows XP. If online tools are unavailable to you for various reasons, then Free PDF Compressor may be useful to you.
Free PDF Compressor
Free PDF Compressor allows you to choose one of five presets to compress a PDF file. Just select the compression setting, select the path to the pdf file where the output file will be saved and click the button Compress.
My 97 MB file was compressed to 50 MB using the first compression setting. The process was faster than online services. Although, perhaps this is due to the installed hardware in the computer.
PDF Compressor
Platform: Windows, offline
If none of the above tools suits you, try PDF Compressor. Judging by the information on the resource provided, the application is guaranteed to work on Windows XP/Vista/7/8. But after checking how it works on Windows 10, I was convinced that this operating system is quite suitable for PDF Compressor.
Unlike competitors, you can compress more than one file at a time, and even more: you can specify a file with a list of PDF files that you want to compress, or specify an entire folder with files.
PDF Compressor
The only caveat to PDF Compressor is that sometimes the application in free mode can be ineffective in compression. Our 97 MB file lost just over 15 MB, which is not much compared to competitors. But it’s worth changing the compression parameters and a pdf file from 97 MB left only 46 MB - this is the best result. It’s a pity that all compressor settings are only in the paid version.
Other ways to reduce the size of a pdf file
Compressing a PDF by changing its quality is one way to reduce file size, but it is not the only way. You can delete pages or archive the pdf in ZIP. The 4 methods above will help you choose the most suitable one and reduce PDF files quickly and with minimal loss in quality.
What free tools do you use to achieve this goal?
Let's talk about how to compress a PDF file, because with all the advantages and undeniable convenience of this format, it is not easy to call it space-saving.
A little theory
The popularity of PDF files is explained by the ability to quickly create them, as well as long-term storage. This format becomes especially relevant if you plan to produce printed products, as well as save copies of scanned documents. Most often, the question of how to compress a PDF file as much as possible arises among users when they notice that the size of a pair of identical documents is significantly different. There are several reasons for this: compression method, font and pictures. Large files may simply not fit on a flash drive or in an email. Once you figure out how to compress a PDF file, you can easily use it, view it, send it by mail, and even free up more space on your hard drive.
Preliminary stage
PDF provides for the widespread use of color graphics, which allows you to colorfully design various documents. Even high-quality services specializing in email cannot accept such a volume. The created document should initially be saved in PDF format, this will greatly reduce its output size, while you will receive a file that will not lose the level of quality. Other formats, including JPEG, PNG and TIF, require significant amounts of space to store scanned copies of documents on your hard drive. In addition, compressed materials are transmitted to the recipient much faster, and they can be easily combined in a single package of documents. We emphasize that it is undesirable to compress encrypted information, since during its decompression, as a rule, disclosure of information occurs. This is unintentional, but quite likely.
Compression methods
The first answer to the question of how to compress a PDF file will be given to us by 7-Zip. In this case, the compression procedure occurs directly in Windows. If you right-click, the option to “Send” to a Zip folder appears. As a result, the size of the document will be significantly reduced, but the format will also become different.
Adobe Acrobat can also help us figure this out. Open the file you are interested in in the specified program. Find in it the function of saving a PDF file and reducing its size. All necessary parameters can be pre-set in the settings of this software solution. For example, in the output parameters you need to specify the name of the data and the address of the corresponding folder. However, you can also reduce the data size using the PDF optimizer available in Acrobat. In its settings, you can remove everything unnecessary from files, for example, you can exclude built-in fonts. Once the document is open, select "Save" and use the PDF file optimization feature. In this case, the settings can be saved as default or you can set your own. So we figured out how to compress a PDF file.
How to quickly compress a PDF file
There are three ways to download a file: drag and drop with the mouse, specify the path on your hard drive, or download from the cloud.
You can also convert a color document to black and white, which will reduce the size of the PDF file.
Compress PDF file online
There is no need to download or install anything - process PDF files in the browser in any place convenient for you.
PDF2Go Online Studio is a free and secure alternative to offline programs for processing PDF documents. With this tool you can downsize images and compress files.
Why compress PDF files?
When uploading files online or sending via email, one important thing to keep in mind is size. The PDF format is widely used for resumes, all kinds of documents, and even homework.
A PDF compressor allows you to download and send even those files that may seem overwhelming.
Secure file compression
When you upload files to PDF2Go, you don't have to worry about security. We guarantee confidentiality and protection from unauthorized access. All operations are performed automatically, and copyrights remain with you!
See Privacy Policy for details.
What files can be compressed?
Reducing size is only available for PDF documents. We automatically convert files to PDF format and then compress them.
With PDF2Go you can quickly compress any file, regardless of the content (be it tables, images or just text).
Documentation:
Compress PDFs on any device
You don't need a computer to compress a PDF file. Mobile studio PDF2Go is convenient and pleasant, like “coffee to go”.
Whether it's a smartphone or tablet, Windows or Mac, Firefox or Internet Explorer - PDF2Go will help out in any situation.