PDF files get big for simple reasons: high-resolution images, embedded fonts, scans, and unnecessary metadata.
If you’re searching for:
- compress pdf online
- reduce pdf size without losing quality
- compress pdf free
- smallpdf compress alternative
- ilovepdf compress pdf alternative
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…this guide is for you.
Quick solution: compress with PDFhero
Use the tool here: Compress PDF
How to compress a PDF (step-by-step)
Step 1: Open the tool
Go to: PDFhero Compress PDF
Step 2: Upload your PDF
Step 3: Choose a compression level
Common options (names vary by tool):
- Light compression: best for text-heavy PDFs
- Balanced: good default for mixed documents
- Strong: best for large scans/photos (but can blur)
Step 4: Download the compressed PDF
Verify:
- Text is still sharp
- Images are acceptable
- Links still work (if any)
What causes PDF size to be huge?
1) Scanned PDFs (images inside a PDF)
Scans are essentially big images. Size reduction usually means image re-encoding and downscaling.
2) Too many embedded fonts
Some PDFs embed full font families. Compression can subset fonts (keep only used characters).
3) Unoptimized images
A single uncompressed image can add multiple megabytes.
4) Hidden metadata
Metadata can add bloat and may contain sensitive info.
Best compression settings (practical recommendations)
For resumes / text documents
- Choose light or balanced
- Avoid aggressive compression (it can make text fuzzy)
For scanned documents
- Choose balanced or strong
- If text becomes unreadable, try OCR after compression (or OCR first, then compress)
For PDFs with photos
- Balanced is usually best
- If you see banding artifacts, reduce compression strength
PDFhero vs Smallpdf / iLovePDF / iHatePDF-style tools
People often pick tools based on one thing: “Does it work fast without annoying limits?”
Here’s what matters:
Privacy
Many popular sites upload your PDF to their servers. If your file contains invoices, IDs, legal documents, or confidential contracts, that matters.
PDFhero is designed for private, in-browser processing for typical workflows.
Quality control
Some compressors overdo it and ruin readability. A good tool should give predictable results and not break layout.
Limits and paywalls
A lot of “compress pdf free” tools show limits after a few uses. If you need frequent compression, choose a tool that’s consistent.
Common mistakes (and how to avoid them)
Compressing multiple times
Each compression pass can degrade images further. Keep the original and compress once.
Compressing before merging
If you compress every file separately and then merge, you may degrade quality more than necessary. Merge first, then compress.
Expecting scans to become tiny with zero quality loss
Scanned PDFs are image-heavy. There’s always a tradeoff between file size and clarity.
FAQ: Compress PDF
Does compressing a PDF reduce quality?
It can. Text-only PDFs often compress well with minimal quality loss. Scanned/image PDFs may lose some clarity depending on the compression strength.
What is a good PDF size for email?
Many email providers start struggling above ~20-25 MB. Aim lower if possible.
Can I compress PDF on mobile?
Yes. Use the same tool on your phone, but large scans may take longer.
Try it now
Open: Compress PDF with PDFhero
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