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Getting a PDF under 500 KB
500 KB fits most multi-page documents: transcripts, a set of certificates, a signed contract. Pages usually stay close to print quality.
Our highest-quality settings keep color images at 200 to 300 dpi. We only go lower when the file still does not fit, and we always stop at the first setting that does.
Tips
- Photos embedded in a document are usually most of its size. Text and tables add very little.
- Keep your original for printing. The compressed copy is meant for uploading.
- Password-protected PDFs cannot be compressed. Remove the password first, then upload.
Questions
What changes between the first few settings on the way to 500 KB?
The first step keeps color images at 300 dpi with JPEG quality 90, the second lowers them to 250 dpi at 85, and the third to 200 dpi at 80. Black and white images stay at 600 dpi for the first two steps, so a 600 dpi black and white scan keeps its full resolution until the third.
Will the signature on my contract blur at 500 KB?
A signature that was scanned or pasted in as a picture is an image and steps down with the rest. At the 200 dpi step, a signature 2 inches wide is 400 pixels across. A signature drawn as vector lines in a PDF app is kept as shapes and stays sharp at every step.
Does a set of certificates with the same seal on every page cost extra at 500 KB?
If one seal or logo image is placed on every page of a digitally made document, a lossy step stores it once and reuses it. A scanned seal is part of each page's scan, so it is stored with every page and counts each time.