How to compress a PDF to make files smaller

Hi! I’m Shawn Jordison and welcome to The Accessibility Guy blog. In today’s post, we’re learning how to compress a PDF in Adobe Acrobat Pro. Compressing PDFs makes large files quick and easy to share. You can reduce a PDF size by 20% to 30% without compromising quality or readability.

Video Guide

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Following this guide will teach you how to customize Adobe’s compression settings so you always satisfy upload file size limits.

Check the current PDF file size

Open your PDF and click the Menu Button.
Choose “Document Properties.”
Note your file size.

Open the compression tool

Go to the Tools Panel and choose “Compress a PDF.”
Select “Advanced Optimization.”

Customize the compression tool settings

Choose “Retaining Existing” for compatibility.
Set “Downsampling” to Off.
Set “Compression” to Retain Existing for color, grayscale, and monochrome images.
Click “OK” and save your PDF.

Customizing compression settings in a PDF

Final thoughts

Try testing different settings for different file sizes. The greater the compression, the greater the impact will be on the quality and readability of your finished product. For example, change “Downsampling” or “Compression” settings on smaller and larger PDFs to gauge your results.

There you have it – you’ve learned how to compress a PDF by customizing the compression settings in Adobe Acrobat Pro.

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