How to Compress a PDF: A Simple Guide to Smaller File Sizes

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

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

  1. Open your PDF and click the Menu Button.
  2. Choose “Document Properties.”
  3. Note your file size.
Checking the file size of a PDF

Open the compression tool

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

Customize the compression tool settings

  1. Choose “Retaining Existing” for compatibility.
  2. Set “Downsampling” to Off.
  3. Set “Compression” to Retain Existing for color, grayscale, and monochrome images.
  4. 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.

Remember, I can be your accessibility expert. For more detailed insights, tutorials, and in-depth discussions on accessibility and related topics, don’t forget to check out my YouTube channel: The Accessibility Guy on YouTube. Subscribe for regular updates.

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Mastering Split and Extract Features in Abbyy FineReader PDF

Introduction

In today’s fast-paced digital world, managing large PDF documents can be a daunting task. Abbyy FineReader PDF is a powerful tool that simplifies the process of splitting and extracting pages, making it easy to organize and work with bulky files. In this blog post, we’ll guide you through the process of using Abbyy FineReader PDF to split and extract pages from large documents, ensuring your work is more efficient and organized.

Splitting Large PDF Files into Smaller Sections

Step 1: Open your PDF document

Launch Abbyy FineReader PDF and click on “Open PDF Document.” Choose a large file with multiple pages; for this example, we’ll work with a 43-page document.

Step 2: Organize pages

Click on the “Organize Pages” button to access the area where you can move pages to different locations within the file. You can drag and drop pages to rearrange them as needed.

Step 3: Split the file

Under “Organize Pages,” select the “Split” option to divide the larger file into smaller files. You can split the file by file size, page count, or bookmarks. In our example, we’ll split the file by page count, creating nine files with five pages each. Save the resulting files in the desired folder.

How to Extract Pages and Create a New PDF

Step 1: Select the desired pages

In the thumbnails panel, choose the pages you want to extract and create a new PDF. For instance, let’s say you want to make a separate file with pages 11 through 16.

Step 2: Create a PDF from selected pages

Right-click on the selected pages and choose “Create PDF from Selected Pages.” This action will generate a single document containing the specified pages.

Step 3: Save the new file

Save the new file with the extracted pages.

Cropping Pages within the PDF

Step 1: Select the Crop tool

If the extracted document needs to be cropped, click on the “Crop Tool” and drag a box around the area you want to crop.

Step 2: Apply crop settings

Choose “Single Frame for All Pages” and click on “Apply Crop.” The software will apply the crop settings to each page in the document.

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Step 3: Save the cropped document

Save the cropped document and open it to review the changes. The new PDF file should contain the extracted and cropped pages.

Conclusion

Abbyy FineReader PDF makes it simple and efficient to split and extract pages within large PDF files, allowing for more streamlined document management. With this step-by-step guide, you’ll be able to handle bulky PDFs with ease, tailoring them to suit your needs. Stay tuned for more tips and tricks from the Accessibility Guy Channel to help you improve your document management skills and overall productivity.