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Compressing .PDF File

M

Matte2

macrumors member
Original poster
May 31, 2014
66
2
I have tried both the default (right click) "compress" option on a .PDF file to compress a file as well as the free trial of WinZip to compress a .PDF file, but in both cases, the compressed file ended up being the same size in MB as the original non-compressed .PDF.

How do I compress a .PDF file? Will I be able to compress a .PDF file to half it's size (for example from 20MB to 10MB)?
 
It really depends on what is in the PDF. If it's text then it will compress significantly. If it's a bunch of JPEG images then it won't.
 
They are legal documents. I scanned them in color into .PDF format.
 
I appreciate the link, however I am leery about uploading a document with personal information to a company's server.
 
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For the most part, and generally speaking, a pdf document is already compressed. The file format provides for this. As such you cannot really compress it any further. It's akin to zipping a zip file.
 
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Check out PDF Squeezer from the app store. One of the best apps I've ever purchased! I use it
several times a day and it does a great job!
apps.apple.com

‎PDF Squeezer 4

‎PDF Squeezer is a user-friendly and convenient app that allows you to send those important PDF files when you need to - without file size constraints! PDF Squeezer allows you to compress your PDF files quickly and easily. Simply click on the file you need compressed, and drag-and-drop it...
apps.apple.com
 
Last edited:
There's no need for an extra app. You can apply your own filter settings to reduce the file size of a PDF in the ColorSync Utility. Check this link for a detailed explanation on how to do it. Works like a charm for me.
 
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Open in 'preview'
Find the 'export' command in the file menu. This is NOT the 'export as pdf' command
Look for the 'quartz filter' dialogue and drop it down.
Then select 'reduce file size' and resave.
Sometimes you get a saving in file size sometimes not but I've learnt that it will give you the best results possible that lead to a document that's still readable.
 
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Ruggy said:
(...)
Sometimes you get a saving in file size sometimes not but I've learnt that it will give you the best results possible that lead to a document that's still readable.
Click to expand...

The existing filters work, but they don't really reduce the file size that well. That's why I made my own filter settings (as stated above). It was a bit of try and error at the beginning but using your own settings can help reduce the file size much more than with the existing filters and still getting a well readable document.
 
I originally tried the quartz filter and played with the ColorSync utility but never had much luck.
By the time it reduced the file size, the documents looked like trash. I think pdf squeezer is the way
to go. They have a free download to try before you buy if you would like to check it out. Like I said earlier,
I use it several times a day and it reduces the file sizes perfectly and the results look fantastic. For the record
I am not affiliated with the maker of the app in any way
 
There are a couple of apps on the Mac App Store that would help you do that.
 
Meuti said:
There's no need for an extra app. You can apply your own filter settings to reduce the file size of a PDF in the ColorSync Utility. Check this link for a detailed explanation on how to do it. Works like a charm for me.
Click to expand...
Concur and I found an article that explained how to make your own filter and it worked like a charm, that said I need something to to go from 1GB to under 25MB and it only reduced it to under 590MB . So does anyone know of a MAC app or way to reduce extremely large pdf's with images to under 25 MB? Thanks!
 
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I think if you want that 40:1 compression, you would want to concentrate on editing the images, by either making them smaller in the first place, or using a lower resolution. If it's not possible to make the images smaller, or perhaps that you do care about the quality of the images when expanded at the destination, then I think you are probably are near the normal limit for compression. (Text is much easier to compress than images)
 
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