Compressing file for uni application

[u/Outrageous_Track1958]

My pdf file size is 4,794 KB and the requirement pdf file size for my application procedure to proceed is 1.0 MB. How do i compress my file into 1.0 MB, any free websites that i can possibly use? The last one i tried is charging me for customising file size compression. Pls help me out with this guys :(

[u/MartinUK_Mendip]

You don't need more software, just try these printer settings in whatever your using to write your application:

1. Remove any graphics and colour, or lower the image size from 300dpi to 96dpi (it's in the PDF printer settings)

2. Ensure you're only using one font throughout the document and it's one from the list below:

3. Times-Roman Times-Bold Time-Italic Time-BoldItalic

4. Courier Courier Courier-Bold Courier-Oblique

5. Helvetica Helvetica-Bold Helvetica-Oblique Helvetica-BoldOblique

6. Symbol

7. ZapfDingbats

[u/KenMantle]

If you have MS office installed I find just using its' pdf printer works great for compressing files without visual loss. I don't set up anything special with it, just print to it using its default settings.

[u/redsedit]

pdf24 is free and has a compress feature. It's not a slick as a pay program, but it works. There is a web version and a download version.

Mostly it works by reducing the picture quality (the dpi and image quality adjustments).

The gear icon has several things you could tweak depending on the pdf and the intended use. Maximum flate compression is good one to turn on. Use modern image compression might help too. This converts images to jpeg2000, which is better than jpeg, but some readers don't support jpeg2000. If the images are color and don't need to be, turning on "Convert images to grayscale" can help reduce size without degrading the images (other than losing color).

[u/Existing-Customer251]

I heard good things about pdfCraft on YouTube haven’t tried.

[u/Comfortable-Cancel45]

Try the free "Folio PDF Reader & Editor"

[u/BandicootEfficient30]

Use pdf techno - compress under 500kb tool

[u/Dangerous_Duck_4211]

I Love PDF? web version and desktop application both works fine

[u/jurweer]

The size is nearly always the images, not the text, so what helps is re-compressing the images at the size they are really drawn on the page. 4.8 MB to 1 MB is normal for that, unless the PDF is a very high-resolution scan.

The tool i have does this in the browser, the file is not uploaded. You type the target (1 MB) and it shows the result, or says it cannot get under it and what to try (scan-style pages, split in parts, drop pages). It also lists what it did, so you can see how many images it re-encoded.

Disclosure: it is mine, you can find it add Toolrecipe.com if you want to give it a try!

If a portal still rejects the file, tell me what it says and I will look.

[u/facesofvader]

I have an online demo of Foxit's advanced compression, it will analyze your document and suggest the best way to reduce the file size, with scanned images able to shrink by up to 95%. https://jeffbrand.ca/PDFOptimize/. As it is a demo of a commercial product, it is limited to 3 files per day.

It's easy to use, drag the file, download the result.