PDF reduction program. How to reduce pdf file size? Programs and online services

If you need to forward a document, PDF– ideal format compatible with operating systems Windows systems, Mac and Linux. PDF files are not only versatile, but also highly secure, allowing you to assign passwords for especially important documents. However, PDF files can often be bulky, making them difficult to send. Luckily, there are tools to reduce the size of these files.

Reduce PDF file size

One simple and effective way is to use Adobe Acrobat Reader. Open the program, then open PDF file, which you want to make smaller. Select Document(Document) > Reduce file size(Reduce File Size).

PDF Compression Software

It is also worth paying attention to such popular file compression programs as WinZip, WinRAR or 7ZIP. In most cases, they can help you create lighter versions of PDF files.

Reduce PDF File Size on Mac

Users Mac can compress PDF files using the features available in the application View (Preview).

Open the file PDF by using Preview and go to menu File(File) > Export(Export).

Select filter Quartz and then select Reduce file size(Reduce file size). Click Save(Save) to finish compressing the file.

Compress PDF file online

You can also find many free tools on the Internet that can compress your PDF files.

Smallpdf

Smallpdf, a free PDF editing site, helps you easily reduce the size of your PDF files online. The site includes an automatic compression feature, which makes the process very fast. Then you can download the new compressed file.

The file compression process itself consists of two stages. Go to Smallpdf and drag your file into the box using your mouse or click Choose file(Select File) to find and download the PDF file from your computer:

Wait for the automatic compression process to begin, then download the finished file for yourself.

PDF Creator

PDF Creator is a program with several interesting features that can help you create PDF files easily. During installation PDF Creator creates a virtual printer that allows you to save documents (Word, Excel, etc.) in the format PDF.

After installation installation PDF Creator, open the file with Acrobat Reader. Click Seal(Print) and select PDF Creator virtual printer(PDF Creator virtual printer).

Then open Properties(Properties) > Paper/Quality(Paper/Quality) and press Additionally(Advanced).

Select Print quality(Print quality) and reduce DPI(permission) of the file. After starting the print job, a new lighter version will be created PDF file.

Image: © Artem Samokhvalov - Shutterstock.com

In this article we will talk about 7 ways to compress a PDF file and reduce the size to the minimum value without losing quality for Adobe Acrobat. Microsoft Word, using PDF optimizer, converter, online tools and other methods.

The PDF format is very convenient for storing documents, magazines and books. However, due to the abundance of graphic elements, they weigh a lot (compared to other documents). This can be a serious problem if you need to send multiple files over email.

Fortunately, there is a way to easily and quickly compress a PDF file and reduce its size for sending by email, and even more than one. In this article we will focus on each of these options, and you can choose the one that suits you best than others.

In order to reduce PDF size-file you can use PDF converters. The main purpose of such programs is to convert files from any text format to PDF. But you can also use them to change the size of the document, increasing or decreasing the quality of the final document.

In order to change files, the program creates a virtual printer in the system, which, instead of printing documents, converts them to PDF format. So don't worry if some steps in the instructions seem strange to you.

There are now a huge number of programs of this kind on the Internet, but as an example we will consider only one of them - CutePDF. However, you can choose any other one; the principle of their operation is quite similar.

That's it. The resulting file will be in PDF format, regardless of what format the document was originally in.

How to Compress PDF File and Reduce Size to Minimum Using Online Tools

Another way to reduce the size of a PDF file is to use online tools designed just for this purpose. This method is very convenient when you need to compress a file only once, since you do not need to download anything to your PC. We will use Small pdf as an example, since it does not impose restrictions on the final file, but again, you can use any other one.

Agree, it’s very simple and clear. If you decide to use another resource, you will probably immediately figure out how it works without any instructions.

How to compress a file using Adobe Acrobat

Many users are familiar with Adobe Acrobat, but not many know that it can also be used to shrink PDF files.

Unfortunately, this application paid and distributed by subscription. But you can download trial version application and use it for free for thirty days. This is more than enough to compress several files. If you need to regularly reduce PDF files, then you will either have to find something else or buy a program.

This is just one of possible options How to reduce the size of a PDF file using Adobe Acrobat. However, there are others.

Another method for Adobe Acrobat (for files from cloud storage)

If you want to compress a document stored on your PC, then the previous method is suitable for you. But if we are talking about a file stored in cloud storage, then it is better to do the following:

Do not forget that before proceeding with the steps described above, you must install Adobe Acrobat on your PC.

Option for Adobe Acrobat and Microsoft Word

For the next method of how to compress a PDF file, you will need two programs at once: Adobe Acrobat and Microsoft Word. Its essence is that you first convert a file from one format to another, and then do the reverse conversion.

After these manipulations, the size of the final file should become smaller.

How to make a file smaller using a PDF optimizer

Another method for which you will need Adobe Acrobat.

How to compress PDF files on mac OS X

The following method to compress PDF documents is suitable for a PC with an operating system mac system OS X. Documents created by this OS are noticeably larger in size than files created using Adobe Acrobat. Therefore, its owners should pay special attention to this problem.

After this, the file should become significantly smaller.

Archiving a file

And finally, last method compress the PDF file - archive it. This can be done using any archiver, for example, 7Zip or Win RAR. Also use the built-in Windows archiver, which is available in new versions of this OS. This is done like this:

1. Right-click on the file.
2. In the menu that appears, select the tab of your archiver, and then the “Add to archive...” item (or immediately select this item if you are using the built-in Windows utility).
3. In the window that appears, you can set certain parameters for the archive; Or you can leave everything as it is and immediately click “OK”.

After this, an archive will appear next to the file, which will contain a compressed copy of it. To extract a file from the archive, just click on it and then on the “Extract” button.

The main advantage of this option is that you do not have to compress each file separately. You can add an entire library of files to the archive at once. In addition, in this form it is also more convenient to send them by mail.

How to compress a pdf file to the minimum size without losing quality: video

These are all the options for how to compress a PDF file and reduce the size to the minimum value without losing quality. You can use any other utilities and applications, but their essence will always be the same. After studying all the ways to compress PDF files, you can choose the most suitable one for yourself. Therefore, do not rush to make a choice right away.

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All the best to you!

PDF files have been and still are an extremely popular document format for a long time. Moreover, the ability to edit pdf files is much weaker than others office documents, such as DOC or DOCX in Microsoft Word, ODG in LibreOffice Writer.

Yet PDF is used by a huge number of computer users. Sometimes size pdf file takes up several kilobytes, but more often the size can reach several tens of megabytes due to the large number of pages with heavy graphic elements. This can pose certain difficulties when trying to send pdf files by email or upload them to cloud file storage.

To help you reduce the size of your pdf file, in this article I will review free tools that will help you compress the file and reduce its size. Among such tools I will present online services and individual windows applications. If you have your own cool options compressors pdf please recommend them in the comments.

If you're looking for a quick and easy way to make your PDF files smaller without the need for complex manipulation, then Smallpdf is for you. This is an online service that is easy to use, allowing you to simply drag and drop files onto the service and perform compression. This is really handy when you need to be able to periodically compress files from anywhere.

Smallpdf online service

Although the service is quite simple in its functionality, it does have some additional features, such as the ability to import a file from Google Drive or Dropbox and save it back to the cloud as soon as the compression operation is complete. The only downside is that there is a limit of 2 PDF compressions per hour. If you want more, you'll have to fork out $6 a month.

Compression results are mixed. The service is configured to compress a PDF file to 144 dpi without specifying any settings. Hence the different compression ratios. For example, a 5.72 MB source file can be compressed to 3.17 MB in size without any loss in viewing quality, which is not bad at all. However, it also happens that a file of 96.98 MB in size is compressed to only 87.12 MB. This once again proves that the Smallpdf service uses the simplest algorithms to reduce the size of a pdf file. However, if you just want to receive the file smaller size, then Smallpdf will definitely suit you.

iLovePDF

Platform: online

Another online service, but one that offers a little more compression options. iLovePDF allows you to upload a file from the system, Google Drive or Dropbox, and then choose one of three compression levels. The more compression you apply, the worse the quality of the output PDF file will be. But this also means that the output file will be smaller.

Online service iLovePDF

Using the same file as in the first case, 97 MB in size and applying extreme compression, I was able to compress it to 50.29 MB, i.e. cutting it by more than half is an excellent result.

I was able to download any pdf files; They compress quite quickly, and besides, I did not notice any restrictions regarding how many times the service could be used. The only limitation of the service is downloading one file at a time.

Files are automatically deleted from the service after about an hour. This limitation can hardly be called serious. During this time, you can have time to download the resulting pdf file to your computer or send it to the cloud.

If you are looking for an online PDF compressor that compresses PDF files with the highest quality without significant loss of quality, try iLovePDF.

Free PDF Compressor

Platform: Windows, offline

This lightweight compressor does what you need it to do and nothing more. Although it is not updated regularly, it works great on Windows 10 and previous operating systems up to Windows XP. If online tools various reasons are not available to you, then Free PDF Compressor may be useful to you.

Free PDF Compressor

Free PDF Compressor allows you to choose one of five presets to compress a PDF file. Just select the compression setting, select the path to the pdf file where the output file will be saved and click the button Compress.

My 97 MB file was compressed to 50 MB using the first compression setting. The process was faster than online services. Although, perhaps this is due to the installed hardware in the computer.

PDF Compressor

Platform: Windows, offline

If none of the above tools suits you, try PDF Compressor. Judging by the information on the resource provided, the application is guaranteed to work on Windows XP/Vista/7/8. But after checking that it works on Windows 10, I was convinced that this operating system quite suitable for PDF Compressor.

Unlike competitors, you can compress more than one file at a time, and even more: you can specify a file with a list of PDF files that you want to compress, or specify an entire folder with files.

PDF Compressor

The only caveat to PDF Compressor is that sometimes the application in free mode can be ineffective in compression. Our 97 MB file lost just over 15 MB, which is not much compared to competitors. But it’s worth changing the compression parameters and a pdf file from 97 MB left only 46 MB - this is the best result. It’s a pity that all compressor settings are only in the paid version.

Other ways to reduce the size of a pdf file

Compressing a PDF by changing its quality is one way to reduce file size, but it is not the only way. You can delete pages or archive the pdf in ZIP. The 4 methods above will help you choose the most suitable one and reduce PDF files quickly and with minimal loss in quality.

What free tools do you use to achieve this goal?

Good day!

PDF files seem to be good for everyone, but they have one cornerstone... The fact is that the size of some PDF files is far from “ideal”; often, when they weigh even 100÷500 MB, sometimes it reaches 1 GB! Moreover, such a file size is not always justified: i.e. it doesn't have any very high-precision graphics that take up so much space.

Of course, when you are dealing with such a size, there are difficulties in transferring it to other PCs, tablets, phones (for example, your phone simply may not have enough memory for dozens of similar files!) .

In such cases, you can reduce the size of the PDF "somewhat" by compressing it. By the way, you can perform compression in different ways. Actually, this is what today's article will be about...

By the way! If you remove some pages from PDF document- then you can reduce its size due to this. If this option suits you, then I recommend this note:

Method No. 1: archiving

Perhaps the simplest and most obvious is to add PDF files to the archive. Thus, sometimes it is possible to significantly reduce the size they occupy. In addition, it is much faster and more convenient to copy one archive file from one PC to another (rather than a dozen, or even a hundred PDF documents) .

Addition! The best free archivers for Windows -

To send a file to the archive, just 1-2 mouse clicks are enough. For example, in such a popular archiver as 7-Zip (you can also find it in the link above) : just right-click on the file and select from the menu that appears "Add to archive..." . See screenshot below.

In fact, my file was compressed almost 3 times! Example below.

Advantages of the method:

• after unpacking the archive, the PDF file does not lose its quality;
• formats ZIP archives can open most modern ones;
• one archive file (with hundreds of PDFs inside) is copied much faster than doing this with the same files without adding them to the archive.

Disadvantages of this method:

• to open a file, you need to extract it from the archive (and not all PCs/phones/tablets may have the required archiver installed);
• Not all files can be compressed equally well: one can be compressed very decently, another by 0.5%...
• When choosing some archive formats, it may take considerable time to pack the files.

Method number 2: compression using quality reduction (DPI)

DPI is the number of dots per inch. The more dots per inch, the higher the quality of the displayed image (and the larger the file weighs). Naturally, when resaving a PDF file, you can specify a new number of dots per inch (DPI) and thereby reduce the file size (along with its quality).

However, I’ll immediately note that not always when the DPI is reduced, the picture quality deteriorates (in many cases you won’t notice the difference by eye!).

You can do a similar procedure in many programs : Adobe Acrobat (not to be confused with Adobe Reader), Fine Reader, Cute PDF Writer, Libre Office, etc. Below I will give a couple of free examples...

1) Libre Office ()

A good and free office suite (I have already recommended it as an alternative to MS Office). It has the DRAW program in its arsenal, which can easily and naturally make changes to PDF (including changing DPI). Let's take a closer look...

To launch DRAW - launch Libre Office, and select "DRAW Drawing" from the menu.

A window will open with many options for saving. Here you can change the compression quality, resolution (DPI) and other parameters. In general, I have highlighted the most necessary things in the screenshot below.

After setting the parameters, click the export button to create a new file.

Fast, simple and easy! Isn't it?

2) CutePDF Writer ()

This free program after installation, it “creates” a separate special line when printing a document (with the necessary properties for compression)...

Those. install it, then open some PDF file, say, in Adobe Reader (can be used in any other PDF reader) and press “Print” (combination Ctrl+P).

Then select the line " CutePDF Writer", and open its "Properties".

Properties of CutePDF Writer

Then you need to open the print quality tab and go to “Advanced”.

Here you can set the print quality in DPI (and other parameters).

NOTE.

By the way, you need to install both files, which are available on the program’s official website!

Advantages of the method:

• we do not lose compatibility (the file remains the same PDF);
• the operation goes quite quickly;
• The DPI change operation can be carried out by dozens of different programs.

Disadvantages of this method:

• in some cases the quality drops significantly (for example, if you are dealing with schemes and high-quality portfolios, this option most likely will not work).

Method No. 3: converting to DjVU format

The DjVU format, on average, provides stronger compression than PDF. And we must admit that DjVU is one of the few formats that really competes with it.

To convert from PDF to DjVU, in my opinion, it is most preferable to use one small utility - PdfToDjvuGUI .

PdfToDjvuGUI

Of. website: http://www.trustfm.net/software/utilities/PdfToDjvuGUI.php

Note: Please note that the utility sometimes incorrectly reads the “names” of files written in Russian.

PDF to DjVU - a small utility

It’s very easy to use: just add required file(Add PDF), set the settings (you don’t have to touch anything) and press the button "Generate DjVU". A “black” window should appear for a while, after which the program will inform you that the file has been re-converted.

By the way, DjVU file the program will place it in the same folder where the original PDF was located. As an example, see the screenshot below. Without changing the quality (and the program allows you to change the DPI), we managed to reduce the space occupied by the file by almost 2 times!

PS

Below are a few more online services that can perform a similar conversion operation.

Advantages of the method:

• maximum file compression (i.e. saving disk space!);
• the file can be immediately opened in the reader, just as you do with PDF (i.e. it is not an archive).

Disadvantages of this method:

• Large files require significant conversion time;
• quality may be “lost” during conversion (so check important graphs manually to see how they were compressed);
• The DjVU format supports fewer programs than PDF.

Method #4: Using Online Tools

An excellent site for quick compression and conversion from one format to another. Files up to 20-30 MB in size are processed literally within 10-15 seconds! The service does not affect document markup, links, menus, etc. elements. Compression occurs due to graphics (that is, the PDI parameter).

Another universal service for quickly converting PDF to DjVU, or compressing PDF without changing the format. The result can not only be downloaded to your PC, but also immediately sent to cloud drive: Google Drive, Dropbox...

The service offers 3 compression levels: minimal, normal and extreme. It works very quickly, processes files up to 3-040 MB in 5-10 seconds. (at least that was the case with my dozen test files) .

The files have been compressed // Service "I love DPF"

I will also note that on this service you can split a PDF file into several parts, convert it to other formats, combine several PDFs, etc. In general, it’s quite a multifunctional service, I recommend you check it out!

Advantages:

• no need to install any programs on your computer;
• services can be used even from mobile devices;
• As a rule, compression of small files on services is faster.

Flaws:

• confidentiality (I think not everyone will decide to send some of their documents to an unfamiliar service);
• the need to upload/download files to the service (if the Internet is not very fast and there are a lot of files, this will turn into a headache).

Additions on the topic are welcome...

Compressing PDF files is not as complicated a process as it might seem at first glance. There are a number of programs with which you can perform these actions easily and quickly. They will be discussed in this article.

Advanced PDF Compressor provides the user with the ability to reduce the size of the required PDF document. Here you can clearly see how much this file has been reduced. Also, thanks to Advanced PDF Compressor, you can convert images into one or more such documents, or group any number of PDF files into one. A significant difference from other similar programs is the ability to create profiles with different settings, which, in turn, simplifies its use by several people.

Free PDF Compressor

Free PDF Compressor is a free software tool that is only capable of reducing the size of a specified PDF document. For these purposes, there are several template settings that can be selected based on the required quality. Thus, the user is able to give a PDF file the quality of a screenshot, an e-book, and also prepare it for color or black and white printing.

FILEminimizer PDF

FILEminimizer PDF is a simple and easy-to-use program that does an excellent job of compressing PDF files. For these purposes, the user is offered four template options. If none of them suits you, you can use the settings and set your level. In addition, it is the only product that provides the ability to export a compressed document directly to Microsoft Outlook for later sending by email.

CutePDF Writer

CutePDF Writer is a free printer driver that is designed to convert any document into PDF format. In addition, the program is capable of compressing PDF files. To do this, go to additional settings printer and set the print quality to be lower than that of the original. Thus, the user will receive a PDF document with a significantly smaller size.

The article contains the best software tools with which you can significantly reduce the size of the required PDF document. Unfortunately, none of the programs reviewed have been translated into Russian, but despite this, working with them is very simple and convenient. All you have to do is decide which solution to use, because each has its own unique capabilities.