7 Ways to Reduce PDF File Size Without Losing Quality

A smaller PDF uploads faster, opens faster on phones and is far less likely to hit size limits. Most of the bloat comes from just a few causes.

1. Compress images before you export

Photos are usually the biggest part of a PDF. Resize them to the size they will be displayed at and save them as JPEG before placing them in your document.

2. Aim for the right resolution

About 150 dpi looks good on screen, and 300 dpi is enough for printing. Higher resolutions rarely look better but make files much larger.

3. Use your editor's optimise or compress option

Most PDF editors and office suites offer a Reduce file size or Save as optimised PDF option that recompresses images and removes unused data.

4. Embed only the fonts you need

Subsetting fonts includes only the characters you actually use. Avoid decorative fonts you only use once.

5. Scan smartly

Scanning at 600 dpi in colour produces huge files. For text documents, 200–300 dpi in greyscale or black and white is usually plenty.

6. Remove what nobody sees

Delete hidden layers, unused pages, thumbnails and embedded attachments that are not needed.

7. Split very large documents

If a file is still too large, split it into logical parts such as main report and appendices. With PDFHost you can put up to 50 files under one link, so splitting does not mean sending several links.

When your file is ready, upload it and choose an expiry that fits.