How to Reduce the Size of a PDF File Like a Pro

With so many of us now working at home, which means working on the computer, honing our skills is more important than ever! After all, there is life to be lived away from the computer. So make a list of all the things that could be improved regarding your technical knowledge and start crossing them off your list. Among your queries, are you possibly wondering how to reduce the size of the PDF file like a pro? If so, you’re in the right place! There are various ways to reduce the size of a PDF file, so do yourself a favor and take a few minutes to read this article and become comfortable with the concepts and techniques, such that you’ll have the skills and knowledge at hand when you need them. In 2018, 156 million emails were sent worldwide, and it is quite likely that many of those emails were attempts at sending large files in small parts, due to the size limit of the files one can attach in an email. With a PDF file, it takes a lots of work to re-edit, save, and then send the file in portions. Why go through all that effort when you can reduce the size of a PDF instead? To find out how to resize a PDF file for faster uploads, email attachments, and more, keep on reading……

How To Save A File AS Reduced Size PDF 
Re-saving offers a simple and easy way to reduce the size of your PDF file. You don’t need to do anything other than change how you save your PDF file. For this method, you’ll need the latest version of Adobe Acrobat.  Using Adobe Acrobat, open the PDF file. Open the File menu at the top-left corner of the window, and select Save as Other. Among the options, you’ll see one labeled Reduced Size PDF.  When you click it, a prompt will appear where you have to select the compatibility you need. Save the now-reduced PDF file by clicking OK. With that, the job is complete. Note that reducing the size of PDFs with images will also reduce image quality and erase all digital signatures in the file.

How To Optimize PDF Files With Adobe Acrobat
What if you want to decide which elements in the PDF file get reduced quality? Adobe Acrobat has a PDF Optimizer tool to give you more control over the size reduction process.
Before you begin, find out which elements take up the most data. That includes fonts, images, tables, and more. This way, you can determine which parts of the PDF file you can cut or reduce.
As with the previous method, open the PDF file in Acrobat. Click on File, open the “Save as Other” menu, and select Optimized PDF. When a dialog box appears, click on Audit space usage at the top-right corner. You’ll see a table showing information on the elements and how much data they take up in the file. Now, you can use the data you see here to decide how you want to reduce the PDF file. Select the check boxes in the panel and select among the various options in that panel. If you need help, you can check the Adobe help file for more information. 

Avoid Scanning Multiple Documents
If you must create a digital copy of a physical document, the common way to do it is to scan the document. This is acceptable and often the best method. However, if you must combine two digital PDFs or files, you don’t need to print and scan them again. Remember that files you convert from one digital form to a PDF have a smaller size than scans. Scanning documents, especially at high resolution, only creates large PDF files. Instead, use software like Adobe Acrobat which allows you to combine PDFs with ease. 

Reduce the Size of Your PDF File in Word
What if you don’t have an updated version of Adobe Acrobat, or your free trial has already expired? The next best program you can use is Microsoft Word. With Word, you can save a file as a PDF in the Save As option. All you need to do is to save the file you need as a PDF. When you finish creating the document, open the Save As menu and select PDF as the Save As Type. This is the best method if you’ve yet to create the PDF file from scratch. You can go a step further and optimize the PDF file. At the bottom of the Save As dialog box, you’ll see the “Optimize for” options. Select “Minimums size (publishing online)”. You can also open a PDF in Word with or without converting it to a Word document. Also, note that the size of the file may still be large, depending on the images in the document, so take note and remove or reduce size of images if necessary to obtain a smaller size pdf.

Compress PDF Files on Mac Preview
If you don’t use a Windows computer, you can certainly learn how to compress a PDF on a Mac. The great thing about Mac computers is that you can reduce the size of a PDF file with the built-in app Preview. Unlike Windows, you don’t need to download or install third-party apps. Note that you’ll lose the original document when you use the export function. Before you proceed, always make a copy of the original document. On Finder, select the PDF file, press space, and select “Open with Preview”. In the Preview app, open the File menu and then select Export. Open the Quartz-Filter menu and look for the “Reduce File Size” option in the export window. Finally, click Save. 

Use a PDF Compressor 
Do you want to try a third-party program made for reducing PDF sizes and compressing PDF files other than those created by Adobe? One of the best options in the market is the Free PDF Compressor. It doesn’t need much memory space, it’s fast and lightweight, and it offers a lot of compression qualities. You only need to open the PDF file in Free PDF Compressor. Next, select a compression rate from the settings. Press Compress and wait until your reduced PDF file emerges from the software.

Go for an Online Solution
If all else fails, the internet is always there to catch you. You can find many PDF compressors available online. Some of the best PDF compressors include:
• SmallPDF
• PDF2go
• PDF Pro
• Soda PDF
• Adobe online PDF compressor

Before you use these, be aware of the risks of online PDF compressors. Most online PDF compressors offer quick and free compression services. However, there’s always a chance your files may get copied into an online database. Never use online PDF compressors for files with sensitive information.

I hope you picked up something valuable from this guide on PDF file reduction. and that it helps minimize frustrations you may have had in the past with sending files. Now you can be the expert and help others as well, which is always a great thing! And of course accomplishing work tasks efficiently and speedily hopefully means you’ll have more time to spend with family or doing things that enhance your life, right?