Getting a PDF to 200 KB
200 KB is about the size of a few pages of text or one or two heavily compressed photos. Scans with several pages usually need Smallest mode to fit. If your file is mostly photos, Keep text sharp often gets there with text still selectable.
How it works
In Keep text sharp mode the tool finds the photos and scans inside your PDF, re-encodes them as JPEG at a lower quality and resolution, drops thumbnails and metadata, and repacks the file. Text and vector graphics are left alone, so they stay sharp and selectable. It tries several quality levels and keeps the sharpest one that fits your target.
In Smallest mode every page is drawn to a picture and rebuilt as a new PDF. That gives the smallest files, but text can no longer be selected or searched.
Tips for smaller PDFs
- Scan at 150 DPI instead of 300 or 600. Text is still readable and files are far smaller.
- Scan in grayscale when colour does not matter.
- Export from Word or Google Docs instead of printing a photo of the page.
- Split a long document if one file has to stay small and readable.
Questions
Does the result always end up under 200 KB?
Not always. The tool reports Yes or No for target reached. A long scan of many pages may not fit in 200 KB at readable quality.
Is my PDF uploaded anywhere?
No. The PDF is opened and compressed in your browser. The page blocks network requests to other sites, so the file never leaves your device.
Will the text still be selectable?
In Keep text sharp mode, yes. In Smallest mode every page becomes an image, so text cannot be selected or searched.
Can it compress a password-protected PDF?
Yes, if you know the password. You are asked for it when you open the file, and the compressed PDF is saved without a password.