We’ve all been there: you need to send a PDF file to someone, but it’s too large to attach to an email or upload to a website. Luckily, Adobe Acrobat has a variety of tools that allow you to reduce the size of your PDFs so that you can share them more easily.
We’ll take a look at some of the most effective methods for shrinking the size of your PDF files using Adobe Acrobat. From compressing images and removing unnecessary elements to optimizing PDFs for web viewing, you’ll learn how to make your PDFs smaller without compromising on quality.
2 Steps to Reduce PDF File Size
First, Open Adobe Acrobat software and then open your pdf file. To open a file, go to File > Open and then select your pdf file from your file manager. You can use short in Win [ Ctrl + O ] or Mac [ Cmd + O ]. You can click directly to Open file on the right corner and then open your File.
After opening the pdf file, go to Tools in the upper left corner. Click on that.
Then navigate to the Fill and Sign option and click on that
We also recommend that you check our in-depth how to add fonts in Adobe Acrobat.
Using The Optimizer File Option To Compress a PDF
Adobe Acrobat offers a file compressor option to reduce the PDF file size. This can be found in its Save Functions. Follow the steps below to use the optimizer option.
Step 1
To use the Optimizer option, Go to File in Adobe 10 and choose Save As Other. This informs the application that you are creating a new file rather than just collecting changes to an existing one.
Step 2
The reduced PDF should be selected under Save As Other.
Step 3
Keep in mind that saving in the new version of Acrobat can make sharing the file difficult if the receiver is using an older version. In the next step, we will fix this problem.
Step 4
Choose the Make Compatible option when using the file compressor to make the smaller file compatible with earlier releases of Adobe Reader. For instance, if you select Make Compatible With Adobe Reader 8, the resulting file can be viewed by users of Reader versions dating back to 8. Isn’t that awesome?
We also ask that you check our in-depth article on how to draw on Adobe Acrobat.
How to Check The Size of Your PDF
You can easily check your PDF size if you use Adobe Acrobat. Click on the file and then go to properties. In properties, you will see a lot of information concerning your document and the size of the document amongst that information.
Alternatively, you can navigate the folder with your document and right-click on it. When you right-click on it, click on properties.
Tips For Reducing The Size of Your PDF
Below are some tips I think will be helpful when you are reducing the size of your PDF.
- Avoid Scanning PDF
I am not saying that you should not scan your PDFs at all, but I’m saying that you should avoid scanning when it is unnecessary. It’s a common fallacy that you must print everything out and scan it all at once to make PDFs. That fallacy also applies when one wants to integrate several papers and exhibits into one PDF. Only documents that are only available in paper form should be scanned; all other documents can be electronically transformed from the original file by storing them as PDFs. Additionally, using software like Adobe Acrobat, separate documents can be instantly integrated into PDFs without needing to print them out.
- Reduce as You Save in Word
There are some versions of Word where you can use the save as to convert to PDF. Reducing your PDF using a Word file typically creates a smaller file depending on how many pictures are in your document. Do you want to hear the good news? There is another option in Word that will result in a much smaller file if your Word-converted PDF proves to be still too large. Follow the steps below.
Step 1
Open the Word file that will be converted to a PDF. Select Save As after clicking the File button.
Step 2
Choose PDF from the Save as type selection, then provide the file name you want. This may not be available in newer versions of Word. If you do not have this option in your Word, you can use a different compression tool.
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