One of the most widespread file formats today is PDF. It's so common today that most devices don't need any special software to read it. PDFs can hold a ton of information, helping you convey ideas and get your points across without sacrificing quality.

Despite its flexibility, there are times when you'll need to compress PDFs. Compression is pretty effective in saving space on your hard drive or meeting size restrictions when sending documents over email. But what happens to the PDF when you compress it?

The Basics of File Compression

If you know how to reduce PDF file size, you'll know that it can save considerable space. Some tools can save you several megabytes or reduce the size by as much as 90 percent.

The purpose of compression is to shrink the file size. Powerful software can do that in many ways. However, most will re-encode data more efficiently while preserving the original information.

When you use PDF compression tools, you utilize a unique algorithm to find bits of data you can eliminate. Typically, the software will find redundancies, identify unnecessary data patterns, and other useless bits to get rid of entirely. After that, the program can highlight parts of the file that it can sacrifice without impacting quality. Visit this website to know more about how to reduce a PDF file size.

How to Reduce PDF File Size

The most effective way to reduce file size is to compress images. Documents with tons of images can get pretty big. That's especially true if you keep original image sizes and resolutions.

The best compression tools will give you a couple of options on how you want to proceed. For example, you can choose the level of image compression you want. You might see options for high, medium, and low, which can give you a good idea of what to expect in the final product.

The compressor will recreate the original image files at a much smaller resolution. The process results in fewer data to save, but it can also impact quality by reducing the number of pixels in the compressed file.

Understanding File Compression

Compressing PDF files comes in handy when storage limitations are an issue. While most tools will preserve text data, the compression level you apply can affect images significantly. You can find the right balance to preserve your documents while cutting out unnecessary data with some trial and error.

Read a similar article about legal document preparation here at this page.