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Compress a PDF without losing quality: what really works in 2026
Most "compressors" make your PDF smaller by destroying images. Here's how to reduce size with minimal visible loss.
April 18, 20264 min read
Email attachment limits, Google Drive previews, slow loading — there are plenty of reasons to shrink a PDF. But aggressive compression often turns crisp text and screenshots into smudgy noise. Here's how to do it properly.
Why PDFs get bloated
- High-resolution images (300+ DPI scans) make up most of the size.
- Embedded fonts that ship the full glyph set, not a subset.
- Hidden objects: form fields, layers, OCR text overlays.
Levels of compression
- Lossless: re-package without re-encoding. 5–15% smaller, zero visual change.
- Light: down-sample images to 200 DPI. 30–50% smaller, indistinguishable on screen.
- Aggressive: 100 DPI + heavier JPEG. 70%+ smaller, OK for screen, bad for print.