PDF Compress

Reduce PDF file size for email, web upload, or archive. Three quality presets, processed server-side via Ghostscript. Your file isn't stored.

Drop a PDF here or

max 50 MB · password-protected PDFs not supported

PDF files balloon for two reasons: high-resolution images and large embedded fonts. The ToolEdge PDF Compress tool tackles both by running your PDF through Ghostscript — the same engine that powers most professional PDF tools — with quality presets that downsample images and subset fonts. The result is a dramatically smaller file that still looks correct for its intended use: email attachment, web upload, or storage archive.

Pick the quality preset that matches your destination. **Screen** (72 DPI, smallest file) is right for online viewing or email attachments where the document will only be looked at on a screen. **Ebook** (150 DPI) is balanced — readable at any zoom level, prints decently. **Printer** (300 DPI) preserves enough detail for desktop printing without going overboard. Compression typically reduces file size by 50–90% depending on how image-heavy the source PDF is.

Common use cases

  • Shrinking a scanned PDF before emailing — many email services cap attachments at 25 MB.
  • Compressing a PDF for upload to a portal with a strict file-size limit (court filings, university submissions, expense systems).
  • Reducing storage cost for archived PDFs that no longer need print-quality fidelity.
  • Preparing a PDF for embedding on a webpage where smaller files load faster.
  • Shrinking a screen-capture-based PDF that's 50 MB unnecessarily because of redundant pixel data.

Frequently asked questions

Depends entirely on the source. **Image-heavy scans** typically shrink 70–90% on the Screen preset (e.g., 50 MB → 5–10 MB). **Text-only PDFs** with embedded fonts shrink 10–30%. **PDFs that are already optimized** may not shrink at all — Ghostscript will produce a similar-sized file. The tool tells you the compression ratio after processing so you can pick the best preset.

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