Quality First
Shrink PDF Without Losing Quality
The trick to shrinking a PDF is knowing what to leave alone. Our Balanced preset rewrites image streams and strips waste while leaving text and vector graphics untouched.
Best for portfolios & reports: use the Balanced (Medium) preset for the cleanest quality-to-size ratio.
Which Preset Should You Use to Shrink Your PDF?
Different documents need different treatment. Here is a quick map from "what is in your PDF" to "what setting to pick".
| Document type | Recommended preset | Typical reduction | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resume / CV | Low | 5-15% | Mostly text - very little to compress without softening fonts. |
| Design portfolio | Balanced | 25-40% | Keeps photos presentation-ready while trimming hidden metadata. |
| Scanned report | Maximum | 75-90% | Scans store every page as a large image - massive savings here. |
| Slide deck export | Balanced | 25-40% | Compresses raster slides without hurting embedded vector charts. |
| Legal contract | Low | 5-15% | Preserves every signature pixel and stamp. |
What "Without Losing Quality" Really Means
"Shrink without losing quality" is a balance, not a magic switch. Here is the honest breakdown of what changes when you use our Balanced preset:
- Text: Stays at original resolution. Every character is preserved.
- Vector graphics & charts: Untouched. They render at any zoom level.
- Photos: Re-encoded with smarter JPEG settings. Visible difference is usually zero at normal zoom.
- Hidden metadata: Stripped. This includes thumbnails, prior edit history, and orphaned objects.
If a printer or reviewer demands "lossless" quality, use the Low preset - it only removes structural waste.