Compress the archived reports folder into a smaller PDF bundle for email, confirm total size is under 8 MB, and send i…
Open your PDF file in Adobe Acrobat.
Select File in the top menu.
Choose Reduce File Size from the dropdown options.
Best practiceIf you do not see this option, try using Save As and then select Reduced Size PDF.
If prompted, select the version compatibility for the PDF and click OK.
NoteChoosing a newer version may result in a smaller file, but older PDF viewers may not open it.
Save the new, reduced-size PDF to your desired location.
Preview the reduced PDF to ensure image quality and content are still acceptable before attaching to your email.
This runs in the Acrobat app - there is no separate API for this task.
Reducing a PDF's file size often lowers the quality of images inside it. This is because the number of dots per inch (DPI) for images is decreased, making the file smaller. Text quality is not affected, only images. For screen viewing or email, 72-100 DPI is usually fine, but for printing, you need much higher quality (around 300 DPI) to avoid blurry results.
You should start with 'Low (High Quality)' compression because it often reduces the PDF size by 10-30% without changing the quality of your images. This is a good first step to make your file smaller for email or sharing, while keeping your pictures clear. If the file is still too big, you can then try stronger compression levels.
Yes, you can automate reducing PDF file sizes for many documents. Adobe offers a 'Compress PDF' operation through their PDF Services API. This allows developers to integrate PDF compression into their own applications or workflows. You can set the compression level (LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH) programmatically to suit your needs.
Always compress from the original PDF, not an already-compressed copy. Each time you compress a PDF, especially if it contains images, the quality of those images can get worse. If you compress a file that has already been made smaller, you are reducing the quality even more, which can make images look very blurry or pixelated. Starting with the original ensures the best possible quality for your final smaller file.