How to get a PDF under a size limit (100 KB, 1 MB, 6 MB)

A PDF is large when its pages hold large pictures. A scan or a phone photo turned into a PDF is nearly all picture, so the size is decided by how many pixels each page has and how hard those pixels are compressed.

If Compress PDF cannot reach the limit: rebuild a scan

1. Turn the pages into pictures with PDF to JPG.
2. Bring each picture under a target with compress image to target size. Divide your limit by the number of pages, then leave about 10% spare.
3. Put the pictures back into one file with JPG to PDF.
4. Check the size of the result before you upload.

If your PDF is a document with real text

Text is small, so a large file usually means embedded images. Compress PDF leaves text alone, so if the size is not in the images it will not shrink much. Turning the pages into pictures would make the text unselectable, so consider splitting the file into parts with Split PDF if the portal accepts several uploads.

Starting from the source

• Scan at a lower resolution. IRCC suggests 96 to 150 DPI for its uploads.
• Scan black-and-white documents in greyscale.
• Photograph a document with one page per picture, cropped to the page.

Limits we have read

See document upload limits by portal for the limits we have read on official pages.

Compress an image to a target size