A PDF that fits the limit

Why a PDF has a size problem at all

A PDF made of photographs weighs what the photographs weigh. Scanning four pages with a phone and stapling them into a document routinely produces 20 MB, which every upload form refuses.

So the ceiling you set here is shared out between the pages: each image gets an equal share of the budget, is compressed to fit it, and the document is assembled and weighed. Because JPEG never lands exactly on a target, the whole thing is rebuilt two or three times, tightening the share until the file is genuinely under your limit rather than close to it.

Common questions

Which page size should I choose?

Fit each image makes every page exactly the shape of its photo, with no white borders and no letterboxing. Use it for screenshots and photographed documents. A4 and Letter centre the image on a standard sheet with a margin, which is what you want if the file will be printed or filed alongside paperwork.

Can I set the page order?

Yes. The arrows beside each page move it up or down, and the cross removes it. The document is rebuilt each time, so the size shown is always the size you will download.

Is the text in my scans still selectable?

No. The pages are images, so the PDF contains pictures of text, not text. Making it searchable would need character recognition, which this tool does not do. For a form that just wants to see your document, this is what is expected anyway.

What if it cannot reach my limit?

It says so rather than handing you an oversized file. With many pages under a tight ceiling there is a point below which each page becomes unreadable. Remove a page or raise the limit.

Are my images uploaded?

No. The compression and the PDF assembly both happen in your browser; nothing is sent anywhere. See the privacy page.