If you need to compress PDF files, the choices available can be a headache. In addition, it is hard to tell if you are getting it right or if the scaling down will affect the quality of the PDF file.

In this article, we will show you how to properly compress a PDF file and what to look out for if you want to reduce the file size of a PDF file.

Reduce PDF file size on Mac

First things first, shrinking a PDF file on your Mac shouldn’t harm the document and the process shouldn’t take long. If you need to shrink PDF files and it takes longer than a few seconds (for most files), that’s a problem.

It is entirely possible that the compression could damage the file, which could be devastating.

It is best to find a reliable app that will compress PDF file sizes without harming the document. One of the best options is PDF Squeezer for Mac. The app can reduce the size of PDF files by up to 90 percent. It also has an option to limit the image quality of a PDF file. In this way, you can selectively reduce the quality of an image in order to further reduce the reduced file size during compression. This is really useful if, for example, you have a text document that doesn’t have to be pixel-perfect.

A useful feature of PDF Squeezer is checking for reduced files. If you’re trying to shrink a file below a certain threshold – say the final file size should be 80 percent smaller, but has only been reduced to 40 percent of its original size – the app allows you to cancel the compression and start over . At this point, for example, you could fine-tune the image quality of the file to further reduce the final size.

For those who really need a powerful, free PDF compressor, PDF Squeezer also offers batch flattening of PDFs. The app can take multiple files, shrink them one by one, and gives you the same granular fine-tuning options!