Paralegal Pains: Reduce the Size of PDFs

PDF (Portable Document Format) files are powerful because they can be viewed, retrieved, and printed with Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is free. PDF documents are essentially “read only” documents that cannot be easily altered, which is great for preserving sensitive information. The downside of PDFs is that they can be large in size, especially when they contain colorful graphics. Clients run into this problem all the time, they can’t send out a PDF due to size restrictions. Here are a few ways you can fix this without call IT Support.

Let Adobe Acrobat do its thing.

Using Adobe Acrobat Pro or Standard, you can simply save your files at a smaller size. You’ll simply go to File > Save As Other > Reduced Size PDF. If you find that you need reduced PDF files often, this might be the simplest and most straightforward approach at achieving small PDF files.

Consider downloading a free PDF conversion program.

PrimoPDF and CutePDF are two examples of free PDF conversion programs which enable you to shrink the size of your PDF documents. They also give you the ability to print PDFs for free which Adobe Acrobat Reader lacks.

Explore online conversion services.

Several web services will reduce your PDFs for you, at a cost. You’ll simply need to upload the file to their server and wait for it to be compressed. SmallPDF and Neevia’s PDFCompress are two such programs. Returned files are typically smaller than 10MB. Nice in a pinch, but not a long term solution.

Compress your own files.

You can compress your files into a ZIP format from a Mac or a PC and the process is simple. The problem is that zipped files really aren’t much smaller in size than the originals. Compression programs are out there for free and for purchase but the downside to using compression programs is that the recipient will also need to have the program in order to open your files. If the recipient is not tech savvy, you’ll have to explain to them how to open the attachment which can get annoying.

Interested in what Rekall can do for your Law Firm?

Give us a call (800) 554-4166.