Best PDF Compressor - Size It Down

As part of my semi-cloud migration, I decided to upload some of my PDF eBooks into my Google Books library. Unfortunately, it wasn't letting me upload one of them due to the 100 MB file size limit. It so happened that particular eBook definitely needed to make it to the cloud. It's like moving to the other side of town but you can't fit your 60" 4K TV in the trunk. See the dilemma?
How do you describe that feeling after you finally find a solution to a problem that bugged you like forever? Well, I'm not verbose, but let's just say that I'm delighted. I was able to compress a 120 MB PDF file (composed of +400 pages of picture scans, hence the large size) down to a third of its size  using Foxit Reader. And the best part is that the quality is still decent and the software was at my finger tips for years.

Want to reduce your PDF—eBook, documents, and whatnot—files? Follow the steps below:



1. Install Foxit Reader
2. Open the original PDF file with Foxit Reader
3. Click on Print
4. Select Foxit Reader PDF Printer as the printer

5. Click on Properties
6. Click on Image Resolution

7. Select your Image Resolution, the smaller the resolution the smaller the output file will be

• I picked 96 dpi and that reduced my 120 MB file down to 38 MB. The quality is still good enough as I can read just fine on a large monitor.

You might ask why I didn't go for the 72 dpi option listed. I did try that option with Free PDF Compressor, a very nice lightweight PDF compressor. Since the PDF file was mostly made of scanned pages (pictures),  72 dpi made it almost unreadable. I guess that would have been a good choice for a non-scanned PDF eBook.

Free PDF Compressor

Also, this program didn't have any dpi setting between 90-100. Anything else above that caused the output file to be greater than the original file. Nonetheless, it is a nice PDF compressor to keep at your side. The best thing about it is there is no watermark on the output file. I hate those watermarks by the way.

Thanks to the folks over at ghacks for introducing me to this nice program.