PDF Compression and Rasterization: What Changes?
Learn why aggressive PDF compression can make text non-selectable and when raster compression is appropriate.
PDFs can contain more than images
A PDF may contain vector graphics, selectable text, forms, links, annotations and embedded images. There is no single compression method that safely shrinks every document by the same percentage.
Raster compression is aggressive
Rendering each page to an image and rebuilding the PDF can shrink scans and image-heavy documents substantially. The tradeoff is that selectable text, links and form fields become part of the page image.
Use the right method for the document
For a scan intended only for viewing, raster compression can be useful. For contracts, accessible documents or forms where text and interactivity matter, preserve the original structure whenever possible.
Target sizes are best-effort
A 500 KB or 1 MB target depends on page count, visual complexity and required readability. A compressor should report the actual output rather than claiming an exact byte size it cannot guarantee.