PdfCompress

PdfCompress is a handy little tool for Mac OS X that helps shrink the size of your PDF files. You know how those PDFs created by Mac's Quartz rendering system can look amazing but take up tons of space? Well, that's why PdfCompress is here! It makes those large files much easier to share on the web or send via email.

Why Are PDF Files So Big?

The main reason these files are so massive is that Quartz uses a pretty basic compression method (zip) for all the data in the PDFs it creates. It plays it safe by including extra data that might not even be needed.

Safe But Bulky

This cautious approach works great for pre-press environments and meets standards like PDF/X1 and PDF/X3 for sharing pre-press data. However, it results in files that can be larger than necessary for everyday use. Some other apps throw in extra metadata and editing info, which PdfCompress can clean up as well!

Optimizing Your PDFs

PdfCompress steps in to optimize these bulky files by using smart image compression techniques on the pictures inside them. Plus, it removes any unnecessary elements too.

How Much Can It Shrink Images?

You’ll be amazed—photographic images can get reduced by up to ten times without losing any quality thanks to JPEG 2000 or JPEG compression. And bi-level images usually see a reduction of about 20-30% using lossless CCIT Group 4 (Fax) encoding! PdfCompress can also downsample images to lower resolutions perfect for viewing online.

User-Friendly Design

One of the best things about PdfCompress is how easy it is to use! Just drag your PDF file onto its icon, and voila—the compressed version appears almost instantly! You can even access it directly from any app with Mac OS X's PDF Services feature if you have PdfCompress version 4.1 or newer.

NOTE: To buy PdfCompress via the App Store, an Apple account is required.

If you're ready to give your PDFs a makeover and make them web-friendly, check out PdCompress.