what_you_need
Prepare the inputs before opening the apps
- Scan-heavy PDFs
- A representative sample containing fine print and handwriting
- The recipient or archive size constraint
- A separate destination folder
step_by_step
The working process
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1
Identify scan-heavy candidates
Choose PDFs whose pages are mainly photographed or scanned images. Do not assume a large text-native PDF benefits from the same settings.
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2
Record the baseline
Note source sizes, page counts, and the practical email or archive target. Size reduction has meaning only relative to a real constraint.
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3
Test Flatten on a representative file
In Batch Compress PDF, select Flatten for the strongest reduction on scan-heavy PDFs. Preview pages containing fine print, handwriting, stamps, and low-contrast regions before running the full folder.
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4
Compare readability, not only percentage
Zoom to normal reading size and to the scale used for verification. Reject settings that blur account numbers, signatures, dates, diagrams, or evidentiary detail.
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5
Run and inspect the measured results
Process the compatible set, then compare input and output sizes. Investigate unchanged or unexpectedly large results instead of assuming every scan should shrink.
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6
Validate the delivery or archive copy
Open several outputs in the intended viewer, confirm page count and orientation, and keep the high-quality source archive when the reduced file is only a delivery derivative.
human_checkpoint
Review before you call it finished
- Are fine print and handwriting still legible?
- Are page order, rotation, and geometry unchanged?
- Does the measured size meet the real constraint?
- Are archival masters kept when reduced files are delivery copies?
honest_boundaries
Limits and privacy
Practical limitation
Lossy image recompression can soften detail. It cannot recover a poor scan, and a reduced delivery copy may not satisfy archival or evidentiary retention requirements.
Privacy boundary
Scans are decoded, compared, and written locally through the bundled PDF engines. Nothing is uploaded by the app.
faq
Questions worth answering
Will OCR text remain?
Flatten creates page-image copies and should not be used when OCR/searchability must remain intact. Use Smart for structure-preserving compression and verify searchability on representative outputs.
Is the smallest file always best?
No. Readability and retention requirements matter more than a headline compression percentage.