BitePDF

Compression

Low, Medium, and High PDF compression: which one should you use?

BitePDF now starts with a compression picker because different uploads have different failure modes. A resume needs readable text. A scan may need aggressive image reduction. A portal with a tiny limit needs the smallest result.

2026-05-05 - 4 min read

Use Low when quality matters most

Low compression is the safest first pass for portfolios, image-heavy reports, invoices, and files that are only slightly above the limit.

It keeps more detail and is useful when the target is 5MB or 10MB rather than 100KB or 200KB.

Use Medium for most PDF uploads

Medium is the default profile for the majority of forms, applications, reimbursement claims, and email attachments.

It balances readable text with meaningful size reduction, then shows the original size, output size, and saved percentage before export.

Use High for strict limits

High is the paid export profile for cases where the file must get very small. Use it for 100KB, 200KB, 500KB, and 1MB targets.

The best conversion flow is still preview-first: let the user see the smaller file before checkout, then return from Stripe to the prepared export.

Related BitePDF workflows

100KB targetCompress PDF to 100KB.200KB targetCompress PDF to 200KB.500KB targetCompress PDF to 500KB.1MB targetCompress PDF to 1MB.2MB targetCompress PDF to 2MB.5MB targetCompress PDF to 5MB.