1MB Is Small Enough to Upload,
Large Enough to Look Untouched

This is the size where compression stops being a visible trade-off. Scans stay sharp, text stays crisp — and it clears almost every upload limit that isn't specifically strict. Runs entirely in your browser.

1MB against the limits you'll actually run into

What you keep at 1MB that smaller presets give up

Squeezing a PDF down to 100KB or 200KB means dropping image resolution to the point where fine print and signatures start to blur. At 1MB, there's enough room that a scanned page can stay close to its original resolution — 3 to 6 scanned pages typically fit at a quality where nothing looks compressed, and a plain-text document can run 30-60 pages without approaching the limit. If your destination doesn't specifically require a smaller file, this is the preset with the least to think about.

Frequently asked questions

• Will I actually notice the compression at 1MB?+
  Usually not. At this size the tool has enough headroom to keep images at a resolution close to the original, so text stays sharp and scanned pages stay clearly legible. The visible quality loss that shows up at 100KB or 200KB is largely avoided here.
• Is 1MB small enough for email?+
  Comfortably. Gmail and Outlook both allow attachments up to 20-25MB, so a 1MB PDF is nowhere near any email limit — the point of compressing to 1MB isn't email size limits, it's portals and forms that specifically cap uploads there.
• How many scanned pages fit in 1MB?+
  Typically 3-6 pages at good scan quality, or 30-60 pages if the document is plain text. A multi-page scanned application that won't fit at 200KB usually fits comfortably here.
• Should I always just use 1MB then?+
  If the portal you're uploading to allows it, yes — it's the preset with the least visible compromise. Use 200KB or 100KB only when the destination specifically requires a smaller file.

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