Your PDF is too heavy to send
Most mail services reject attachments beyond 10–25 MB, and government forms often cap at 2 MB. A PDF almost always exceeds for the same reason: it holds print-resolution images although it will be read on a screen. So a lot of weight can go without any visible difference.
- Your message bounces back with “attachment too large”.
- The online form rejects the file without saying why.
- The PDF came from a scanner and weighs tens of megabytes for a few pages.
Poulpi’s tip
Start with medium-quality compression: it is the best ratio between weight saved and sharpness kept. If the file is a scan of plain black text, greyscale conversion often cuts even more.
Matsa PDF4 tools
The tools for that
FAQ
Common questions
Does compression damage the text?
No. Text in a PDF is stored as characters and fonts, not as an image: it stays sharp at any compression level. Photos and scanned images are what lose detail — and that is precisely where the weight is saved.
How far down can it go?
A typical office document loses 30–60 % of its weight. A photographic scan can lose 90 %. An already-optimised PDF will barely move, which is normal: there is nothing left to remove.
What if it is still too big?
Split it. An 80-page bundle rarely fits one attachment, but two 40-page sends do. The split tool cuts by page ranges.
Other needs