Compress PDF — Scan Mode vs Keep Text
Published July 13, 2026By Samson PG
Scanned PDFs need raster shrink; text exports need a gentler pass. Pick the right mode so email and portal limits stop rejecting your file.
PDF compression on TryQuickImg has two jobs: shrink camera/scanner PDFs with Scan mode, or lightly re-save exports with Keep text. Pick wrong and you either wreck readability or barely reduce size.
Quick answer
| Mode | Best for | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Scan | Phone photos of docs, flatbed scans | Rasterizes pages, rebuilds a smaller PDF |
| Keep text | Word/LibreOffice exports, text-heavy PDFs | Re-saves with object streams; text stays selectable |
If pages are mostly photos of paper, use Scan. If you need copy-pasteable text and a milder shrink, use Keep text.
Why one slider is not enough
A 12 MB “PDF” from your phone is usually high-res JPEG pages wrapped in PDF. Text compression alone cannot fix that. Scan mode lowers page resolution/quality until the file fits a target such as 100KB, 500KB, or 1MB.
Office exports are different: fonts and vectors already exist. Rasterizing them can blur small type. Keep text is the safer first try.
Practical steps
- Open TryQuickImg Compress PDF.
- Choose Scan for photo docs or Keep text for born-digital PDFs.
- Set a KB/MB target that matches the portal or mailbox.
- Drop the file — processing is not uploaded to our servers for processing.
- Download and check page clarity before you submit or attach.
For attachment-focused framing, see Compress PDF for email and the guide Compress PDF for email and portals.
Common portal and email caps
| Destination | Typical limit |
|---|---|
| Many job / exam portals | 100KB–2MB |
| Corporate email | 10–25MB hard cap; aim 1–5MB |
| Government upload slots | Often 500KB–2MB |
Always trust the form text over these ranges.
Privacy
files are not uploaded to our servers for processing. pdf.js and pdf-lib run in the browser after the page loads — no cloud upload of your offer letter, bank statement, or ID scan.
Also useful: turn photo stacks into a tidy PDF first with Image to PDF, then compress.
FAQ
Will Scan mode make text unreadable?
At aggressive targets, yes. Start higher (e.g. 1MB), preview, then lower. Prefer Keep text when the PDF already has real text.
Can Keep text hit 100KB on a scan?
Usually not. Scans need Scan mode.
Does compression remove password protection?
Do not rely on compress tools for DRM or password stripping. Unlock or export a clean PDF from the source app first if the tool cannot open it.
Is my PDF uploaded to TryQuickImg?
No. Compression runs locally in your browser.