Scanned PDF File Size: What to Agree Before Scanning

Agree the destination's file-size limit and the information that must survive before asking for smaller scanned PDFs. A file that uploads successfully but loses a faint note, useful colour distinction or required attachment has not met the whole brief.

For a Sydney organisation commissioning scanning, "small files with good quality" leaves important decisions open. State how the files will be used, what the receiving system accepts and what evidence will show the final output is suitable. Do not assume one resolution setting or compression label answers all three questions.

Start with the actual delivery limit

Ask the person responsible for the destination to confirm its current requirements. Distinguish a limit on each file from a limit on an entire upload or delivery package. Identify accepted formats and whether the limit applies to an attachment, a portal submission or another transfer route. Record where and when the requirement was confirmed.

Also describe the reading task: opening a long report, viewing photographs, printing an appendix or finding a reference in searchable text. A transfer limit is a constraint on that task, not a definition of acceptable document quality.

Agree whether one PDF must represent one complete document. If splitting is permitted, specify the boundaries, part numbering and how users will find the continuation. If splitting would break the receiving workflow, make that clear before anyone prepares the output. Keep an exception path for material that cannot meet the limit without losing required information.

Find out what is taking up space

Ask for an assessment of representative files before choosing a reduction target. A PDF may contain more than page images. Adobe's space-usage audit guidance describes reporting the space used by elements including images, text, fonts, forms and comments. This can help identify which part of a file a proposed optimisation would affect.

Include different document types in the assessment: a short text document, a longer illustrated report and pages with faint marks or meaningful colour. Record the page count and final file size for each example. Avoid estimating a whole collection from the smallest or simplest file.

For existing PDFs, keep the received versions identifiable while proposals are assessed. If the problem is missing image detail or unusable searchable text, use the OCR or rescanning guide to identify that work separately. Making an already unclear image smaller does not establish that it is fit for use.

Distinguish compression from changing the image

Ask what the proposed processing actually does. The following distinctions concern image data; they do not describe every operation a PDF workflow might perform.

State Records NSW's digitisation specifications distinguish reversible lossless compression from lossy compression that discards information. The guidance is written for NSW public offices; it is not a universal specification for every commercial scanning job.

Adobe's PDF optimiser settings separately describe image compression and downsampling, which lowers image resolution. Treat conversion to greyscale or black and white as another explicit decision. Identify any colours or tonal differences that carry meaning before approving a change.

OCR is a separate part of the result. The OCRmyPDF optimisation documentation notes that a processed file can grow despite optimisation because recognised-text information is added and output settings affect how compactly it can be stored. It also distinguishes optimisation levels that permit different image changes. Do not promise a reduction percentage before checking representative output.

These product examples explain possible operations. They do not describe how any supplier, including Pexatech, would configure processing for your documents.

Preserve the reference copy and required features

Decide which version is the reference for future comparisons and whether a smaller delivery copy is needed. State Records NSW recommends a preservation master and a separate access copy in the long-term or State-archive circumstances described in its guidance. For a commercial project, agree the roles of the files with the records owner instead of treating a smaller copy as an automatic replacement.

Identify the relationship between versions using the agreed document reference. Record which version was reduced and which settings were applied, so a rejected delivery can be traced back to its source. Where an archive-format requirement exists, carry it into the PDF versus PDF/A brief.

Check features as well as page appearance. Adobe's optimiser offers options that can remove bookmarks, document tags, metadata or attachments. Ask which, if any, would be used. State which features must remain, and verify them in the result. If accessible reading is required, include the relevant checks from the PDF accessibility guide.

Compare the final candidate files

Review files after all agreed OCR, compression, conversion and packaging steps. A good intermediate file does not establish that the version delivered to the destination meets the brief.

Compare candidate output with the reference at the same viewing scale, and inspect details relevant to use: small punctuation, faint handwriting, coloured annotations or labels in an image. Test printing where printing is part of the task. Search for known references and copy selected text when searchable output is required.

Measure the file size separately from these content checks. Then test the final file in the intended destination, using the agreed handling arrangements. Record whether it uploads, opens and supports the required task. If it fails, distinguish rejection by the receiving system from a content-quality problem.

Use the wider scanning quality checklist for completeness and acceptance. For this decision, add the candidate filename, size, changes made, details checked and outcome. If essential content becomes unclear, reject that candidate and discuss a different setting, approved division or delivery route.

Put the trade-off in the enquiry

Consider a fictional Sydney property administrator preparing scanned meeting records for a portal with a stated per-file limit. Some records contain photographs and colour-coded annotations. The brief asks for a complete reference copy, a delivery version only where needed, and checks on the annotations and photographs. It also asks how oversized files will be handled. This is a buyer example, not a completed Pexatech project or a confirmed service package.

An initial enquiry can identify:

• The destination and its confirmed per-file or package limit.
• Document boundaries and whether splitting is permitted.
• Details, colours and document features that must remain usable.
• The reference and delivery versions required.
• Who will compare candidate files and test the final destination.
• How exceptions and rejected files will be resolved.

Describe these requirements when discussing document scanning. Confirm the proposed capability, resources, handling arrangements and timing before committing. A useful size target is one the final document can meet while still doing its intended job.