Resizing a PDF file essentially means optimizing the content and recreating it on a new file that's smaller in size than the original. The resize PDF file process is a complex one that involves two different types of algorithms - one for text content and another for image-based material. Moreover, resizing can be divided into three types; you can either resize a PDF file, resize a PDF page, or resize PDF image content. And finally, you can also do these on different OS platforms such as Windows, Mac, iOS, and so on or do it online with a web-based PDF compression service. Let's look at all the different scenarios related to resizing PDFs.
Part 1: FAQs about the Resize PDF Process
Q1: What are the three ways to resize PDF file size?
PDFs can be resized in three different ways, as explained below:
● Resize PDF File - This involves compressing or optimizing the content so the overall file size is reduced
● Resize PDF Page - In this scenario, only individual pages are resized to a different dimension
● Resize PDF Image - This process requires images to be made smaller using a manual method
Q2: How do I resize a PDF without Acrobat?
If you're a long-time Adobe Acrobat user, you probably have this question in your mind. Fortunately, Acrobat is not the only PDF resizing tool available. There are several offline and online solutions to compress PDFs, and they're usually more affordable than Acrobat. One such offline example is Wondershare PDFelement, which is available for Windows, Mac, and iOS. Let's look at how to resize PDF image, file, and page dimensions.
Q3: What are the Pros and cons of Online vs. Offline PDF resizing?
Online PDF Resizing: This simply means you won't be installing any software for the job; rather, you would use the web browser to access an online PDF compression service. The advantages are that no downloads or installations are needed, and your system resources won't be eaten up. The downside is that there may be security concerns over sending data over the Internet, and the fact that you need a robust Internet connection to process files in a seamless and rapid manner.
Offline PDF Resizing: A desktop utility is used for this purpose. Since it works offline, it's generally more secure than the online option. It also allows the software to access and leverage your system resources so the job usually gets done faster. On the flip side, you would need a high-end system to process large or complex files, and such software usually requires a different license for each OS platform.
Part 2: Offline Methods to Resize PDF Files
In this part, we will show you multiple solutions to resize PDF documents using Wondershare PDFelement for all your needs. No matter what devices you have (Windows, Mac, or Mobile) and no matter what types you want to resize PDF size, pages or images, you can definitely find the correct solution! Let's get started!
Section 1: How to Resize PDF File with PDFelement for Windows
The Windows version of PDFelement is a comprehensive PDF editor that is integrated with access to Wondershare Document Cloud, a secure PDF cloud storage service that also comes with an electronic signature tool. The compression quality is excellent, and your content will be re-rendered to a smaller PDF file with the same layout, alignment, and other attributes. Let's look at how to apply the three different types of resizing using this versatile application for Windows.
1. Resize PDF File Size on Windows
Step 1 Launch PDFelement and open the document by dragging it into the UI or using the File → Open option - files stored in Wondershare Document Cloud can be imported this way as well
Step 2 Next, click the Tool tab at the top and then the Compress PDF option below it in the ribbon toolbar
Step 3 In the new pop-up window pane, select the compression level you want and hit Apply
Step 4 Once the new and smaller file is created, it will open in PDFelement, after which you can save it to a folder of your choice
2. Resize PDF Page on Windows
Step 1 Once the file is open in PDFelement, click the Tool option at the top and then on Crop below it
Step 2 In the Set Crop Box pop-up dialog, you can either manually drag the crop border or define a new size using dimensions
Step 3 You can also choose which pages the cropping action should be applied to
Step 4 Click OK to perform the crop action, then save the file to a local folder
3. Resize PDF Image on Windows
Step 1 Open a PDF containing one or more images in PDFelement
Step 2 Click the Edit tab at the top and then the Edit button in the toolbar below it
Step 3 To resize an image, use the mouse to drag the corners inwards - you can hold down the Shift key to maintain the same aspect ratio so the image doesn't get skewed
Step 4 Save the file after the changes have been made - to retain the original, use the Save As option in the main File menu
Section 2: How to Resize PDF with PDFelement for Mac
PDFelement for Mac is an equally versatile tool designed especially for the macOS environment. With features such as Dark Mode, it is well-integrated with the operating system and allows you to leverage the capabilities of whatever macOS version you're currently using. PDFelement for Mac is also linked to Wondershare Document Cloud, so you can save files to the cloud and download them from the cloud using specific commands within the application.
1. Resize PDF File to Smaller Size on Mac
Step 1 Open a PDF using the Open File option on the home page of PDFelement for Mac - you can also drag and drop a file into the user interface
Step 2 Click the File menu option at the top, then bring your mouse to Save As Other and select Optimized PDF
Step 3 On the pop-up dialog, specify the compression level and preview the file before saving it to your local drive - the default is Save As, so the original file won't be affected
2. Resize PDF Page on Mac
Step 1 Drop a PDF file into PDFelement for Mac to open it
Step 2 Bring your mouse to the Tool icon in the toolbar or select Tool at the very top
Step 3 Choose the Crop Pages option
Step 4 In the Crop view, move the box handles to make the preview page smaller - you can just crop that page using the default Custom Crop or you can click on Batch Crop to apply the cropped area to all pages in the document
Step 5 Click Apply once you're done and then save the file
3. Resize PDF Image on Mac
Step 1 Open the PDF file in PDFelement for Mac
Step 2 Click the Image icon in the toolbar
Step 3 Choose the Crop Pages option
Step 4 Select the image to be resized and use any of the crop box border points to resize the image
Step 5 Save the file to preserve the changes
Section 3: How to Resize PDF using PDFelement for iOS
The PDFelement for iOS app is a full-fledged PDF editor with a range of additional capabilities to create, organize, optimize, annotate, and protect PDF documents on iPhone and iPad models running iOS/iPadOS 13.0 or higher.
1. Resize PDF File on iOS
Step 1 Click the + symbol to import a PDF file from your Files app, Photos app, or your computer
Step 2 Tap the extended menu icon (three dots) on the top right of your device screen and select Optimize PDF or Reduce File Size from the dropdown by tapping it
Step 3 On the next screen, choose one of the five optimization levels from High to Low - the higher the level, the greater the compression and lower the output file size
Step 4 Finally, tap the “Save as Optimized PDF” option and save the file to your local device
2. Resize PDF Page on iOS
Step 1 Open a PDF using the method described above
Step 2 Tap the extended menu icon (three dots) and select Crop
Step 3 Drag the crop box handles to resize the page and tap Apply when you're done - you can also use the Apply to All Pages option here before tapping Apply
Step 4 Save the processed file to the local device memory by tapping the disk icon
3. Resize PDF Image on iOS
Step 1 Open a PDF file containing at least one image
Step 2 Tap the Image tab to go to image editing mode
Step 3 Tap the image to select it and use the border handles to resize it
Step 4 Tap outside to confirm the change and save the file using the disk icon
Part 3: Online Solutions to Resize PDF Files
Resizing PDFs online is the fastest way that some people prefer. Because no matter what devices you have, you can access the web-based online PDF solutions directly if your device have a browswer. In this part, we will show you an all-in-one online PDF solution - Wondershare HiPDF for all your needs.
HiPDF from Wondershare is an excellent online PDF platform comprising different modules for editing, conversions, file size optimization, annotations, file management, page organizing, PDF protection, and much more. It offers a full range of features to manage PDF and document workflows and is easily accessible on any modern browser on a connected device.
Section 1: How to Compress PDF Online with HiPDF
Step 1 In a new browser tab, go to HiPDF online PDF Compressor for your PDF file compression
Step 2 Drag your file into the web page and drop it to upload the file
Step 3 Use the slider to select the required compression level
Step 4 Click the Compress button, wait for the process to be completed, and click Download to save the file to your desktop or a connected cloud storage service - you can also perform other actions using Continue or send the file to someone online using Share Document
Section 2: How to Resize PDF Page Online with HiPDF
Step 1 Go to the HiPDF home page and choose HiPDF Crop PDF tool from the All Tools section
Step 2 Drop a file to upload it or click the Choose File button
Step 3 Change the crop area to resize the page and click Crop to confirm
Step 4 Click Download or proceed to another action using Continue
Section 3: How to Resize PDF Image Online with HiPDF
Step 1 Go to the HiPDF Crop Image URL of the HiPDF website by using the All Tools page
Step 2 Upload an image file by dragging and dropping it there or using the Choose File button
Step 3 Use the crop box handles to resize the image and click on Crop
Step 4 Click Download to save the image to a desired location
Step 5 You can now use this to replace larger versions of the image in any PDF file to make it smaller
Conclusion
As we've clearly seen, it's very simple to resize PDF files, images, and pages when you have access to the right tools. With the combination of PDFelement with Document Cloud integration, versions for iOS, Mac, and Windows, and the online HiPDF suite of PDF tools, you'll never have a problem finding the right solution to resize any PDF document or the content therein.