PDF Compressor vs. Manually Shrinking PDFs Yourself
Before reaching for a dedicated tool, a lot of people try to shrink a PDF by re-saving it, printing it to PDF again, or using their operating system's built-in "reduce file size" export. Here's what actually changes when you use a compressor built for the job instead.
Install PDF CompressorSide by Side
| Manual workaround | PDF Compressor | |
|---|---|---|
| Control over compression level | Usually a vague preset ("Best for printing," "Smaller file") with no indication of how much smaller the result will be | Three explicit levels (low, medium, high compression) with the resulting file size shown for each completed file |
| Compressing several files at once | Repeat the entire process — open, export, save, rename — once per file | Select multiple PDFs and compress them in one batch, with a combined ZIP download |
| Comparing before/after size | Manually check file size in a file browser before and after, for each file | Original and compressed size shown automatically for every file as it finishes |
| Tool availability | Varies by OS and app — macOS Preview, Microsoft Print to PDF, and browser print dialogs all behave differently and not all of them compress at all | Same Chrome extension, same workflow, regardless of operating system |
| Risk of losing text selectability | Printing a PDF to "print to PDF" again can flatten/rasterize pages depending on the app, turning selectable text into an image | Compresses the existing PDF's images and structure directly, without routing the file through a print pipeline |
Why This Comparison Is Different From a Vs. Page
This isn't a comparison between two competing products — it's a comparison between a dedicated tool and a workaround. Re-saving a PDF, printing it to PDF again, or using an OS-level "reduce file size" export aren't things anyone built specifically for compression; they're side effects of other features that happen to shrink a file sometimes, as a byproduct.
That's exactly why they're inconsistent. A "reduce file size" export preset doesn't tell you how much smaller the result will be before you commit to it, or let you pick a target — it's a fixed setting someone else chose. Printing a PDF through a print driver to compress it depends on how that specific print driver handles the file, and on some systems it rasterizes text-based pages into images, which quietly removes the ability to select or search the text. None of that is a flaw exactly — these features were built for exporting and printing, not for predictable compression — but it does mean the result is often a guess rather than a controlled outcome.
PDF Compressor is built for exactly one job: take a PDF, compress it at a level you choose, and show you the result. There's no print pipeline involved and no OS-specific behavior to account for, since it runs the same way inside Chrome on any platform.
Skip the Guesswork
Install PDF Compressor and pick an exact compression level instead of hoping an export preset does the job.
Install Extension