HOW TO REDUCE THE FILE SIZE OR COMPRESS A PDF
The general rule is that examination files should not exceed 20MB for uploading onto the myUnisa or
myExams learning management system. In addition, examination file submissions should be a collated
file, consisting of all the answer content/pages the student wants to submit.
Sometimes the answer file can become very large, especially if individual pages were photographed
and the images collated into a single PDF file. By following a few simple steps, these large files can be
reduced to a manageable size, mostly not exceeding 10MB.
#1 How do I reduce the size of a PDF if I don’t have Acrobat software?
There are many online sites that can assist to compress the size of PDF file, free of charge. Perform
an online search I your Internet browser using the keyword “reduce PDF size”. Select one of the options
listed.
It is to your benefit to select such a PDF file compression software before the examination starts. You
will want to test the upload process, make sure the compression process is fast and you can
successfully download the compressed PDF file.
#2 How do I make a PDF file smaller in Acrobat?
• On your device, open the Adobe Acrobat software and open your PDF file.
• Choose Document > Reduce File Size.
• Select Acrobat 8.0 And Later for file compatibility and click OK.
• Name the modified file. Click Save to complete the process.
• Minimize the Acrobat window. View the size of the reduced file. ...
• Choose File > Close to close your file.
#3 Reduce the size as you save in Microsoft Word
In MS Word, to convert a document to PDF, you use the Save As option. This option generally
produces a small file, depending on the number of images in your document. However, if you find that
your Word-converted PDF is still too large, there is a further option in Word that will produce a
significantly smaller file. Here’s how to use it:
Open the Word document you are going to convert to PDF. Click on the File button and then Save
As. In the Save as type menu, select PDF and enter your preferred file name. Here’s the extra step:
where it says Optimize for at the bottom of the dialog box, select Minimum size (publishing online).
