How to Compress Scanned Documents Online
Scanner apps and desktop scanners save documents as large PNG or TIFF files — often 2–10MB per page. For email attachments, government portal submissions, and cloud storage, you need them under 1–2MB. This guide compresses scanned documents to the smallest possible size while keeping all text legible and barcodes scannable.
Quick Answer
Scanner apps and desktop scanners save documents as large PNG or TIFF files — often 2–10MB per page. For email attachments, government portal submissions, and cloud storage, you need them under 1–2MB.
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Step-by-Step Guide
5 steps · takes under 1 minute
Identify the source format
Mobile scanner apps (Adobe Scan, Microsoft Lens) typically save as PDF (with embedded JPG). Flatbed scanners save as TIFF, BMP, or PNG. For PDF scans: extract the embedded images. For TIFF/PNG/BMP: go directly to the compressor.
Convert TIFF or BMP to JPG or PNG first
TIFF and BMP are uncompressed formats — convert to JPG or PNG using the Convert to JPG tool. A 10MB TIFF document page typically becomes 500KB–1.5MB as JPG at 85% quality.
Compress at 75% quality for text documents
Text documents with black-and-white content can be compressed more aggressively than photos. At 75%, text remains crisp and legible. At 70%, start checking that fine print and handwriting are still readable. Avoid dropping below 70% for text documents.
Check legibility before submitting
Zoom to 100% and read a sample of the text. Check that barcodes, QR codes, and signatures are still clear. If any element is hard to read, increase quality to 80%.
Verify file size meets submission requirements
Government portals typically require scanned documents under 500KB–2MB per page. Email attachments: under 10MB total. Court documents: often 300KB–1MB per page. Confirm the specific requirement before finalising.
Before vs After Compression
Typical result on a 1080×1080px product photo
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ImgToolkit runs entirely in your browser using the Canvas API. Your images are never sent to a server, never stored in the cloud, and never seen by anyone else. This makes it safe for sensitive documents, client work, medical imagery, and confidential screenshots.
Pro tip
Use 75–85% quality for web images — you get 60–80% smaller files with no visible difference at normal screen sizes.
Format & File Size Comparison
Same 1080×1080px photo processed four ways
| Format | Quality | File Size | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| PNG (original) | Perfect | 4.2 MB | No compression — too large for web |
| Compressed PNG | Visually identical | 1.1 MB | −74% — transparency preserved |
| JPG (85% quality) | Excellent | 310 KB | −93% · Best for photos |
| WebP (85%)BEST | Excellent | 205 KB | −95% · Recommended for web |
Based on a 1080×1080px photo. Results vary by image content and complexity.
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Compress Scanned Document