How Reduce Redacted PDF File Size

PDF redaction is one of those PDF modification tasks that always feel like true works of genius. Redaction enables you to hide sensitive and confidential information such as your identity number or bank details from a scanned bank statement. However, one of the redaction problems is the resulting file sizes of redacted PDF documents.

Users often complain that redaction increases the size of their PDF documents. This normally happens because the redaction feature introduces new objects into the document, which results in additional data. These large files then become too bulky to attach to emails or store on hard drives and portable drives. Now I will tell you how to reduce redacted PDF file size.

Part 1. Best PDF File Size Reducer
Part 2. How to Reduce Redacted PDF Size

Part 1Best PDF Size Reducer

Wondershare PDFelement is a multipurpose PDF modification tool that contains close to a dozen different features. With it, redaction is simple and fast, enabling you to create redacted confidential documents within minutes. And with the ability to compress the size of PDF documents, producing large redacted files is no longer an issue.

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PDFelement also enables users to edit text and images in PDF documents using inbuilt editing tools. You can add or edit footnotes and headers, annotations, and digital signatures without too much of a hassle. What’s more, PDFelement allows you to edit and modify text and objects in scanned PDF files using a capable OCR (Optical Character Recognition) module.

Part 2 How to Reduce the File Size of Redacted PDF Files

If you have already redacted a PDF file and are looking to reduce its overall size, this guide provides a simple step-by-step procedure for compressing your file. If you are looking to redact your file, Wondershare PDFelement can also be used to hide confidential information.

Step 1. Loading the Redacted File

Launch PDFelement after it has been installed to your computer. Click "Open" (or the "Open File" button on a Mac) from the window and locate the redacted file from storage. Select your file and click "Open" on the selection window to load up your file.

Step 2. Modify at Will (Optional)

Before compression, you can take the most of the inbuilt editing tools to edit texts and images, add page, images, and other content to your new file. To do this go to the top menu and select the Edit tab to access options for text and image editing.

If you are a Mac user, go to the top toolbar and click the "Edit" button to enter the editing state. Then you can insert, delete and modify texts and images on your document.

Step 3. Make Redacted File Smaller

To optimize file size, click the "File" tab on the menu bar and select "Optimize" from the drop-down menu. Press the "Optimize" button after picking one of the following compression levels to reduce the size of the file.

Web Ready – smallest PDF size, suitable for email attachments and other web-based file sharing tasks.
Office Ready – medium size, suitable for storage on your computer or sharing via a flash drive.
Print Ready –largest file size, suitable for printing and maintaining the highest integrity of the redacted file.
Custom – customize the settings for the final size of your redacted PDF file.

On the Mac version, click "Optimize PDF" from the File menu. The Mac version allows you to preview the size of the file before final confirmation. Click "Save As" to compress your file.