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Fix · a common PDF problem

Compressed PDF too blurry to read?

Short answer. The compressor lowered image resolution or quality further than the text could take. Compress only as far as the limit needs, check at 100% zoom, and split the file if legibility would suffer.
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Drop a PDF anywhere on this pageThe instant X-ray reads the raw bytes; the full inspector then parses every object in a Web Worker. Nothing is uploaded or executed.
What you’ll see
  • Byte budget: images, fonts, page content, duplicates, attachments, metadata
  • The largest images with pixel size, effective dpi and the pages they are on
  • Every cause linked to the tool that fixes it
Requests since you added a file: 0Counted by this page · check it without trusting us

Causes and fixes

  1. 1
    Resolution dropped below what small print needsText in scans needs more pixels than photos do.
    Compress to the exact limit
  2. 2
    Heavy JPEG artefacts around lettersVery low JPEG quality smears edges.
    Compare at 100%
  3. 3
    The limit is too small for this many pagesSplitting keeps each part readable.
    Split by size

What is going on

Most compressors use a fixed setting such as “strong” and apply it whatever your limit is. If the portal allows 2 MB and the tool produced 300 KB, you gave up legibility you didn’t need to. Compressing to the exact number stops at the first result that fits, which keeps as much resolution as possible.

The size report above lists each image’s pixel size and its effective resolution on the page. Text in a scan stays readable down to roughly where individual letters still have enough pixels; below that, small print and handwritten numbers go first. That is why the compressor here shows page 1 at 100% next to the original before you download.

When a target can’t be reached legibly, say three hundred scanned pages under 1 MB, the honest answer is to split the document. Our own corpus measurements show which targets were reachable for which kinds of file [1].

Checked 2026-10-05. The diagnostic above runs in this tab; your file is not uploaded.