Troubleshooting
Compress a PDF before signing: keep text readable and preserve the original
A smaller file is useful only if it still contains the right pages and readable content. When an unsigned PDF is too large, prepare a separate reduced-size copy before signing, then inspect that copy instead of relying on its new file size alone.
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Identify which limit you are trying to meet
DocAISign currently accepts a PDF up to 20 MB and 100 pages. Compression targets file size; it does not make a document with too many pages acceptable. Check both values before processing the file.
Do not remove required pages just to meet a limit. If the complete document cannot fit the supported workflow without losing required content, use a suitable alternative.
Work on the unsigned source copy
Keep the original and create a separately named output. A PDF containing an earlier completed signature needs particular care: editing or reprocessing its content is not the same as preserving the signed original.
Adobe’s signed-PDF guidance explains restrictions around digitally signed documents. If you need a smaller document for a new signing process, obtain the appropriate unsigned source rather than trying to bypass or silently alter an existing signed record.
Try lossless structural compression first
Some PDFs are large because of how they are stored, not because of their images. Structural compression rewrites the file’s internal objects more compactly without resampling images or turning text into pictures, so nothing on the page looks different.
DocAISign’s browser-only compressor does this on your device without uploading the file. It reports the actual size difference and gives you back the original file when the rewrite is not smaller. Scanned and already-optimised PDFs often will not shrink; then an image-reducing tool is the next step, and you should check readability carefully.
- Compress a PDF in your browserNo upload. Rewrites PDF structure; images keep their resolution.
Use a tool with an explicit compression workflow
Adobe documents a Compress workflow for Acrobat on the web. Other editors may offer optimisation or reduced-size export. Check where an online tool uploads and saves the file before using it, especially for non-public documents.
DocAISign does not currently provide a general PDF compression tool. Reduce the unsigned file in an appropriate tool before uploading it for signing; renaming the file or its extension does not reduce the underlying content.
Check the reduced copy at reading size
- Confirm page count and order match the intended source.
- Read small numbers, fine print and faint handwriting.
- Inspect stamps, coloured annotations and thin table lines.
- Check landscape pages and the signature areas.
- Confirm the file opens normally and its size now meets the intended limit.
For scans, repair the source problem first
A blurred or poorly cropped photo is not fixed by compression. Retake unreadable pages before assembling the PDF. Avoid retaining duplicate scans of the same required page simply because both look slightly different.
Check image-heavy documents carefully after reduction: a very small file can be the result of throwing away detail your recipient needs. Keep the source photos until the final PDF has been reviewed.
Sign the reviewed copy and keep the completed original
Upload the exact reduced PDF you inspected, then review its editor preview before placing fields. Once signing completes, download the final PDF and audit record and keep those originals.
Recompressing, annotating or resaving the completed PDF can change its bytes. Its SHA-256 fingerprint may then differ from the audit record. Keep any delivery or working copy distinct from the original completed file.