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Reduce file size without losing quality.
Have a large PDF book that was scanned – full of images and heavy? Our tool compresses scanned books, reducing file size while keeping text readable. Perfect for archiving old books, digitised manuscripts, and document collections. No sign‑up, no software – just upload and download.
Did you know? Scanned PDFs are often 10‑50 times larger than text‑based PDFs. A 300‑page scanned book can be 50‑100MB. With our compression, you can often reduce that to under 15MB, making it easy to share and store.
Scanned books create storage and sharing challenges. Here's why compression is essential:
Each page is an image, leading to huge files that quickly fill up storage. Compression slashes the size.
Email, cloud, and messaging services often have size limits. A compressed scanned book fits easily.
Large files take forever to upload or download. Compression makes them fast to transfer.
Archiving large scanned books consumes valuable space. Compressed files are easier to back up and store long‑term.
Here's a typical breakdown of scanned book PDF sizes and the results you can expect with compression:
Results vary based on scan quality and content. Our tool finds the optimal balance for your specific scanned book.
Scanned books are essentially image collections. Our compression targets the images effectively:
The result is a much smaller scanned book that's still readable on screens and perfect for archiving or sharing.
Follow these steps to shrink your scanned book:
DonePDF Compress PDF and upload your scanned book PDF.
Choose your compression level – "High" for better quality, "Maximum" for smaller size.
Click "Compress" – processing takes a few moments.
Download your compressed scanned book PDF – ready for storage or sharing.
For extreme reduction, try our Hyper Compress tool. For better searchability, run OCR first, then compress.
Scanned books respond differently to compression. Here's what each mode offers:
For scanned books, we recommend starting with "High" and adjusting based on your needs. Use "Maximum" only when size is the absolute priority.
Alternatives you might consider:
Our tool is fast, free, and specifically optimised for scanned books – giving you the best size reduction with minimal effort.
Pro Tip: For extremely large scanned books (over 200MB), use our Hyper Compress tool – it applies aggressive JPEG compression and can reduce file size by up to 95%.
Reduce file size by up to 80% – store more books in less space.
Email, upload, or transfer your scanned books quickly.
Text remains legible – only the file size shrinks.
No sign‑up, end‑to‑end encryption, auto‑deletion.
🚀 Need extreme compression for large scanned books? Try Hyper Compress
Hyper Compress applies aggressive JPEG compression and grayscale conversion, ideal for shrinking scanned books down to 10‑20% of their original size – perfect for archiving and mobile access.
Yes. Our tool uses smart image compression that reduces the file size while keeping text legible. You can choose the compression level – "High" keeps more detail, "Maximum" gives the smallest file size. For best results, run OCR first to convert to searchable text, then compress.
For screen reading and archiving, 150 DPI is usually sufficient. For print quality, 300 DPI is recommended, but that results in larger files. Our tool automatically downsamples images to an optimal DPI based on your compression setting.
Scanned books are image‑based and often very large. With "Maximum" compression, you can reduce size by 60‑80%. A 50MB scanned book can shrink to 10‑15MB. For even more reduction, try Hyper Compress or convert to grayscale.
Absolutely. We use TLS encryption and auto‑delete all files within 2 hours. Your content is safe and confidential.
We recommend running OCR first. This converts images to text, making the PDF searchable and often resulting in smaller file sizes after compression, because text can be stored more efficiently than images.
If your scanned PDF already has bookmarks, they will be preserved. However, if the PDF is purely image‑based without text, bookmarks are unlikely to exist. Metadata is stripped to save space, but you can add it back later if needed.
Compression time depends on file size and page count. A 200‑page scanned book usually takes 1‑3 minutes. Larger files may take a bit longer.
Upload your scanned book PDF and get a smaller version that's perfect for storage, sharing, and archiving – fast, secure, and easy.
Scanned books are essentially a series of images, making them very large. Our tool downsamples images to 150 DPI and applies aggressive JPEG compression. For extreme reduction, convert to grayscale – this can reduce file size by 30‑40% without affecting readability.
Explore the full collection of tools in the PDF Size Problems.