An electronic-filing portal rarely rejects a PDF on a whim: it wants a specific format, a maximum weight and a readable document. Compressing is the last step of that preparation, not the only one.
What an online filing usually requires
Portals differ, but rejections look alike: the file is not a PDF, it is over the size cap, it includes extra pages, or the scan is unreadable. There is no universal limit — the one on the form is the one that matters. Guest jobs also have a per-file size ceiling on ToolZen itself; if the original is huge, shrink or split it before you upload here.
- Format: almost always PDF for documents and, sometimes, JPG for a photo.
- Weight: a per-file cap that the form usually shows next to the upload button.
- Contents: front and back, annexes, or a single PDF, depending on what that portal asks for.
- Readability: signatures, stamps and ID details have to stay clear after compressing.
How to get the file ready
- Read the filing formNote the accepted format and the maximum size per file, if it appears next to the upload field.
- Prepare the PDFKeep only the pages the procedure asks for, use clear filenames, and merge them if the portal wants a single file.
- Compress and checkRun the PDF through the compressor, check the weight, and open the result: signatures, stamps and small print still have to be readable.
Tips to land under the limit
- Scan in black and white or greyscale when the document does not need colour: it weighs much less.
- Use 200–300 dpi when scanning; more resolution almost never helps and inflates the size.
- If you joined several files, compress them already merged: it is more efficient than compressing one by one.
- Check the final weight before uploading so you do not repeat the filing.
If it still will not go down far enough
When the PDF is still too heavy, you have two ways out: split it and upload the parts separately (if the procedure allows that) or rescan the original at a lower resolution. If the problem is many loose documents, merge them first and compress the result.
For the general method of compressing without wrecking the document, use the guide to reducing a PDF’s size without losing quality. If the rejection is an upload error and you still do not know why, start with what to do when the PDF is too large to upload.