Full Page Image PDF

Each page of the PDF has a single full page image

Compact PDF

A Compact PDF is a compressed document format used by modern office scanners and multifunction printers to significantly reduce the size of scanned color files

It utilizes Mixed Raster Content (MRC) technology to split a scanned page into different layers—separating text from the background images—and compresses each layer independently.

Importing these files requires special treatment called “rendering”

How Do Compact PDF Files Differ To Full Page Image PDF

A Compact PDF is a compressed document format used by modern office scanners and multifunction printers to significantly reduce the size of scanned color files. It utilizes Mixed Raster Content (MRC) technology to split a scanned page into different layers—separating text from the background images—and compresses each layer independently.

How It Works

• Layer Separation: The scanner breaks the document into a text layer and a background layer.
• Targeted Compression: High-contrast text is kept sharp using a lossless compression method, while photos or colored background blocks are heavily compressed.
• The Result: You receive a file that is up to 1/10th to 1/16th the size of a standard scanned PDF, without noticeably losing the legibility of the written text.

Why Use It?

• Email Constraints: It easily bypasses strict attachment size limits.
• Storage Efficiency: It saves substantial cloud or local drive storage space over thousands of archived records.
• Fast Transfers: It speeds up upload and download times dramatically.

Common Limitations

• Image Degradation: Photos, intricate graphics, or detailed signatures within the file will look noticeably pixelated or lower in quality.
• Software Inaccuracies: Some older software or specialty print drivers may occasionally experience rendering or formatting errors when reading a Compact PDF.
• Automatic Grayscale: On scanner hardware, turning on “Compact” will automatically shift full-colour modes to grayscale or auto-color to maximize space savings.

Processing Compact PDF Files With ScanToPDF Solutions

Compact PDF can easily be processed by adding a single FREE plugin called PDF Import

This page explains how to add plugins.

https://scantopdf.com/help-info/documentation/adding-plugins/

The icon for the PDF Import plugin is

 

Set the PDF Import options according to the options chosen on your scanner

Documentation for the plugin is here

https://scantopdf.com/help-info/documentation/pdf-import

Please note : To maintain the reduced file size in your output documents, set the PDF page content conservation option to Entire content