PDF size reduction: how to choose between strict and balanced
Use strict first when appearance matters most. Move to balanced when you need more savings and can accept a little more image-focused optimization.
Choose strict for safer first results
Strict is usually the best first attempt when you do not want surprises.
It is a sensible choice for proposals, customer-facing documents, manuals, and presentation files.
Choose balanced when size matters more
Balanced becomes useful when strict mode still leaves the file too large for email, upload, or sharing.
It is often the more practical choice for scans, screenshots, and everyday working PDFs.
Review the result, then decide if you need more
Do not jump from strict straight to the strongest possible setting without checking the result.
Often the best workflow is strict first, balanced second, and stronger compression only when absolutely necessary.