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      Compress a PDF to Meet Court Size Requirements

      Each California county court has different file size limits for documents and transmissions submitted for eFilings.

      A properly compressed Portable Document Format (PDF) file that meets a court’s document size limits will increase an eFiling’s court acceptance.

      When a PDF has been improperly compressed it is typically the result of one of two things:

      (1.) Images included in the PDF have been incorrectly scanned or

      (2.) Scans attached to the PDF were attached without first being compressed.

      If Your PDF is Too Large, An Error Code Will Appear

      When an eFiling is submitted to Rapid Legal with a PDF that is larger than what the court’s file size requirements permit, an error code is displayed by the Rapid Legal portal when you press the “Submit” key. This error code advises the user that the file size exceeds the court’s limits. (See Figure 1 below.)

       

      Figure 1.

      35-MB-Error

      At this point in your filing, no extra costs have been incurred and the error message halts the eFiling process. This provides an opportunity for you to fix the compression problem and resubmit your eFiling order.

      If Your PDF is Too Large, Here’s How to Fix It

      Compress a PDF for Court Acceptance: 

      To right-size your file, first, make sure you’re using the right compression application for the job. When working with the California courts, Adobe Acrobat is commonly used, which has document compression tools and is available for Windows or Apple. 

      Then, follow the 10 steps below, intended for use with Adobe Acrobat Pro. 

      1. Launch the Adobe Acrobat Pro application.
      2. Locate and open the PDF file you need to compress.
      3. Look for the toolbar on the right side of the window, then proceed to the selection titled More Tools. Click on More Tools.
      4. Scroll down until you reach the section titled Protect & Standardize.
      5. Look for the option that says Optimize PDF.
      6. Use your mouse to double-click on Optimize PDF.
      7. Your document will open automatically.
      8. Go to the ribbon at the top of the page, then select Optimize Scanned Pages.
      9. You will see the Enhanced Scanned PDF window appear onscreen.
      10. Use your mouse to click OK.

                        Helpful Tip: When using Adobe Acrobat Pro, you may use this same process to make your PDF text searchable.

                        Read more about what commonly causes a PDF to be too large.

                        Get information about Adobe Acrobat Pro.