Prepare a complete file as a PDF
Published · Updated 3 min read
An application file or an administrative procedure often asks for a single PDF, light and free of unnecessary information. Several steps are needed, and their order matters: the right order saves you from redoing them. The rule: assemble, clean, compress, then protect.
The file in the example
Take a file made of three documents: a one-page letter, which carries a title, an author and keywords; a scanned notebook of 3 pages (3.7 MB); and four photos already assembled into a PDF (3.8 MB), as in Put photos or scans together in a single PDF.
The path and the weights
| Step | Tool | Pages | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assemble | Merge PDFs | 8 | 7,7 MB |
| Clean | Clean PDF | 8 | 7,7 MB |
| Compress, Medium level | Compress PDF | 8 | 3,1 MB |
| Protect | Protect PDF | 8 | 3,1 MB |
At the Low level, compression gives 1.8 MB instead of 3.1 MB. The choice of level depends on the limit to respect, detailed in Reduce a PDF below 2 MB, 1 MB or 500 KB.
Why this order
- Assemble first: the following steps are then done only once, on a single file. The order of the files added is the order of the file, as in Merge PDFs in the right order.
- Clean after assembling: the merge itself adds information to the file.
- Compress before protecting: a protected PDF can no longer be compressed or cleaned.
- Protect last, since the protection blocks the other steps.
What the cleaning removes
The merge carries over neither the title, nor the author, nor the keywords of the letter. It does, however, write into the file the name of the engine that produced it and dates. After cleaning, these fields are empty: the title, the author, the subject, the keywords, the producer and the dates. The detail is in Prepare a PDF before sharing it.
When a step refuses a protected PDF
On a protected file, compression and cleaning stop with a message: "Ce PDF est protégé par un mot de passe : retirez d'abord la protection avec Déverrouiller un PDF". The assembly, for its part, says that the PDF may be invalid or protected. To take up a file that is already protected, see Open a protected PDF whose password you know.
The final protection
The protected file opens with the password you chose and still has the same number of pages. Keep the password separate from the file. The settings are described in Protect a PDF with a password, limits and good habits.
For which files
An application, a rental file, an administrative request or a call for tenders: several documents to bring together in a single light, clean PDF.
Check before sending
- Open the file with the password.
- Count the pages: in the example, 1 + 3 + 4 = 8.
- Go through them to check the order and the legibility of the scans.
- Look at the weight in the file explorer.
Frequently asked questions
- In which order should you assemble, clean, compress and protect?
- Assemble first, clean, compress, then protect last. A protected PDF can no longer be compressed or cleaned.
- Why clean after assembling?
- The merge itself adds information to the file, such as the name of the engine and dates.
- What if a step refuses my PDF?
- It is probably protected: remove the protection first with Unlock PDF.
- How do you choose the compression level?
- According to the limit to respect, detailed in the guide Reduce a PDF below 2 MB, 1 MB or 500 KB.