How to Compress Scans, Receipts, and Document Images Without Losing Readability
Scans are not photos: most are black text on white, with the detail in stroke edges. Choosing the right format decides the final size and clarity more than turning up the compression.
Fix the source first
Skew, shadows, glare, and empty margins waste pixels or hurt reading. Rotate and crop before compressing, and rescan if needed. An illegible original will not become clear through compression.
- Make sure all four corners are present.
- Check dates, amounts, signatures, and stamps.
- Keep one orientation across a batch.
Different formats for text and mixed pages
| Page content | Output format | Preset | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black text on white, tables, line art | PNG | Balanced | Few colours, so palette quantization barely touches strokes and the size drops a lot |
| Text page with a coloured stamp or logo | PNG | High quality | PNG is not quantized, so stamp colours and thin lines stay intact |
| Pages with photos or patterned backgrounds | JPEG | High quality (quality 90) | These behave like photos, and PNG would be large |
| Receipt photographed with a phone | JPEG | High quality | Noise and gradients suit JPEG |
When a batch has both kinds, do not force one setting. Process everything as text pages, then switch the photo-heavy pages to JPEG settings and click "Recompress" on them.
TIFF and BMP scans are converted
Many scanners save TIFF or BMP by default. tinysqueeze reads both but does not write them back: with "Keep original format", they become JPEG, or PNG if the page has transparency.
Because this is a format conversion, you get the converted file even if it is not smaller — the original TIFF is not handed back. If the recipient strictly needs TIFF, skip this step.
Decide the minimum usable pixels
A scan's sharpness is set by its scan resolution. For on-screen reading only, you can drop pixels beyond what the display needs; for printing, close inspection, or formal records, keep the original size and save a separate copy for sharing.
- Screen reading only: longest edge 2560px usually keeps body text legible.
- Printing or verification: keep original size.
- Never delete the original scans.
Handling sensitive material
Contracts, IDs, and receipts usually contain personal data. tinysqueeze processes them locally in your browser and sends them to no server, so it is a reasonable step before handing files over. Downloaded files still need your organisation's encryption, access, and retention rules.
Your files are processed in the current browser and are not uploaded as article samples.