Government and university portals love the 200 KB cap. Tight, but more workable than 100 KB. A two-page CV with a tiny photo can land here.
The approach: aggressive compression, plus removing what isn't essential.
Start with a reasonable original
If your starting PDF is 30 MB, getting to 200 KB requires sacrificing real quality. If it's 1-2 MB, you're in striking range with normal compression.
Re-export the source at lower resolution if the original is huge. Better quality at 200 KB than over-compressed quality.
Compress at high
Drop the file into Flint's compressor at the High setting. Most 1-3 MB documents land between 100-500 KB after one pass.
If you're still over, look at what's left: usually one or two large images. Replace them with smaller versions in the source, or remove them if they're not essential.
Strip what you can
Remove metadata. Delete unneeded pages. For multi-page documents, take a careful look — pages often hold less value than authors think.
Fonts also add weight. If your PDF uses three custom fonts, that's likely 100+ KB of embedded font data. Stick to system fonts where possible.
FAQ
Can a CV with a photo fit under 200 KB?
Yes, comfortably. A clean two-page CV with a small headshot lands around 100-180 KB after compression.
What if the form rejects a too-small file?
Rare, but some systems require a minimum (often 50 KB). If yours is below the minimum, the form usually says so.
Will the text still be selectable?
Yes. Text stays vector-rendered through compression. Only images get smaller and slightly softer.
How much does black-and-white vs colour matter?
Hugely. Black-and-white scans are 3-5x smaller than colour. If the form allows, convert to B&W in the editor.
200 KB is achievable for most documents that aren't photo-heavy. Drop yours into Flint's compressor and check.