Treat the size limit as a submission rule
Portal limits are often hard cutoffs, so being “almost small enough” still fails.
That makes controlled compression and occasional page extraction more useful than keeping one oversized “master” upload file.
Protect readability while meeting limits
Check signatures, page numbers, attachments, and low-contrast scan pages after compression.
If the file still fails the size limit, split by section rather than forcing one over-compressed document if the portal permits multiple uploads.
Frequently asked questions
Should I keep compressing until the file fits no matter what?
Not blindly. If readability collapses, the submission can become functionally useless even if the upload succeeds.
When is splitting better than extra compression?
When the size cap is strict and the file contains obvious sections that can be submitted separately.