Only embedded images are resampled and re-encoded, and only when the result is at least 8% smaller; text stays text, links, bookmarks and form fields survive, duplicated streams are stored once, and compressing twice never degrades a file. The document never leaves the browser tab. Heavy jobs run in a background worker and can be cancelled. The published benchmark shows measured results.
How it works
- Open Bindery in Firefox or Chrome and drop the PDF into Compress
- Compare the three computed sizes on the cards
- Download the level that fits; check small text at 200% zoom
Questions people ask
Is this better than Ghostscript?
Different: Ghostscript rewrites the whole file through its interpreter with a preset, which can drop fonts, fields or bookmarks. Bindery re-encodes only images, leaves everything else intact, and shows the size of each level before you commit. For scripted batch compression on a server, Ghostscript remains a fine tool.
Can I compress from the command line?
Not with Bindery: compression runs in the browser app, where a background worker builds three candidates and shows each real size before you choose. For unattended compression on a server, Ghostscript is the usual command-line tool.
Does it work in Firefox on Linux?
Yes, and in Chrome and Chromium. All processing is in-browser, so there are no system dependencies. Chrome and Chromium additionally let you install Bindery as an app and save results straight into a folder of your choice. Firefox runs it as an ordinary page with every tool available.