How to Compress A PDF File in Node.js

This post will utilize IronPDF, a library tool that can compress PDFs in Node.js at different levels. A few lines of code are sufficient to create, open, read, and compress PDF files with IronPDF, a robust PDF library. To know more about data compression level, refer to this Wiki page.

What is Node.js?

Node.js is a cross-platform, open-source JavaScript runtime environment that allows JavaScript code to be executed outside of a web browser. It enables programmers to create scalable, quick, and efficient network applications by enabling server-side JavaScript execution. Because Node.js is lightweight and ideal for developing real-time applications that manage numerous concurrent connections, it employs an event-driven, non-blocking I/O paradigm.

Web servers, APIs, streaming apps, real-time chat apps, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and more are among the many applications that are frequently built with Node.js. All things considered, Node.js has become increasingly popular because of its effectiveness, speed, and compatibility with JavaScript for both front-end and back-end development, providing a single language for full-stack development.

How to Compress PDFs in Node.js

1. To compress PDFs, download the Node.js package.
2. Create a new PDF or import an existing one.
3. To minimize PDF image sizes, use the compressSize method.
4. To reduce the PDF's size, apply the compressSize function.
5. The compressed PDF file should be exported.

IronPDF for Node.js

The main purpose of the .NET library IronPDF is to create, edit, and handle PDF documents within .NET applications. IronPDF may not have direct, native support for Node.js, and it is primarily meant to be used with the .NET Framework like C# or VB.NET.

Features of IronPDF

• Feature-Rich PDF Operations: IronPDF might offer a full range of features for creating, editing, and modifying PDF documents if it supports Node.js. Features like converting HTML files into PDFs, incorporating text, images, tables, forms, watermarks, encryption, and more may be included.
• .NET Compatibility: IronPDF's compatibility with Node.js may be advantageous to developers who are experienced with .NET technologies or who have an established .NET-based infrastructure, as it enables them to take advantage of their expertise and make use of a preferred PDF library in a Node.js environment.
• Quality and Performance: IronPDF may provide reliable and excellent PDF creation and manipulation capabilities by bringing the performance and quality features of .NET-based PDF generation to Node.js applications.
• Support and Documentation: If IronPDF has added Node.js support, it may offer thorough documentation, sample code, and other resources to help with integration, log, and use in Node.js apps.

It's crucial to remember that the benefits would mostly depend on the particular needs of your project as well as IronPDF's capability, compatibility, and ease of interaction with Node.js. For the most up-to-date and accurate information regarding Node.js compatibility and integration, always make sure to study the most recent documentation, official sources, or updates from IronPDF. To know more about IronPDF refer to these documentation pages.

Package Requirement

• Visual Studio Code - IDE
• Node.js
• A package manager is necessary for installing packages; you can use npm or Yarn for this.

Install IronPDF Package for Node.js

Access the Command Prompt or Terminal: Open your command line interface. Depending on your operating system, you can access it:

• Windows: PowerShell or Command Prompt
• macOS: Terminal
• Linux: Terminal

Set up the package: To install a package, use the npm install command and the package name. To install a package called @ironsoftware/ironpdf, for instance, enter the following command:

npm install @ironsoftware/ironpdf

npm install @ironsoftware/ironpdf

The name of the actual package you want to install should be substituted as per your requirements.

Install IronPDF

Compress PDF using IronPDF

PDF files can be effectively compressed with IronPDF. Keeping the images in the PDF file as small as possible is crucial. The process of optimization can be initiated by using the compressSize method on the PDF object.

const { PdfDocument } = require('@ironsoftware/ironpdf');

// Define an asynchronous function to perform PDF compression
const pdfprocess = async () => {
  console.log('Start compression Process'); // Notify the start of the process
  // Load the existing PDF document from the specified path
  const pdf = await PdfDocument.fromFile("Demo.pdf");
  // Compress images in the PDF with a quality parameter (1-100)
  await pdf.compressSize(60);
  // Save the compressed PDF with the specified name
  await pdf.saveAs("Result_60.pdf");
  // Further compress images, scaling them down based on visible size
  await pdf.compressSize(90, true);
  // Save the further scaled and compressed PDF
  await pdf.saveAs("Result_90.pdf");
  console.log('End compression Process'); // Notify the end of the process
};

// Execute the PDF compression function
pdfprocess();

In the above code, first, import the IronPDF library. With the help of the method fromFile available in the PdfDocument class, load the existing PDF file. Then hold the data in an object variable which allows performing various types of operations. A compressSize method is used and passes two parameters: image quality and image scale which will optimize PDFs. Use the saveAs method to save the PDF file to the specified location.

The console output

Result:

The result of compressed PDF files

The quality setting is critical when resizing JPEG images. The least amount of loss occurs when the quality level is 100%, but 1% results in very low-quality output. Images with a quality rating of 90% or greater are typically considered high-quality, 80%-90% as medium-quality, and 70%-80% as low quality. Reducing the quality below 70% could lead to lower-quality photographs but significantly reduces the total file size of the PDF publication.

To find the perfect file size to image quality ratio that suits your requirements, it is advisable to experiment with different quality settings. The degree of quality loss will ultimately depend on the sort of input image, with some images likely to lose clarity more noticeably than others. To learn more about this, click this sample page for more detailed compression settings.

Conclusion

To minimize risks and ensure data protection, the IronPDF library provides strong security features. It is compatible with any popular browser and isn't limited to a particular one. To satisfy the diverse needs of developers, the library offers multiple licensing alternatives, such as a complimentary developer license and supplementary development licenses that can be acquired.

A perpetual license, upgrade options, a year of software maintenance, and a 30-day money-back guarantee are included in the $749 Lite bundle. Users can evaluate the product in practical application settings for a watermarked trial period. Please visit the provided licensing page to learn more about IronPDF's costs, licensing, and trial version. To know other products offered by Iron Software refer to the official webpage.