How to Reduce Image Size for Web and Email

Large images can slow down websites, fill up inboxes, and make documents harder to share. Fortunately, reducing image size is often straightforward: most photos contain far more detail than is needed for screens or standard office printing.

The key is to adjust resolution and compression carefully. For web use, an image width between 1200 and 2000 pixels is often enough. Higher resolutions may be useful for print, but they are usually unnecessary in emails or presentations.

Practical tips for smaller images

• Resize images to the maximum size they will be displayed.
• Save photos as JPG with sensible compression instead of PNG, unless transparency is required.
• For screenshots or graphics with sharp lines, use PNG but remove unused space.

When a document contains many images, consider compressing them before creating the final PDF. Tools like Compress Image and Compress PDF on CompressItSmall can help keep file sizes under control while maintaining a clean, readable look.