Can I email a PDF that is larger than 25 MB?

Gmail's attachment limit is 25 MB. If your PDF is larger, you need to resize the photos inside it or use a cloud link. Resizing images to 1240 x 1754 pixels usually keeps the PDF under the limit.

Will resizing photos make the PDF look blurry on screen?

No. A 1240 x 1754 pixel image at 150 DPI is perfectly sharp for screen viewing. Even 300 DPI (2480 x 3508) is more than enough for most prints.

Do I need special software to resize photos?

No. You can use the Photos app on Windows (via the ... menu and Resize image) or Preview on Mac (Tools > Adjust Size). Both are free and built into the operating system.

What if my original photo is smaller than the A4 target size?

If the original image is already smaller than 1240 x 1754 pixels, do not enlarge it. Leave it at its original size. Enlarging would add pixels without improving quality and could make the file larger.

Why Is My JPG-to-PDF File So Big? How to Make It Smaller

If your JPG to PDF file is too large, the reason is simple: a photo PDF is roughly the size of the images inside it. A 12-megapixel phone photo, for example, is 4032 x 3024 pixels. When you convert that to PDF, those millions of pixels stay in the file. Resize the images before converting, so the PDF ends up small enough to email or store. Here is how to reduce PDF size from photos, with target pixel sizes for A4 reading and printing.

Why Photo PDFs Get So Large

Every pixel in your JPG photo becomes part of the PDF. A modern phone camera captures images far larger than what you need on screen or on paper. A 12-megapixel photo measures 4032 x 3024 pixels. Convert that directly to PDF and the file will be large, because the PDF contains all those pixels. To make a small PDF from photos, match the image size to the output you actually want.

How Big Does an A4 PDF Need to Be?

For a PDF that looks good on screen or when printed, you don't need the original camera resolution. Here are the pixel sizes for an A4 page at two common DPI settings:

150 DPI (good for on-screen reading and draft prints): 1240 x 1754 pixels
300 DPI (standard for high-quality printing): 2480 x 3508 pixels

Compare that to a 4032 x 3024 phone photo. Even the 300 DPI target is smaller in width and height. Halving width and height cuts the pixel count to a quarter, which dramatically shrinks the file size. Resize your photos to these targets and you still get a crisp PDF.

How to Resize Photos Before Converting to PDF

Resizing images before conversion is the most effective way to reduce PDF size from photos. Do it on your computer without any extra software.

On Windows

Open the photo in the Photos app. Click the three-dot menu, then select Resize image. Enter a width or height that matches your target pixel size for A4. The app keeps the aspect ratio.

On Mac

Open the photo in Preview. Go to the Tools menu and choose Adjust Size. Set the width and height to your desired pixel dimensions. Preview scales the image down.

After resizing, save the photo as a JPG. Convert it to PDF and the file will be much smaller.

Target Pixel Sizes for A4 PDFs

When you resize images before PDF conversion, use these pixel dimensions as your goal. They keep your PDF readable and printable without wasted space.

For on-screen reading or emailing: resize to 1240 x 1754 pixels (150 DPI). This gives a clean, small file that is easy to send.
For printing at good quality: resize to 2480 x 3508 pixels (300 DPI). This keeps detail for paper output while still being much smaller than a raw phone photo.

Pixels equal inches multiplied by DPI. If you need a different page size, calculate your own target.

What If You Already Have a Large PDF?

If you already converted your photos to PDF and the file is too big, fix it by going back to the original JPG images. Resize them using the steps above, then create a new PDF from the smaller images. This is faster and more reliable than trying to compress an existing PDF.

If you cannot access the originals, extract the images from the PDF, resize them, and rebuild the PDF. But it is simpler to resize before conversion the first time.

How Small Can You Go Without Losing Quality?

The file size of a PDF depends on both pixel count and compression. When you resize images before PDF conversion, you reduce pixel count. The compression level also matters. Most online tools, including the one on jpg2pdf.tools, embed images at a quality of 90, which balances size and appearance. If you need an even smaller file, reduce the image quality in your photo editor before conversion, but the biggest gain comes from resizing.

A 4032 x 3024 photo resized to 1240 x 1754 reduces the pixel count from about a few million to about a few million. That alone can cut the file size by most or more, depending on the image content.

Using Jpg2pdf.tools for the Final Step

Once your photos are resized to the target pixel dimensions, convert them to PDF using the JPG to PDF tool at jpg2pdf.tools. The site accepts .jpg, .jpeg, .jfif, and .png files. It places one image per page in the order you add them, embeds images at quality 90, and adds no watermark. The result is a clean, small PDF ready to share.