The easy target
500 KB is comfortable for the large majority of documents, including many multi-page scans. The Recommended level is usually enough, so image quality stays high.
Tips
- If you are well under 500 KB at Recommended, you are done — no need to push harder and lose quality.
- For a pack of documents, compress each part, then merge.
Where 500 KB limits show up
Insurance claims, rental and loan applications, and many university and visa portals ask for files under 500 KB. That is enough for a typical 5-10 page scan in greyscale, or a longer text-based report with a few images.
Multi-page scans
- Scan in "document" or black-and-white mode - colour scans of white pages waste most of the space.
- Crop away dark borders and the table surface around the paper.
- If several separate documents are needed, check whether the portal wants one file each or one combined file before merging.
Final check
Open the result and flip through every page. Stamps, signatures and photos should still be clear - if they are, you have found the right level.