Content streams are essentially the contents of the pages - the text and any line drawings. A page in a PDF document has one or more content stream parts that together contain all the PDF page description commands for the page.
Some applications create PDFs that use Content Streams whereas other applications create PDFs that use image and text markup that don't require large content streams. A lot of PDF files only have one content stream but some PDF files have multiple content streams.
Can Content Streams within PDF files be compressed by WeCompress or NXPowerLite?
No, currently it is not possible for NXPowerLite Desktop or WeCompress to manipulate or compress Content Streams data.
How to reduce the size of content streams in PDF
The Print to PDF option available in most web browsers will allow you to create a new PDF file without large content streams. This usually creates a PDF file that is bigger than the original but with the content arranged outside of the content streams. It should now be possible to compress this new file using a PDF Compressor.
Most modern browsers come with the ability to open PDF files and also 'Print to PDF'. In our example below, we use Google Chrome on Windows to create a new file from the original file with large content streams. However, a similar process is available with other browsers and operating systems.
Follow these instructions to try reducing your pdf file size:
- Right-click the PDF file and select Open with and then select Google Chrome
- In the Chrome tab showing the PDF click the Print option in the top right of the screen.
- Now select Save as PDF in the Destination drop-down control and click Save.
- Now give the PDF a name and save it.
- Try compressing the newly created PDF file with NXPowerLite Desktop our PDF Compressor software, or try WeCompress online.
Other reasons PDF files get large
Content streams aren't alone in causing PDF files to become too big. Check out our instructional guide listing all the reasons PDF files become too large, and how to tackle each one.