When you need an image under 100 KB
A 100 KB cap often appears where a form wants a document rather than a face: proof of address, certificates, mark sheets, ID cards or receipts photographed with a phone. Government, education, visa and job portals use it, and so do some insurance and bank upload pages. Each sets its own rules, so check the format and dimension requirements too.
Outside of forms, 100 KB is a sensible budget for web images. Blog photos, shop listings and newsletter pictures load quickly at this size, which matters for visitors on slow mobile data.
Email is another case. Attach a dozen phone photos and many mail services refuse the message. At around 100 KB each, the whole set fits in one email and opens quickly on the other side.
Compress image to 100KB and keep documents readable
Small print is the first thing to suffer when a scan is squeezed too hard. A little preparation keeps it legible:
- Shoot straight from above in daylight, with the page flat and filling the frame.
- Crop to the paper edges with Crop Image. The table and floor around the page only waste bytes.
- Compress to 100 KB and zoom into the result to check the smallest text.
| Content | Suggested output |
|---|---|
| Document photo or scan | JPG |
| Photo for a website | WebP or JPG |
| Screenshot with fine text | JPG here, or keep PNG with Compress PNG |
Does the form want a PDF instead of an image? Turn the picture into a document with JPG to PDF, then shrink it with Compress PDF to 100 KB.
Shadows and uneven light turn white paper gray and blotchy, which costs bytes. Even light helps more than any setting.