Compress a Medical Report PDF
For Insurance, SOCSO & Hospital Submission
Medical reports need to be submitted to insurance companies, SOCSO, employers, or hospitals — and they're often scanned, photographed, or exported as large files. Because diagnostic detail matters, compressing a medical document needs a slightly more careful approach than a typical file.
What Needs to Stay Sharp
Medical documents differ from typical paperwork because specific details — lab values, dosages, dates, diagnosis codes — must remain unambiguous. The compression itself doesn't alter content, but overly aggressive compression on a poor-quality scan can make small numbers harder to read.
| Element | Risk Level | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| Typed text (diagnosis, summary) | Low risk | Stays clear even at Maximum compression |
| Lab result tables (numbers, units) | Medium risk | Use Balanced to keep small numbers crisp |
| Handwritten notes | Medium-high risk | Use Light or Balanced — handwriting is harder to compress without softening |
| X-ray / scan images embedded in report | High risk for diagnosis, low for submission | Use Light if image clarity matters; Balanced is fine for administrative submission only |
| Doctor's signature/stamp | Low risk | Stays recognisable at any compression level |
If your PDF contains an X-ray, MRI, CT scan, or ultrasound image that a doctor needs to review for diagnostic purposes, do not compress it. Medical imaging requires full resolution for accurate clinical assessment. Compression is appropriate for administrative submission (insurance, SOCSO, employer records) where the report is being read for information, not diagnostic interpretation.
Common Submission Limits
| Recipient | Typical Size Limit | Submission Method |
|---|---|---|
| SOCSO / PERKESO (claims portal) | 2 MB per file | Online portal upload |
| Insurance company (claims) | 5–10 MB per file | Online portal or email |
| EPF (medical-related withdrawal) | 2–5 MB per file | i-Akaun portal |
| Employer (medical leave/MC submission) | Usually email — under 10 MB | Email or HR portal |
| Hospital admin (referral, records request) | Varies — 2–10 MB | Email or hospital portal |
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Identify what the document contains
Check whether your report is mostly typed text, includes lab tables, has handwritten notes, or contains embedded medical imaging. This determines which compression level to use.
Open ShrinkPDF
Go to shrinkpdf.fyi. Your medical document is processed entirely in your browser and is never uploaded to any server — this matters for health information privacy.
Choose Balanced compression
Balanced is the right default for medical documents — it reduces file size by 40–60% while keeping lab values, dates, and diagnosis text clearly legible. Reserve Maximum for purely administrative documents (cover letters, referral slips) with no fine numerical detail.
Zoom in and verify all numbers are readable
This is the most important step for medical documents. Zoom to 150–200% and check every lab value, date, and dosage number. If anything looks ambiguous (is that a 3 or an 8?), reduce to Light compression and try again.
Compression by Document Type
| Document | Typical Size | Recommended Level |
|---|---|---|
| Medical certificate (MC) | 0.5–3 MB | Maximum (mostly typed text) |
| Specialist report (typed) | 1–5 MB | Balanced |
| Lab results (scanned) | 2–8 MB | Balanced |
| Hospital discharge summary | 2–10 MB | Balanced |
| Report with embedded scan images | 5–20 MB | Light (if diagnostic use) or Balanced (if administrative) |
| Insurance claim form (filled by hand) | 1–5 MB | Light or Balanced |
Medical reports contain some of the most sensitive personal information you have. ShrinkPDF processes your document entirely within your browser — it is never transmitted to any server, logged, or stored anywhere. This is fundamentally different from uploading to a cloud-based PDF compressor, where your medical data passes through a third party's infrastructure.