Guides

Why digitally signed PDFs aren’t compressed

In short: a digital signature protects every byte of the file, so the right order is scan, compress, then sign.

A digital signature in a PDF protects the exact bytes of the signed range. Compressing, merging, splitting or rotating pages all rewrite the file, and the signature then reports “modified”.

What to do#

  • Compress the scan first and sign it last.
  • If you only need a copy for viewing or archiving, you can create a “compressed copy (signature removed)”. It carries a note on every page and doesn’t replace the original.
  • If you must submit the signed version, keep the original file unchanged.

Your signed original always stays untouched on your device; PinchPDF never modifies the original file.

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