In order to work well on Edovo, your PDFs need to be optimized for the web. They should be no more than 5MB for most documents to 10MB for documents with many pages and use real text, not images of text.
The fastest way to meet our size recommendations is to compress your PDF. There are a number of free third party tools you can use to do so, such as ILovePDF (Edovo is not affiliated with any of the tools noted in this guide). To compress using that tool:
Upload your PDF to ILovePDF
Select "Extreme Compression"
Download the result
Check that the file still looks good and is under 5 MB
You’re ready to upload to Edovo!
This method will work well for most PDFs; however, you won’t be able to control the quality of specific elements of your PDF. For more robust options, read on.
Correctional environments present unique challenges for content delivery. Network connections can be unreliable and devices are often old. Optimizing your PDFs ensures that learners can access your content quickly and reliably despite these conditions.
Properly optimized PDFs will:
Load faster on tablets, even with slow network connections
Use less storage space
Reduce frustration and improve the learning experience
As a general guideline, aim for your final PDF to be under 5 MB whenever possible. For longer documents (50+ pages), up to 10 MB may be acceptable, but smaller is always better. If your PDF contains mostly text, it should be well under 1 MB.
If you cannot reduce the size of your PDF using the recommendations in this guide, you may want to break it up into several smaller files and upload each individually.
Edovo delivers PDFs as read-only documents. Certain interactive features are not supported on our platform, which means you can safely remove them during optimization. However, accessibility features should be preserved to ensure all Learners can enjoy your content.
What's not supported and safe to remove:
Embedded links/hyperlinks: These are disabled for security purposes. Do not rely on clickable links in your content; if you need to reference a URL, display it as plain text.
Form fields: Interactive forms are not functional. Flatten any form fields during optimization.
JavaScript: All JavaScript actions are disabled.
What to avoid:
Images of text: Text captured as screenshots, scanned pages, or graphics creates two problems: screen readers can't access it, and it dramatically increases file size without the compression benefits of actual text. When possible, recreate content as native text rather than importing images of printed or typed pages.
Print-quality images: Most tablets used in prisons and jails are lower resolution devices. This means large image files with high pixel density (measured in pixels-per-inch “ppi”) don’t appear sharper than lower quality images on these devices. Because there is no benefit to print-quality images on Edovo, we recommend ppi values no greater than 72ppi (the web standard).
What we recommend to enhance the Learner experience:
Linkable table of contents: You can use your document authoring tool to create a table of contents to enhance the navigation experience within your PDF.
Document tags: These enable screen reader accessibility and should be included (if using PDF Optimizer, do NOT check "Discard document tags”).
Logical reading order: Ensure your document's reading order makes sense for assistive technology.
Alt text on images: All images should have descriptive alt text for learners using screen readers.
PDF optimization gives you granular control over how your file is compressed. You can target specific elements—images, fonts, metadata—and balance file size against quality for your specific content.
The PDF Optimizer lets you see exactly what's taking up space in your file and control how each element is handled.
Open your PDF in Adobe Acrobat Pro
Go to File → Save as Other → Optimized PDF
Click Audit space usage... to see what's taking up space
Apply the recommended settings below
Images are typically the largest contributor to PDF file size. The key optimization is reducing image resolution to 72 ppi—the standard for web and screen viewing on smaller low resolution devices like tablets used in corrections. These settings will significantly reduce file size while maintaining quality appropriate for tablet displays.
Also check: "Optimize images only if there is a reduction in size"
Note: 72 ppi is the standard resolution for web and screen viewing. This is sufficient for tablet displays—higher resolution images won't look noticeably better but will significantly increase file size.
In the PDF Optimizer, also configure these panels:
Discard Objects:
Discard all alternate images
Discard embedded page thumbnails
Convert smooth lines to curves
Detect and merge image fragments
Discard embedded print settings
Discard embedded search index
Discard User Data:
Discard all object data
Discard external cross references
Discard private data of other applications
Discard hidden layer content and flatten visible layers
Clean Up:
Object compression options: Compress entire file
Use Flate to encode streams that are not encoded
In streams that use LZW encoding, use Flate instead
Discard invalid bookmarks and links
Optimize page content
Optimize the PDF for fast web view
Tip: Always save as a new file (e.g., "Document_optimized.pdf") to preserve your original.
PDF compression tools automatically reduce file size with minimal configuration. These are "one-click" solutions that work well for most documents, particularly those that are mostly text. After using a one-click solution, you should check that your PDF is still legible. Images in particular are prone to over-compression and may look blurry if over-compressed.
If you have Acrobat Pro but want a quick solution without configuring settings:
Open your PDF in Adobe Acrobat Pro
Go to File → Reduce Size PDF (or File → Save as Other → Reduced Size PDF)
Select Acrobat 6.0 and later for compatibility
Click OK and save as a new file
These web-based tools provide similar one-click compression without requiring paid software.
https://www.ilovepdf.com/compress_pdf
Go to the ILovePDF Compress PDF page
Upload your PDF file
Select "Extreme Compression" for maximum file size reduction
Click "Compress PDF" and download the result
Review the compressed file to ensure quality is acceptable
ILovePDF offers a free tier with daily limits. For most content partners, this should be sufficient.
https://smallpdf.com/compress-pdf
Smallpdf offers a simple interface with a "Strong Compression" option. The free version has daily limits but works well for occasional use.
https://tools.pdf24.org/en/compress-pdf
PDF24 is completely free with no daily limits. It offers multiple compression levels and also provides a downloadable desktop application.
If you're on a Mac, the built-in Preview app can reduce PDF size:
Open the PDF in Preview
Go to File → Export
In the Quartz Filter dropdown, select "Reduce File Size"
Save the file
The best optimization happens before you create the PDF. Here are some tips:
Follow accessibility guidelines:
Use proper heading structure (Heading 1, Heading 2, etc.)
Add alt text to all images
Ensure reading order is logical
Don’t rely on color alone to convey meaning
Resize images before inserting them. For screen viewing at 72 ppi, images don't need to be larger than 800-1000 pixels on their longest side for typical document layouts.
Use JPEG for photographs and PNG only when you need transparency.
Avoid embedded fonts when possible. Standard fonts like Arial, Times New Roman, and Calibri don't need to be embedded.
Export from the source application. If using Word, InDesign, or other tools, use their "Export to PDF" options with web or screen quality settings (72 ppi).
Check file size before submitting. Right-click the file and check Properties (Windows) or Get Info (Mac) to see the file size.