PDF page to JPEG under a KB limit
Your marks card came from DigiLocker as a PDF, but the application form only takes a JPEG under 160 or 200 KB. A normal PDF-to-JPG converter gives you a 900 KB image; a compressor then blurs it. KBcut renders the page at print resolution, then searches for the best JPEG quality and pixel size that lands under your cap in one step — and pads up to a minimum if the form has one.
Made for
- Class 10 and 12 marks cards downloaded from DigiLocker or a board website
- Caste, income and domicile certificates issued as e-signed PDFs
- Admit cards or allotment letters a second portal asks you to re-upload as an image
- One page out of a longer PDF — pick the page number
How the options work
- Pick the page (or several, like
1, 3) — each becomes its own JPEG under the cap. - Quality is searched, not fixed: KBcut tries the highest quality first and only reduces pixel size when quality alone cannot reach the cap.
- The JPEG is a real JPEG (FF D8 header), not a PNG with a .jpg name — portals that sniff the header accept it.
- Set a minimum when the form has a floor; small files are padded with a harmless comment segment, pixels unchanged.
- Greyscale saves a further 10–20% on printed certificates without harming legibility.
Why a generic compressor gets this wrong
The trap with PDF pages is resolution. A DigiLocker marks card is vector text; render it at 72 DPI and the grades blur, render it at 300 DPI and the JPEG is enormous. The sweet spot depends on the cap: under 100 KB an A4 page reads best at roughly 1000–1200 pixels tall with moderate quality, under 300 KB it can keep 1600–2000 pixels. Doing that by hand means guessing, exporting, checking the size and repeating. KBcut runs the same loop in a few seconds and shows the pixel size it settled on, so you can see the trade-off it made.
How to do it
- Select the PDF (DigiLocker downloads work).
- Type the page number and the KB cap; add the minimum if the form states a range.
- Press Cut to size. Check the preview is readable, then download — the badge turns green when it fits.
Questions
The PDF is password protected.
Remove the password first — you know it, but KBcut cannot open an encrypted file. Most DigiLocker PDFs have no password.
Can I get all pages as JPEGs?
Yes — type a range like 1-4. Each page is fitted under the cap separately and you get a ZIP as well as individual files.
Will the e-sign still be valid?
No image can carry a PDF digital signature. If the portal verifies the signature, upload the PDF instead (use Output: PDF).
Which DPI does it use?
It renders at 200 DPI and then reduces pixel size only if the cap forces it. The result badge shows the final pixels.
Why is my JPEG a smaller pixel size than I expected?
The cap forced it. KBcut lowers quality first and shrinks pixels only when quality alone cannot fit. Raise the cap if the portal allows it, or choose Greyscale to free bytes for more pixels.