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Question

Best Adobe App for PDF Conversion Without File Size Limits (Mobile + Desktop)

Forum|Forum|8 months ago
May 2, 2025
3 replies
2559 views

Hi everyone,

I'm new to Adobe Acrobat and currently trying to decide which Adobe app or subscription would best suit my needs. The Adobe Creative Cloud All Apps plan seems like the most comprehensive option, but it's also quite expensive—so I want to make sure I choose wisely.

Here’s what I’m looking to do:

Convert a wide variety of file types (especially images and documents) to and from PDF

Handle large files, particularly high-resolution images, without a 100MB file size limit

Perform these tasks from a high-end mobile device, but ideally with access on desktop as well

Download, export, and edit PDFs with ease

I was considering the Adobe Acrobat Premium subscription, but from what I’ve read, it seems to limit PDF conversion and export to files under 100MB—which would be a problem for me.

Can anyone with experience recommend the best Adobe app or subscription that fits these requirements? Preferably one that includes both mobile and desktop access under a single subscription and allows for flexible, high-capacity PDF conversion.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Dave Creamer of IDEAS

Community Expert

Acrobat will work fine for your needs.

For images, you just need to make sure you control or disable any resampling or compression for the best results. You can try some lossless compression and compare file sizes.

For business documents, Acrobat can convert many Microsoft programs into PDFs. You will need the programs installed. These include Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Viso, and more.

If you want to EDIT the images, you should use Photoshop. It can save as PDF directly bypassing Acrobat.

Depending on the program that creates the PDF, you may have vector type and images which will be crisp no matter what the resolution is. For images, anything above 225 ppi would work, but you want to test different (higher) resolutions for highly detailed images to see if they fit your needs.

Divinci Resolve is a video editor, in the same general area as Premiere Pro so I don't know if it really part of this discussion. (Premiere and Resolve are really two different animals but they both edit video).

David Creamer: Community Expert (ACI and ACE 1995-2023)

Dave Creamer of IDEAS

Community Expert

BTW, it is more expensive, but you can subscribe on a per-month plan if you are not sure you want to subscribe for a year. But you want to make sure you have time to dedicate to learn the program in that time so you don't waste your money.

David Creamer: Community Expert (ACI and ACE 1995-2023)

gary_sc

Community Expert

Tariq is right, but I'd like to dig into the weeds for a moment and talk about resolution and storage size. AND what your needs really are.

You supply a lot of information, but what you do not say is what are the dimensions of the documents you are printing. What the number of pages will be in the documents you are printing, and what is the final resolution you want for the documents you are printing? What is the format you're going to be saving your images in? ALL of these play into the final storage size, so this is critical.

Let me start with some basics: with ANY image, if you decrease the size of an image by half, you will decrease the storage size by 3/4. Think of it this way: if your image is 10" square and decrease it by half, the image is now 5" square and that is 25% of the original image. The same goes the other way, obtaining images that are now 150% bigger if you double the number of pixels.

If you are printing from the average inkjet printer, the maximum necessary dots per inch is around 140–180 dpi. For a LaserWriter, it's around 300 dpi. For a high-end artistic magazine, it's around 600 dpi. So, if you're making a high-end artistic magazine that will be printed out on a home-style inkjet printer. The storage size will be over 300% larger than necessary. On the other hand, if you're assuming that only homeowners will be printing a high-end artistic magazine, and a high-end artistic studio tries to print this out, it will look pretty pathetic and very pixelated.

Again, these are just some of the issues.

So, it will help us out if you explain to us what you have, what your objective is, who will be looking/printing this, etc. We can make stabs in the dark, but we can't really help you unless we know what you are doing and what you are expecting.

M

Mr. ProductiveAuthor

New Participant

Thank you for the informative response—I really appreciate it.

At the moment, I’m looking to print images in the 1080p to 4K range, but I’m also concerned about managing large business documents that may contain up to 100 pages, often with embedded images such as thumbnails. My main goal is to get a solid feel for Adobe's tools before committing to a major investment.

As a photographer and content creator, I need the ability to edit and compress images, either for printing or archiving in a photo library for future use. I prefer storing these as PDFs because they’re easier to organize and transfer—especially to external storage like flash drives.

A user-friendly interface is also important to me. I tried DaVinci Resolve, but found it a bit too complex for my current needs. I’ve used the free version of Adobe Lightroom, which was decent, but I haven’t explored the paid version yet.
I understand Photoshop is highly regarded, and I’ve also heard Adobe is leading the way in AI-powered tools, which could be very helpful for creating original photos and videos tailored to my content style.

That said, I’m a bit overwhelmed and not sure where to start. I’m looking for advice from experienced users who are familiar with multiple Adobe apps. Since the Creative Cloud All Apps subscription is quite expensive, I want to narrow down the tools that will actually support my workflow.

Thanks again—I’m looking forward to any personal suggestions or insights the community can share!

T

Tariq Ahmad

Community Manager

Hi @Mr. Productive

Thanks for your question!

For the most complete experience with PDF conversion — without file size limitations — we recommend using Adobe Acrobat Pro on desktop (Windows or Mac). Acrobat Pro provides robust tools for converting, editing, organizing, and compressing PDFs, and does not impose size limits like some free or web-based tools. And with Acrobat Pro subscription, you get access to Acrobat Web as well

If you’re using a mobile device, the Adobe Acrobat Reader app with a Premium subscription is the best option. It allows for converting files to and from PDF, but please note that the mobile version has some limitations compared to the desktop version, particularly with large or complex files. For more information on mobile-related subscription: https://adobe.ly/4iNE72i.

Summary:

For desktop: Use Adobe Acrobat Pro (part of the Acrobat subscription) : https://adobe.ly/42GJz2n
For mobile: Use Adobe Acrobat Reader Premium (separate mobile-only subscription).

Let us know which device or workflow you’re focused on, and we can guide you further!

~Tariq

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