Participant

Question

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

Forum|Forum|11 months ago
May 2, 2025
3 replies
2654 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

Participant

Allow me to clarify further, addressing your specific questions to the best of my ability.

First off, thanks for the thoughtful breakdown—there’s a lot of valuable nuance in what you’re saying. Let me clarify my use case:

1. Document Dimensions & Format:

I’m working with documents that vary in size, but most are standard US Letter (8.5x11") or A4.

They can range from 5 to over 100 pages.

I want to convert these documents to PDF format, embedding both text and high-resolution images.

The images I use are typically in PNG or high-quality JPEG, often sourced in 1080p to 4K resolution.

2. Output Resolution:

I’m aiming for print-quality resolution—something that looks sharp and professional if printed on a color laser printer (around 300 dpi, possibly 600 dpi for image-heavy work).

I may also view them on high-res displays (like 4K monitors or tablets).

3. Storage Size & Performance:

I understand that large images and many thumbnails increase file size. That’s fine—I’m more concerned with maintaining quality than keeping files ultra-small.

I want to handle large files efficiently (both viewing and printing), so system performance and compatibility are important.

Thumbnails need to be embedded in the PDF for quick previewing (especially in file managers or when browsing in Adobe Acrobat or similar apps).

4. End Use:

These files are for business and archival purposes, shared with clients and stakeholders.

Some end-users will print them; others will only view digitally.

I’d like the documents to look clean and crisp in either scenario.

---

Given all that, I’m open to software or hardware suggestions that can:

Convert and compress large documents without sacrificing visual fidelity,

Handle high-res image embedding and PDF generation efficiently,

Preview thumbnails smoothly even in large files.

Let me know what setup you’d recommend or if there’s anything I should optimize in my workflow.

Thank you again for your thorough analysis of my post and your willingness to help me find a solution that fits my needs. I truly appreciate your support..

Dave Creamer of IDEAS

Community Expert

@Dave Creamer of IDEAS, is correct that you can save PDFs directly from Photoshop. However, these can be two three times larger than if they are done direclty from Acrobat or InDesign. Also, they cannot do multipage PDFs. It will be one-page-at-a-time in PS.

@gary_sc is correct, of course. I got the idea the OP wanted some sort of archival image (at least some of the time). Naturally, any image editing would have to be in Photohshop or Lightroom. If the OP uses Lightroom, it is a non-distructive editing tool but the XML sidecar file must be archived as well.

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

T

Tariq Dar

Legend

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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