pdfslim

macOS Finder Services that compress PDFs (especially iPhone Notes scans) using Ghostscript. Free alternative to PDF Squeezer.

Install (recommended)

Two double-clicks, no Terminal:

1. Ghostscript: download the signed Ghostscript installer (47 MB; maintained by Richard Koch as part of MacTeX) and double-click.
2. pdfslim: download the latest pdfslim-X.Y.Z.pkg from Releases and double-click.

Both installers are signed and notarized, so Gatekeeper accepts them without warnings.

Install from source

brew install ghostscript
git clone git@github.com:rbtree/pdfslim.git
cd pdfslim
./install.sh

Use

Right-click any PDF in Finder, choose Services:

• PDF Slim - Light (Print, 300dpi) - Ghostscript /printer preset; ~89% reduction, color preserved, archival quality
• PDF Slim - Medium (eBook, 150dpi) - Ghostscript /ebook preset; ~94% reduction, color preserved, sweet spot

The compressed file appears alongside the original with a _light or _medium suffix. Original is never modified.

Update

If you installed via .pkg, download the new release and double-click; the installer overwrites the previous version in place.

If you installed from source:

cd pdfslim
git pull
./install.sh

Uninstall

If you installed via .pkg:

sudo pdfslim-uninstall

If you installed from source:

cd pdfslim
./uninstall.sh

Requirements

• macOS 12 or later
• Ghostscript (brew install ghostscript)
• Python 3 (only for install.sh; ships with macOS)

License

pdfslim is released under the MIT License.

pdfslim invokes Ghostscript as a separate program via subprocess; it does not bundle, link to, or distribute Ghostscript itself. Ghostscript is an independent project licensed by Artifex Software under the AGPLv3 (free) or a commercial license. When you install Ghostscript via brew install ghostscript you agree to its license terms, which apply to your use of gs regardless of pdfslim.