How to combine certificates and scans into one PDF, and when to send images instead
Many applications want all your documents in a single PDF, others want one JPG per document. How to do both, keep the order right and stay under the size limit.
Application portals disagree about almost everything. One wants "all supporting documents in a single PDF". The next wants each certificate as a separate JPG under 200 KB. A third accepts either but rejects anything over 2 MB.
The documents are the same each time: certificates, transcripts, ID, references. What changes is the packaging. Here's how to handle each case without starting from scratch.
One PDF with everything
When a single file is wanted, the order matters more than people think. A reviewer going through hundreds of applications will look for things in the order they listed them. Follow the order in the instructions exactly; if none is given, a sensible default is:
- Application form or cover letter
- Identity document
- Highest qualification first, then earlier ones
- Transcripts or mark sheets, in the same order as the certificates
- Experience letters and references
- Anything else they asked for, in their order
A merge tool that copies pages as they are keeps text sharp and selectable, and lets you add photos of documents as pages too, so a certificate you only have on paper can sit in the right place.
Try it: Merge PDFCombine PDFs and images into one PDF, in any order. Text stays sharp and selectable.Before you merge
- Rotate sideways pages. A landscape certificate lying on its side is the most common sloppy-looking mistake.
- Remove blank pages and the back of single-sided documents.
- Check each file opens. A password-protected PDF can't be merged until the password is removed.
- Name the result clearly, for example "surname-firstname-documents.pdf".
Keep it under the limit
Merging adds the sizes together. Five scans of 800 KB each make a 4 MB file, which many portals reject. Compress the merged file with a target size, and if it still won't fit while staying readable, check whether the portal accepts more than one file.
When they want images instead
Some forms only accept JPG, usually one per document, often with a KB limit. If your documents are PDFs, convert the pages you need rather than taking screenshots. A screenshot captures your screen's resolution, which may be too low to read, plus any toolbars.
- Choose JPG at about 150 DPI for most documents. That's clear on screen and compact.
- Use 200–300 DPI if there's small print that must stay readable.
- Set the KB limit the form asks for, so each image comes out just under it.
- Convert only the pages needed. A two-page certificate may need both pages as separate images, or only the front.
And the other way round
If you photographed documents on your phone and the portal wants a PDF, build it from the photos directly at the size you need, rather than making a large PDF and shrinking it afterwards. The result is cleaner and you control the limit from the start.
Try it: Image to PDFTurn photos of certificates, IDs, receipts or any document into one PDF, under the KB limit you need.Keep a master set
Once you've done this for one application, keep the originals: full-quality scans of every document, named clearly, in one folder. The next form will ask for a different size or format, and starting from good originals each time is quicker and gives better results than converting the converted files again.