How to Darken Light PDF Files

The PDF format is meant to be non-editable, but if you scan a document that comes out too light or receive a contract with type that is too faint to read, you need a way to darken a PDF. Here are a few reliable options, whether you are on a PC or Mac, to darken a PDF.

How to Darken Light PDFs With Adobe Acrobat

Adobe Acrobat is one of the most reliable options for darkening PDF documents. To darken PDFs with Adobe Acrobat, follow these steps:

  1. Open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat.
  2. PreferencesEdit
  3. CategoriesTouchUpChoose Image Editor
  4. ToolsPagesBackgroundAdd BackgroundOK
  5. Edit TextEdit Object
  6. Click the part of the PDF you want to darken.
  7. ToolsContent EditingEdit Text and Images
  8. Save
  9. Return to Acrobat where the image should be darker.

Article continues below this ad

In Photoshop, an easy fix to create a one-page PDF is to create an RGB file, place the PDF into the doc, then duplicate the layer and use the blending mode Multiply, which punches up the text while still maintaining the quality. If it is still too dark, you can dupe and multiply the duped layer to create a double layer.

More For You

How to Increase Pixel Count in Photoshop

How to Increase Pixel Count in Photoshop. If you work with digital images, it's important.

Tutorial for Transparent Watermarks With Photoshop Elements

Tutorial for Transparent Watermarks With Photoshop Elements. You can quickly add a.

How to Scan on a Brother MFC-240C

How to Scan on a Brother MFC-240C. The Brother MFC-240C is a multifunction printer.

Exporting a PDF From GIMP

Exporting a PDF From GIMP. GIMP provides a free way to create and edit image files for.

How to Resize Inserted Printouts in OneNote

How to Resize Inserted Printouts in OneNote. As soon as you install Microsoft OneNote on.

How to Darken Light PDFs With Adobe Reader

You can also use Adobe Reader's Accessibility options to darken PDFs. However, this approach is only to darken your version of the document so you can read it, and not a permanent way to darken a document that you send and share with others.

Article continues below this ad

  1. Open Adobe Reader.
  2. EditPreferences
  3. Accessibility
  4. Replace Document Colors
  5. High Contrast Color CombinationsCustom ColorPage BackgroundDocument Text
  6. OK

You should now be able to see your changes to see whether they darkened the PDF document sufficiently or if you need to pick a darker color combination.

How to Darken PDFs With Preview on a Mac

If you are trying to edit a PDF on Mac, you can do so using the built-in Preview application by increasing the contrast on a PDF. Here is how to do it:

Article continues below this ad

  1. Preview
  2. FileExport
  3. Quartz FilterLightness Decrease
  4. Save

Your document should now be darker.

How to Darken PDFs on a Windows Computer

Opening a PDF in Microsoft Word can often fix a document that is hard to read. Simply open the PDF in Word and it will convert the file to DOCX format, which you can save as is, or export as a new PDF. This itself should darken the text. If it does not, select the text and change it to black using the Font Color options. If there are images in the document, select an image, select Format, then Corrections and choose the Brightness/Contrast option that looks the best.

Article continues below this ad

If the images are not being imported into Word, you can try converting your PDF to an image and then import it into Word using a free online tool like PDFtoimage.com or PDFelement software.

Print or Re-Scan the PDF at a Darker Setting

If it is an option, the best course of action is usually to ask the person who scanned the document to rescan it using darker output settings. If this is not possible, you can try printing the PDF using darker output settings on your printer. It should come out at least somewhat darker. Then, take that document and re-scan it onto your computer and save it as a new PDF.

References