How do I deal with blurry/faded edits on PDFs edited on iPad - Files when viewing them on MacBook - Preview?

Question

Level 1

4 points

How do I deal with blurry/faded edits on PDFs edited on iPad - Files when viewing them on MacBook - Preview?

How do I deal with blurry/faded edits on PDFs edited on iPad - Files when viewing them on MacBook - Preview? I have made some extensive annotations via Apple Pencil onto a floorplan using iPad - Files, but when sending that file to MacBook or elsewhere the annotations are blurry, barely legible, and often very faded. I thought the file was being compressed but the file size loses a few MB or gains a few depending on what application I am using other than Preview.

Posted on Aug 28, 2026 10:22 AM

Reply

Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

WheelieNick

Level 9

58,169 points

Aug 28, 2026 1:13 PM in response to abmessick11

Try this

Open the blurry PDF in Preview on your MacBook. Go to File > Print. In the bottom corner of the print dialogue window, click the dropdown menu and select Save as PDF. Save it as a new file. This forces macOS to bake the annotations cleanly into the document.

If you are still on your iPad, open the annotated PDF in the Files app. Tap the Shareicon and select Print. When the print preview screen pops up, use a two-finger pinch-to-zoom gesture out on the thumbnail page. This action converts the document into a flattened PDF wrapper. Tap the new Share icon that appears on that screen to save or email it

Reply