Foxit Quick PDF Library

Controlling the precision of numeric values in PDF files

Foxit Quick PDF Library includes a function called SetPrecision which allows you to control the precision of numeric values in PDF files.

In a PDF all numeric values are stored as strings. So using a smaller precision would mean a number takes up less characters in the file.

If a PDF has a lot of complex graphics this would add up cumulatively and reduce the total file size.

The default precision is 4 and measurement units are points (1/72 inch), so the smallest measurement with the default precision is 0.000001 inch.

Dropping the precision to 2 would result in the smallest measurement being 0.0001 inch.
For most purposes a 0.0001 inch precision would be good enough – but some things might not align perfectly.

The maths for the precision calculations in inches are (1/10000 * 1/72) for the precision of 4, and (1/100 * 1/72) for the precision of 2.

This article refers to a deprecated product. If you are looking for support for Foxit PDF SDK, please click here.

Updated on May 16, 2022

Was this article helpful?
Thanks for your feedback. If you have a comment on how to improve the article, you can write it here: