Where 20 KB shows up
A 20 KB cap is typical for signatures and small photos on recruitment, banking and scholarship forms. It is very small: a normal phone photo is 3–5 MB, so the image needs to be both resized and compressed hard.
How this preset helps
We prefill a 20 KB target and limit the longest side to 800 pixels. That combination gives the compressor room to keep faces and pen strokes clean. The tool then searches for the highest JPEG quality that lands within about 10% of 20 KB, and labels the result so you know whether it passed.
Getting a clean result
- Crop tightly around the face or signature first with Crop image; empty background wastes bytes.
- Sign with a dark pen on plain white paper and photograph it in daylight.
- Avoid busy backgrounds and heavy noise from dim lighting.
When it cannot get to 20 KB
Highly detailed images may stay above the target. The tool reports the closest size instead of pretending. Reduce the max width/height (500 px is usually enough for a signature), or use the Exam photo and signature resizer when the form also fixes the pixel size. For a little more room, see the 50 KB preset.
Pixel dimensions that fit 20 KB
| Image type | Pixels that usually fit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Signature (ink on white) | 400 × 200 px or smaller | Plain background compresses very well |
| Passport-style photo | 200 × 230 to 300 × 400 px | Common on exam forms |
| General photo | 400–500 px longest side | Larger sizes look blocky at 20 KB |
These are starting points, not guarantees: a noisy, detailed photo needs fewer pixels than a plain one at the same KB.
Where 20 KB is used
Signatures and thumb impressions on recruitment and banking forms, and small ID photos on some government portals.