Home
TR
Features

Saving as PDF

Merge the selected pages, in view order, into a single PDF — optionally compressing while you save.

Deste doesn’t only print; it can also save the selected pages as a single PDF. This is a practical way to merge output from different apps, or to keep a job when you don’t have a real printer. You can also compress it at the same time while saving.

How it works

When you press Save PDF in the bottom bar, Deste:

  1. Collects the selected, non-dropped pages in view order (even if they come from multiple documents),
  2. Merges them into a new PDF by real page copying with pdfium,
  3. Saves to the location you choose (default filename baski.pdf).

The result is a single PDF: the pages you chose from the source documents, in the order you want, in one file.

Compress while saving

When you press Save PDF, instead of writing straight to disk a Save options overlay opens first. Its header reads Save PDF with a “{N} pages will be saved” count, and below it a Compress while saving toggle. This toggle is off by default.

  • Off — a Windows save dialog opens; the PDF is saved uncompressed, at its original size (default filename baski.pdf). This is the classic save behavior.
  • On — the full Compression overlay opens. There you can pick the Smart or Aggressive type, set a per-page compression strength of 1–5, skip any pages you want, see the before/after preview, and then press Compress & save. Your original file is kept; the output is a new file.

Tip: For all of the compression options (type, strength levels, skipping pages, before/after preview), see the Compressing PDFs doc.

What it’s for

  • Collecting only the needed pages of several documents into one file.
  • Merging output from different apps (Word + browser + PDF) into a single PDF.
  • Archiving or sharing a job when there’s no real printer.
  • Shrinking the file before sharing it (with Compress while saving).

Limitations

  • Rotation is not currently embedded in the saved PDF; rotation is applied only when printing. If you need a rotated result permanently, print/re-export is required.
  • Merging copies the pages — it doesn’t re-render — so text and vector quality are preserved.
  • Compression is available only if the compression engine is installed; otherwise saving silently stays uncompressed.

Next step