Frequently asked questions

Use the options in your scanning application carefully - you need not always pick the highest resolution, but please ensure that the document is of a reasonable and legible quality. For some documents you may wish to scan to greyscale as this will create a smaller image size. You can also try using any 'Compact PDF' tools or functions on your scanner.

Once you have scanned in your documents you should create a .gif file where possible instead of a .jpg file. A .jpg format creates a better quality image but will be larger than a .gif format file. Please try a .gif formatted file first and check that the scanned document is clear enough to read. If it is not, please save the file in a .jpg format. Some scanners allow users to scan directly to PDF.

If you are unable to scan directly to PDF, you should copy the image of your document into Microsoft Paint, or another image manipulation application and print it to a PDF to make a smaller sized file. Note that you cannot upload .gif or .jpg format files into your application form.

If you are using Adobe Acrobat PDF creation software (such as Adobe Acrobat Pro), reduce the size of the PDF by selecting 'reduce file size' in the 'document' menu.

If you do not have Adobe Acrobat PDF creation software and are instead using PDF reader software (such as Adobe Reader or similar), you can reduce the size of the PDF by opening it in the PDF reader software and then printing it to another PDF.

Microsoft Word documents

Inserted images should not be high resolution. Images should be appropriately sized with an appropriate file type. Images can be re-sized your images in an image manipulation application such as Microsoft Paint or Microsoft Office Picture Manager and save them as .gif or .jpg format files (as opposed to a .bmp format file) before inserting them into Microsoft Word.

Import the graphic files into Word by referencing them, instead of pasting them into your document directly. To do this, go to 'Insert' - 'Picture' - 'From File' or 'Insert' - 'Object.' Pasting an image directly into the document means that Word automatically creates the image in a .bmp format and results in a large file size.

If you are uploading a form which you have downloaded from our Downloadable Forms area, please ensure the size of the completed form does not exceed 1000 Kb and that you are uploading the correct form.

For Macintosh users, please note that the filename must include the appropriate three- or four-letter extension. Also, please do not attempt to upload a document that is password-protected or that contains macros. This will cause the process to fail.