Protean (TIN-NSDL) Form 49A instructions: signature is a colour JPEG at 200 DPI, max 10 KB, 2×4.5 cm. Photograph is max 20 KB at 3.5×2.5 cm. Source: https://tin.tin.proteantech.in/pan/form49Adsc.html — always re-read the live table before you file.

Why did an older compressor give me 19 KB on the PAN signature preset?

The preset used to keep a 100 KB target. The signature preset now sets 10 KB, and there is a 10 KB button. 1 KB = 1,000 bytes, so 10 KB is 10,000 bytes, not 10,240.

Should I remove the paper background first?

A tight crop on white paper is usually enough. A transparent PNG is larger, not smaller. If you do cut the ink out with the transparent-image tool, flatten back to JPEG here before you upload.

Can every signature reach 10 KB?

A wide, dark scribble on a huge canvas may still exceed after the 354×157 box and a low quality. Crop tighter. The row will say exceeds target instead of pretending it fitted.

Compress a Signature to 10 KB for Forms

A signature is a thin dark stroke on white. In theory it compresses easily. In practice a phone photo of that stroke is a 3–8 MB JPEG of a whole desk, and a portal that asked for 10 KB rejects it. The official PAN table (Protean Form 49A, item k) is specific: colour JPEG, 200 DPI, maximum 10 KB, printed as 2×4.5 cm (a wide strip: 4.5 cm across, 2 cm tall). At 200 DPI that is about 354×157 pixels. The photograph next to it is a different file: 3.5×2.5 cm, 20 KB. Do not reuse the photo preset for the signature.

FlashKit Tools now sets the 10 KB target when you pick the PAN signature preset. There is also a standalone 10 KB button for other forms that only quote a byte cap. Processing stays in the tab. Cite the live Protean page — Guidelines for filling PAN New Application — the day you apply; we do not file the form for you.

PAN signature preset = 10 KB

4.5×2 cm at 200 DPI (354×157), target 10,000 bytes. JPEG only.

Open Image Compressor

Shoot the ink so it can shrink

White paper, black or dark-blue pen — Protean asks for colour, not a grey smudge.
Fill most of the frame with the signature. A 12 MP shot of an A4 sheet wastes the 10 KB budget on table grain.
Avoid a heavy shadow. JPEG spends bits on that gradient.

If you already have a transparent cut-out from Transparent Image Maker, flatten it here as JPEG. A transparent PNG will not hit 10 KB and many portals will not accept PNG.

10 KB means 10,000 bytes

Portals that say “max 10 KB” almost always mean 10 × 1,000. A 10,240-byte file (10 KiB) can still fail. FlashKit Tools’ 10 KB target is 10,000 bytes. The row uses the same unit.

Step-by-step

Open Image Compressor.
Drop the cropped signature. Enable Resize → PAN Signature (4.5×2 cm, 200 DPI, 10 KB).
Output JPEG. Wait. Check “within target” and 354×157 (or the fitted size if you used a custom box with aspect ratio on — for PAN, use the preset so it centre-crops to the strip).
If it exceeds, crop closer on the phone and run again. Do not switch to PNG.

Hit 10 KB on purpose

Preset sets the box and the budget. Decimal kilobytes. No upload.