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PDF to images

PDF to PNG or JPG: which format should you choose?

By DeckleUpdated

Choose PNG when the PDF page is mostly text, charts, diagrams or screenshots, and JPG when it is mostly photographs or scans. PNG keeps every pixel, so text edges stay crisp; JPG throws away fine detail to make much smaller files of photo-heavy pages. In Deckle, use PDF to PNG or PDF to JPG; both export one image per page at the same three resolutions.

PDF to PNG

Same physical page, more pixels

150 DPI

Letter: 1,275 × 1,650 pixels

300 DPI

Letter: 2,550 × 3,300 pixels

Double each dimension → four times the pixels

Example calculation · nominal sizes for an 8.5 × 11-inch page. Actual exports depend on page geometry and rounding.

PNG vs JPG at a glance

PNG JPG
Compression Lossless: no detail is discarded Lossy: fine detail is smoothed away
Text and thin lines Crisp edges Faint smudges around edges, more at lower quality
Photos and gradients Large files Small files that look the same
Settings in Deckle Resolution Resolution and JPEG quality
Transparency Supported by the format; Deckle exports on white Not supported
Accepted by Almost everything Almost everything, including forms that list only JPG

Which format for which page

  • Slides, spreadsheets and reports → PNG. Mostly flat colour and text, which PNG stores compactly and sharply.
  • Charts, maps, technical drawings → PNG. Thin lines and small labels are where JPG artefacts show first.
  • Brochures, catalogues, photo books → JPG. Photographs compress far better as JPG with no visible loss at Balanced.
  • Scanned documents → JPG. A scan is already a photograph of paper, with grain and shading everywhere; PNG files of scans get very large.
  • Mixed pages, such as a report with one photo → PNG if the text matters most, JPG if file size matters most.

Example: a 30-page annual report has 26 pages of text and tables and four photo spreads. Exported at Standard, the text pages are small and sharp as PNG, while the photo spreads are several times larger as PNG than as JPG. If you need all 30 pages, export the text pages with PDF to PNG and the photo pages with PDF to JPG, using Choose pages in each.

How to export in the format you chose

  1. Open PDF to PNG or PDF to JPG and choose your PDF, or drop it onto the page.
  2. Choose a Resolution: Screen, Standard or Print.
  3. For JPG, choose a JPEG quality: Smaller, Balanced or Maximum.
  4. Keep All pages or choose Choose pages and type the pages.
  5. Choose Export images and download the files.
  6. Open one image at the size you will use it and check the smallest text.

When the destination decides

If a website, form or print shop names a format, use it. Many upload forms accept only JPG; some design tools prefer PNG. Renaming a .png file to .jpg does not convert it and can make the upload fail, so export again in the format asked for.

File size limits point the same way. If a form caps uploads at 2 MB, JPG at Standard and Balanced is usually the easier fit. See converting a PDF to JPG for an online form.

Quality is about pixels first

Neither format makes a soft image sharp. Sharpness depends mainly on Resolution: Standard gives an A4 page about 1240 × 1754 pixels, Print about 2480 × 3508. A PNG at Screen looks softer than a JPG at Print. Pick the resolution for the job first, then the format. Calculating pixels from DPI has the numbers for common page sizes.

Tips

  • Default to PNG for anything with words. Switch to JPG only if the files are too large.
  • Use Balanced for JPG. It keeps most fine detail; Smaller is for thumbnails.
  • Do not convert JPG to PNG later. The detail JPG removed does not come back; export from the PDF again.
  • Keep the PDF. Neither image keeps selectable text or links.

Frequently asked questions

Is PNG higher quality than JPG?

For text and line art, yes. For photographs at Balanced or Maximum, the difference is hard to see and the JPG is much smaller.

Which is smaller, PNG or JPG?

JPG, for photos and scans. For plain text pages the two can be close, and PNG is sometimes smaller.

Which format is best for printing?

Either, at Print resolution. Use PNG for text and diagrams and JPG at Maximum for photographs.

Can I get a transparent PNG from a PDF?

Not directly. Deckle draws pages on white; why PNG exports are white shows how to remove it.

Related tools

Sources