TL;DR: JPG = smaller file, great for sharing and web. PNG = lossless quality, great for archiving, printing, and transparency. At 150 DPI and above both formats look fine on screen. For most people, JPG at 150 DPI is the right choice.
Why convert a PDF to an image at all?
PDF is excellent for preserving and sharing documents, but there are situations where an image is simply more practical:
- Inserting a page into a presentation - PowerPoint and Keynote accept images, not PDFs
- Posting on social media - Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook all work with image files
- Sharing a single page - a JPEG of one page is easier to send than a full document
- Visual archiving - capturing a document snapshot that cannot be accidentally edited
- Graphic editing - when you need to work with the content in a design tool
JPG vs PNG - the key differences
JPG (Joint Photographic Experts Group)
JPG uses lossy compression. When you export a PDF to JPG, the algorithm discards details that are hard for the human eye to notice, resulting in much smaller files.
Result: Files that are 3-5x smaller than PNG, with a quality difference that is often barely noticeable.
Drawback: Each time a JPG is re-opened and re-saved, more information is lost. This makes JPG less suitable for archiving or repeated editing.
PNG (Portable Network Graphics)
PNG uses lossless compression. Every pixel is stored exactly as it appears. You can open and save a PNG file many times with zero quality degradation.
Result: Larger files, but every detail is preserved perfectly.
Added benefit: PNG supports full transparency (alpha channel). If your PDF has logos or design elements with transparent backgrounds, PNG will preserve them. JPG always fills transparent areas with white.
Quick comparison table
| Feature | JPG | PNG |
|---|---|---|
| File size | Small (200-600 KB per page) | Large (800 KB-3 MB per page) |
| Quality | Very good, with some information loss | Perfect, fully lossless |
| Transparency | Not supported (white background) | Fully supported |
| Web and sharing | Excellent | Not ideal |
| Printing | Good (at 300 DPI+) | Excellent |
| Long-term archiving | Not recommended | Highly recommended |
| Re-editing | Degrades with each save | No degradation |
| Compatibility | Universal | Universal |
What happens at different DPI settings?
Resolution (DPI - Dots Per Inch) is the single biggest factor affecting output quality.
150 DPI - general use
The sweet spot for most users. Text is readable, images look good, file sizes are manageable. Suitable for sharing, presentations, and social media.
300 DPI - print quality
The professional standard for printing. Every detail is sharp, text is clear even at small sizes. Files are significantly larger - expect 2-8 MB per page in PNG.
600 DPI - professional archiving
For legal archives, medical records, or very fine print reproduction. Files are heavy (10 MB+ per page in PNG) and most users will never need this setting.
When to choose JPG
Choose JPG if you:
- Are sharing via messaging apps, email, or chat - smaller files load faster on mobile
- Are uploading to a website or blog - smaller images mean faster page load times
- Have many pages to convert - 50 pages as JPG stays manageable; as PNG it becomes unwieldy
- Are working with a photo-heavy document - the quality difference from PNG is minimal
- Have no transparency in the design - if the PDF displays on a white background, JPG is perfect
Practical examples: product catalog, marketing presentation, screenshots of reports, social media portfolio pages.
When to choose PNG
Choose PNG if you:
- Need a logo, stamp, or official letterhead - sharp edges and potential transparency preserved
- Are archiving for the long term - re-open and re-edit without any quality loss
- Need high-quality print output - especially documents with fine or small text
- Plan to edit in a design tool - PNG keeps editing flexibility intact
- The PDF contains transparent elements - only PNG will preserve them correctly
- Need pixel-perfect design assets - icons or logos that will be placed on different backgrounds
Practical examples: company stamp, official letter, first page of a contract embedded in another document, UI asset export.
Tips and common mistakes
Tips for better results
Err on the side of higher DPI. It is easy to resize a large image down later; you cannot recover detail that was never captured at a low resolution.
When in doubt, use 150 DPI and JPG. This works well for 90% of use cases and keeps file sizes reasonable.
Black-and-white vs colour documents: A black-and-white contract or form will export as a small JPG (under 100 KB). A colour document with photos will produce much larger files regardless of format.
Common mistakes
Exporting at 150 DPI then wondering why the print looks soft. For printing, choose 300 DPI or above.
Exporting PNG when you only need to share. If someone asks for "an image of the report," JPG is fine and much lighter on bandwidth.
Converting a long PDF to PNG at 300 DPI. Do the math: 50 pages x 3 MB = 150 MB. Reserve high-DPI PNG for specific pages you actually need to print or archive, not entire documents.
More guides you may find useful
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between PNG and JPG when exporting a PDF to an image?
JPG uses lossy compression - smaller file size, slight quality reduction. PNG saves every pixel without loss - larger files, perfect quality. For most everyday sharing, JPG at 150 DPI is more than enough. Choose PNG when archiving, printing, or exporting text-heavy pages where sharpness matters.
What DPI should I use when converting PDF to image?
150 DPI for web sharing and presentations - the right choice for most users. 300 DPI for quality printing. 600 DPI for archiving, legal documents, or professional print. Higher DPI means better quality but larger file sizes.
Does PNG support transparency when converting from PDF?
Yes. PNG supports full transparency via an alpha channel. If your PDF contains logos or elements with transparent backgrounds, PNG will preserve them accurately. JPG does not support transparency - any transparent area is automatically filled with white in the output image.
How much larger are PNG files compared to JPG?
PNG is typically 3-5 times larger than JPG at the same resolution. A standard PDF page at 150 DPI is roughly 200-400 KB as a JPG versus 800 KB-2 MB as a PNG. The exact size depends on the amount of text, colors, and photos in the page.
Can I convert a multi-page PDF to images all at once?
Yes. The kovetz.co.il tool converts every page to a separate image and lets you download them all as a single ZIP file. Each file is named sequentially (page-1, page-2, etc.) so they are easy to organise and use in other tools.
Which is better for sharing on messaging apps and email - PNG or JPG?
JPG is better for sharing. Files are smaller, load faster on mobile, and are less likely to be re-compressed by the app. PNG is heavier and can sometimes be auto-compressed by messaging platforms, producing a worse result than a well-sized JPG would have.
Is JPG quality good enough for reading text in a PDF?
At 150 DPI and above - generally yes. At 72 DPI text can appear blurry. For sharing text-heavy documents, set at least 150 DPI in JPG. For very fine print or small font sizes, prefer PNG at 300 DPI to ensure every character stays sharp.