PNG vs JPG for PDF: which one should you use?

“Should I save my image as a PNG or a JPG before adding it to a PDF?” It’s one of the most common questions we get. Here’s a fast, real-world answer.

Use PNG when…

• The image has transparent areas (logos, signatures, stamps, badges).
• The image contains sharp edges or text (screenshots, vector exports, charts).
• You need lossless quality.

Use JPG when…

• The image is a photograph with smooth gradients.
• You need a small file size and don’t need transparency.

For PDFs containing both, mix freely — our PNG to PDF tool happily ingests both PNG and JPG and embeds each in its native format, so you never lose quality unnecessarily.