Sometimes you need a page of a PDF as an image: for a slide, a social post, a website, a chat message or a design tool that will not accept PDFs. PNG and JPG are the two usual choices. For pages with text, lines and diagrams, PNG is usually the better one.
PNG or JPG?
- PNG is lossless. Text edges, thin lines and flat colours stay crisp. It supports transparency. Files can be larger for photos.
- JPG uses lossy compression. It is excellent for photographs and makes small files, but text and line art can get fuzzy, blotchy edges.
Rule of thumb: text, charts, screenshots and diagrams go to PNG. Photo-heavy pages go to JPG. For JPG, Docento's PDF to JPG tool converts pages in the browser; for the reverse direction, see how to convert JPG to PDF.
Choose the right resolution
Resolution decides how sharp the image is and how big the file gets.
- 72 to 96 DPI: fine for quick previews and chat.
- 150 DPI: good for slides and web pages.
- 300 DPI: for printing or zooming in on detail.
A letter or A4 page at 300 DPI is roughly 2,500 by 3,500 pixels, which is far more than most screens need.
On Windows
Windows has no built-in PDF-to-PNG converter, but there are simple routes:
- Snipping Tool: open the PDF, zoom so the page fills the screen, press Win+Shift+S, select the area and save as PNG. Quick, but limited to screen resolution.
- A converter: use a PDF tool that exports pages as images at a chosen resolution.
On Mac
- Open the PDF in Preview.
- Choose File → Export.
- Set Format to PNG and pick the resolution.
Preview exports one page at a time. For several pages, select each page thumbnail and export, or use a tool that exports all pages at once.
In a browser
Browser-based tools can render each page to an image without installing software. Docento.app includes a PDF to JPG tool that processes pages locally in your browser, so the document is not uploaded; if your destination accepts JPG, that is often the quickest route for a multi-page file.
Keep transparency in mind
PDF pages usually have a white background, so a PNG export will normally be white rather than transparent. If you need a logo or diagram with a transparent background, export it from the original design file instead of the PDF.
Make the file smaller
High-resolution PNGs of full pages can be several megabytes. To reduce size:
- Export at 150 DPI unless you need print quality.
- Crop to the part of the page you actually need. See how to crop a PDF.
- Run the PNG through an image optimiser, which removes unnecessary data without changing pixels.
Takeaway
Use PNG for text, diagrams and screenshots, JPG for photos. On a Mac, Preview's Export does the job; on Windows, a converter or the Snipping Tool works. Choose 150 DPI for screens and 300 DPI for print.
