Exporting PDF pages as PNG, JPEG or TIFF pictures

A PDF page is not always welcome where you want to put it. A website wants a picture, a presentation program wants an image to drop on a slide, a social post needs a JPEG, and an archive system may want TIFF. PDF by Zaweba exports pages as pictures for all of these.

File > Export saves pages as PNG, JPEG or a multi-page TIFF, at any resolution from 72 to 600 dpi.

Picking a format

PNG is the safe choice for pages with text, lines and flat colour, such as forms, diagrams and charts. It is lossless, so edges stay crisp and there are no smudgy artefacts round letters.

JPEG suits pages that are mostly photographs. Files are smaller, which helps for websites and email, but it is lossy, so text on a JPEG can look slightly soft when you zoom in.

A multi-page TIFF puts every exported page into one file. Some document systems and fax services expect exactly that, and it keeps a set of pages together as a single picture file.

Picking a resolution

The resolution sets how many pixels each inch of the page becomes. At 72 dpi an A4 page is small, fine for a thumbnail or a quick preview. Around 150 dpi suits viewing on screen. For printing, or for a picture someone will zoom into, go higher, and 300 dpi is the usual print standard. The top setting of 600 dpi gives very fine detail, useful for small print and technical drawings, at the cost of much larger files.

It is a balance. Higher is sharper and bigger. Pick the lowest resolution that looks right where the picture will be used.

Common jobs

Putting a page on a slide is the commonest. Export a single page as PNG at a resolution that fits the screen, and it drops into the slide cleanly.

Sharing a page on the web or in a message is another. A JPEG keeps the file small for a page that is mainly a photo; a PNG keeps text readable.

Sending pages to a system that wants pictures is a third. Some upload forms only accept images, and a multi-page TIFF or a set of PNGs gets you past them.

How it fits with other tools

Exporting is the end of a chain. Crop the page first if you only want part of it, for example a chart from a report, so the picture contains nothing extra. Add comments or stamps before exporting if you want them in the picture.

If you want the pictures that sit inside a PDF rather than pictures of whole pages, use File > Export > Every picture in the PDF instead. That saves each image as it is, which is better when you need the original photos.

Fuzzy text and oversized files

Exporting text pages as low-resolution JPEGs is the classic error. The result looks fuzzy and is hard to read. Use PNG and a sensible resolution for anything with words on it.

Going to 600 dpi for everything is the opposite error. Files become very large, slow to upload and no clearer on a screen. Save the highest settings for print and detail work.

And remember that a picture of a page is no longer text. People cannot search it or copy from it. If they need the words, send the PDF or export the text as well.

Chosen with a little thought, the right format and resolution turn any page into a picture that looks good wherever it ends up.