PDF vs JPG: which should you send?

PDF2 min read

They solve different problems. When a document should stay a document, when an image is the better answer, and how to convert either way.

In short

PDF is a document format — multiple pages, real text, consistent layout. JPG is a single flat picture. Use PDF for anything multi-page or that needs to be read or printed; use JPG for a single page going somewhere that only accepts images.

This is less a comparison than a question of what the file is for. A PDF is a container that can hold many pages of real text; a JPG is one flat picture with no structure at all.

What each can do
PDFJPG
Multiple pagesYesNo — one image per file
Selectable, searchable textYes, unless it is a scanNever
Consistent print layoutYes, that is the pointNo
Opens in any image viewerNoYes
Accepted by image-only upload formsNoYes
File size for one page of textTinyMuch larger — it is a picture of the words

Send a PDF when

  • There is more than one page.
  • The text needs to be searchable, selectable or accessible.
  • It will be printed and the layout must hold.
  • It is a formal document — invoice, contract, report, CV.

Send a JPG when

  • It is a single page and the recipient only needs to look at it.
  • The destination accepts images only — many web forms, social posts and chat apps.
  • You want it to preview inline rather than as an attachment icon.

Converting between them

PDF to JPG renders each page to an image; a multi-page document produces one image per page, bundled together. Image to PDF goes the other way, placing each picture on its own page — which is the practical way to send several photographed pages as one file.

PDF to JPGEach page becomes a JPG. Text stops being text.
Image to PDFPhotos or scans into a single ordered document.

Mistakes worth avoiding

  • Sending twelve JPGs where one PDF would do. They arrive out of order and are tedious to open.
  • Converting a searchable document to images for no reason.
  • Photographing pages instead of scanning them — uneven lighting, huge files, poor legibility.

Tools used in this guide

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