When to convert PNG to PDF
PNG is the format phones and computers use for screenshots, and the format most apps export for diagrams, charts and logos. That makes PNG to PDF the go-to conversion for anything you captured from a screen rather than photographed with a camera:
- Proof of payment: screenshots of bank transfers, mobile wallet payments or card confirmations that a landlord, school or seller wants as a PDF.
- Expense claims: online order confirmations, e-tickets and digital receipts gathered into one file for your employer.
- Keeping records: chat conversations, booking confirmations or account pages saved in order as a single document.
- Reports and coursework: charts, diagrams and graphs exported as PNG, collected into one PDF to share or print.
- Bug reports and guides: a step-by-step series of app or website screenshots someone can scroll through.
Getting the layout right for screenshots
Tall, scrolling screenshots
A long chat or web page capture is much taller than an A4 sheet. On a standard paper size it has to shrink to fit the page height, which can leave the text tiny. Choose Fit to image with no margin and each page takes the shape of its screenshot, so it reads naturally on a phone.
Receipts you need to print or submit
If the PDF is going to an office, a portal or a printer, use A4 (or US Letter in North America) with a small margin and portrait orientation. The receipt sits neatly on a proper page and prints at a sensible size.
A mix of phone and desktop screenshots
Leave orientation on Auto so tall phone captures get portrait pages and wide desktop captures get landscape ones, instead of being squeezed onto the same shape.
What happens to transparent PNGs
PDF pages are white, so any transparent area in a PNG (around a logo, an icon or a cut-out product photo) simply shows the white page behind it. For most graphics that's exactly what you want.
Watch out for white or very light artwork on a transparent background, such as a white logo designed for dark websites. On a white page it effectively disappears. Fix it before converting: use PNG to JPG and choose a dark background colour for the transparent areas, then add the resulting JPG here.
Keeping the PDF small and sharp
Screenshots from modern phones have a high resolution, and PNG is a lossless format, so a PDF of twenty screenshots can be heavier than you'd expect. A few ways to keep it in check:
- Crop screenshots in your phone's photo editor first, so status bars, keyboards and empty space don't end up in the PDF.
- Use High quality when small text must stay crisp, and Balanced or Small file when the PDF only needs to be readable on screen.
- If an upload form still rejects the file, shrink it with Compress PDF: the Recommended level keeps things legible.
Converting photos rather than screenshots? The main JPG to PDF page covers scanning paper documents with your phone.