As we produce software for handling both JPEG and PDF files, we are often asked about which is better for displaying documents. So here I will try and sum up each and help you to decide.
JPG file
- Is a single file with a public specification.
- Is bit-mapped so will blur if you zoom in.
- Cannot contain other content such as searchable text, links, video.
- Is viewable on a huge range of tools.
- Is very easy to alter its size, draw over, and manipulate.
- Content cannot be encrypted
PDF file
- Is a single file with a public specification.
- Can contain vector content but may just be a bit-map. Can include lots of other content such as text, links, video.
- Needs a PDF viewer to see. Most Operating Systems and browsers are able to do this now.
- Can be edited but needs care.
- Content and access can be set and contents encrypted.
In conclusion
PDF is a more complex and powerful file format which can have some additional benefits over just a JPEG image. In practice, JPEG is often enough for the job and many people use JPEG to display the contents of a PDF file (the most popular use for our Java PDF library is to convert PDF to Image).
