Best File Format for Printing: PDF, TIFF, PNG, or JPEG?
You've finished your artwork and ready to order prints. Now you're staring at an export menu with a dozen options. PDF, PNG, JPEG, TIFF, PSD, HEIC. Which one actually prints best?
The format you choose decides whether your file arrives with every detail intact or quietly loses quality on the way. This guide explains which formats work best for printing, which ones cause problems, and exactly how to export the right file from the apps artists use most.
The Short Answer
Print-Ready Formats at a Glance
Lossless vs. Lossy: Why It Matters
Every image format falls into one of two groups, and knowing which is which explains most printing problems.
- Lossless formats (TIFF, PNG, and PDF exported at high quality) keep every pixel exactly as you made it. You can open and save them as many times as you like without losing anything.
- Lossy formats (JPEG, WebP, and HEIC) shrink file size by permanently throwing away detail. At high quality settings the loss is invisible. At low settings, or after saving the same file over and over, you get blocky patches, color banding, and fuzzy halos around edges.
Those flaws are easy to miss on a screen and impossible to miss on paper, especially in smooth gradients like skies and in sharp line art.
The Best Formats for Printing
PDF: The Best Choice for Most Prints
A PDF holds your artwork exactly as you designed it: the size, the layout, the bleed, and the fonts. What you send is what we print, with nothing shifting between your computer and ours.
Best for: Almost everything, and especially designs with text, such as postcards, business cards, flyers, booklets, comics, and calendars.
Watch out for:
- Low-quality export settings. Some apps compress images inside the PDF to make the file smaller. Always choose a print or press-quality preset.
- Missing fonts. Make sure fonts are embedded, or convert text to outlines in vector apps.
- Layers and transparency. Flatten your artwork before exporting so effects and blend modes look the same when they print.
A PDF can't fix a low-resolution image inside it. If your artwork is too small, it will print soft in any format. Our DPI guide explains how to check.
TIFF: Best for Scans and Photography
TIFF is a lossless format that photographers, scanners, and fine art reproduction studios have relied on for decades. It keeps every bit of detail and tonal information.
Best for: Scanned paintings and drawings, photographs, and giclée prints where maximum detail matters.
Watch out for:
- Large file sizes. A TIFF for a big print can run several hundred megabytes. Saving with LZW compression shrinks it without losing any quality.
- Layers. TIFFs can contain layers. Flatten before you send it.
If you're digitizing traditional art, our guide to scanning and photographing artwork covers how to capture a TIFF worth printing.
PNG: Lossless and Easy
PNG is lossless like TIFF, but much more common. Nearly every art app, including Procreate, can export one in a couple of taps.
Best for: Digital illustrations, line art, comics, and artwork with flat colors and crisp edges.
Watch out for:
- Transparent backgrounds. Paper has no "transparent," so any transparent area prints as plain white paper. If your art should have a colored background, add it before exporting.
- Screen-sized exports. PNGs saved for the web or social media are usually far too small to print. Export at full size.
JPEG: Fine at Full Quality, Risky Otherwise
JPEG is the most common image format in the world, and a high-quality JPEG can print beautifully. The trouble is that it's lossy, and it's easy to lose quality without noticing.
Best for: Photographs and painterly artwork, when saved at maximum quality.
Watch out for:
- Low quality settings. Always choose the highest quality (10–12 in Photoshop, or 100%).
- Re-saving. Every time a JPEG is edited and saved again, it loses a little more. Edit in your app's native format and export one final JPEG at the end.
- Files that have been shared. Images sent through text messages, email, or social media are often shrunk and recompressed. Always use the original.
Formats to Convert Before You Send
These formats are useful while you work, but they need to be exported to PDF, TIFF, PNG, or JPEG before printing.
How to Export a Print-Ready File
Before you export, make sure your canvas is set to your final print size at 300 DPI. If it isn't, see how to set up your canvas at 300 DPI first.
Procreate
Tap Actions (wrench icon) → Share → choose PDF and select Best quality, or choose PNG. Avoid the JPEG option for artwork with gradients or fine line work.
Adobe Photoshop
Go to File → Save a Copy. For a PDF, choose Photoshop PDF and pick the High Quality Print or Press Quality preset. For a TIFF, choose TIFF, select LZW compression, and make sure layers are discarded or the image is flattened.
Adobe Illustrator
Go to File → Save As, choose Adobe PDF, and select the Press Quality preset. Turn on bleed under Marks and Bleeds if your design runs to the edge.
Clip Studio Paint
Go to File → Export (Single Layer) and choose .tif or .png. Keep the output at 100% size so the export matches your canvas.
Affinity
Go to File → Export, choose PDF, and select the PDF (press ready) preset. For artwork without text, TIFF works well too.
Canva
Click Share → Download, choose PDF Print, and check Crop marks and bleed if your design runs to the edge.
Your Pre-Upload Checklist
- Saved as PDF, TIFF, PNG, or high-quality JPEG
- Exported from the original artwork, not from a shared or re-saved copy
- 300 DPI at the final print size
- 0.125" bleed on all sides for prints that run to the edge (see our guide to adding bleed)
- Layers flattened
- Fonts embedded or outlined in PDFs
- No unintended transparency
Full specifications for every size are on our Art Specs page, and our free print templates have bleed and trim guides built in. Not sure your image is big enough? Upload it to our Print Size Calculator to see which sizes it's ready for.
And if something isn't quite right, don't worry. A real person on our team reviews every file before it prints, and we'll email you before anything goes to press.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best file format for printing?
A flattened PDF at 300 DPI with bleed is the best choice for most prints. TIFF is excellent for scanned artwork and photography.
Is PNG or JPEG better for printing?
PNG is lossless, so it never loses quality, which makes it the safer choice for illustrations and line art. A JPEG saved at maximum quality prints just as well for photos and painterly work, as long as it hasn't been re-saved or shared.
Can I print a PNG with a transparent background?
Yes, but transparent areas print as white paper. If you want a colored background, add it to your artwork before exporting.
Will converting a JPEG to PDF or TIFF improve the quality?
No. Converting can't restore detail that compression already removed. Export a new file from your original artwork instead.
Can I send a Photoshop or Procreate file?
Export a flattened PDF, TIFF, or PNG instead. Working files can contain layers, effects, and fonts that may not print the way they look in your app.
Can I print an iPhone photo in HEIC format?
Convert it to a high-quality JPEG or TIFF first. On iPhone, you can set Settings → Camera → Formats to Most Compatible to save new photos as JPEGs.
Does file format affect resolution?
No. Resolution comes from your pixel dimensions, not the format. A small image stays small no matter how you save it. See our DPI guide to check your file.
