Help Needed: Image Quality Drops After PDF Conversion

Hi there,

Hope you are doing well and thanks for reaching out. We are sorry for the trouble you are experiencing.

The issue you’re describing usually comes down to the way images are being compressed or downsampled during the PDF creation process. By default, many apps use settings that reduce image resolution to keep the PDF size smaller, which can cause images to look pixelated or blurry.

Here are a few things you can try:

1. Check export settings:

• In Word: Go to File > Options > Advanced > Image Size and Quality and uncheck “Do not compress images in file.”
• In InDesign: Use File > Export > Adobe PDF (Print), and choose a preset like High Quality Print or Press Quality instead of Smallest File Size.
  
  

2. Adjust compression/downsampling

• In the PDF export settings (from Word, InDesign, or Acrobat Distiller), look for the Compression section.
• Set Do Not Downsample or increase the resolution (e.g., keep at least 300 ppi for print quality, 150 ppi for on-screen viewing).

3. Check Acrobat’s optimization settings

• If you’re using Acrobat to create/optimize the PDF, go to File > Save As Other > Optimized PDF and make sure images aren’t being automatically downsampled.

If you’ve already tried most of these, it might help to share which application and export method you’re using most often (Word, InDesign, Acrobat, etc.). for more clarity and understanding. Also, a small video recording would be very helpful.

~Amal