Bad for photo files — JPEG is lossy, so if you want to enlarge a lot of large images you can't use the file as it's going to look bad. In other types, the image will still be large, but if it's a small image you probably don't care. The difference between PNG and JPG The PNG file type is the default for images uploaded to the internet. PNG is a Lossless image format and can be displayed on almost anything. PNGs can also be used to generate .BMP or .TIF file types. PNG is also the file format to save scans of paper or photos from the camera, tablet or other digital camera. PNG vs. TIFF The W3C Recommendation and the Microsoft's recommendations say PNG (Portable Network Graphics) is the most widely supported image format among browsers, desktop applications, and operating systems. It includes more images, colors, and other features than TIFF. Both JPG and PNG have an effective file size of about 7.3 MB (compressed), however TIFF's effective file size can be compressed to under 12 MB (compressed). Therefore, the lossless files might be smaller if you compress the file first. A PIXEL image can be decompressed to any size. It is the same as an image in a .JPG or .PNG file. This is the most efficient way to store pixel data which is useful for websites and some computer desktop applications. The image will be shown as a transparent PNG. How to Choose the Right File Type There are many file types that can be used to store scanned images like: PNG BMP TIFF PDF JPG XPM PNG and JPEG look the same and are similar in format. Both have a pixel data in the file. When the file is saved in a particular format it does not matter what your computer is running, it can be anything from Windows and Mac to Linux and Polaris to old laptops. PNG is the default file type for most of the operating systems and most browsers. It's a lossless file format and can be viewed with your computer and any other devices that uses PNG to display that image. PNG cannot be opened in many apps on the different operating systems with the same name such as PhotoShop and Adobe Photoshop. This is why many people prefer to save to a PNG instead.