What happens when you convert PDF to EPS
- Each page of the PDF becomes its own EPS file, rendered at 150 dpi by default. Choose 300 dpi for print-quality text.
How to convert PDF to EPS online
- Press "Choose PDF files" and select one or more files, or drag them onto the box. You can add files of any size your device can hold in memory.
- Adjust the settings if you need to. The output is lossless, so there is no quality setting to worry about.
- Press "Convert to EPS". Images convert in a second or two each.
- Save each EPS with its download button. Close the tab and every trace of the files is gone from memory.
Why convert PDF to EPS?
PDF files usually come from documents, forms, invoices and print-ready files. People convert them to EPS because EPS is what many printers, sign makers and older design software still ask for when you send artwork.
In short, PDF is good at what it was made for, and EPS is the more practical choice when the file has to open, upload or print somewhere else. PDF opens in every browser's built-in viewer, while EPS does not open in browsers; Illustrator, Inkscape and Affinity Designer open it, and macOS Preview converts it to PDF.
How to convert PDF to EPS on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android
On Windows
Open this page in Chrome, Edge or Firefox, drag your PDF files in from File Explorer, and press Convert. Each EPS is saved to your Downloads folder.
On a Mac
Safari, Chrome and Firefox all work. Drag the PDF files from Finder onto the drop zone and the EPS files land in Downloads.
On iPhone and iPad
Open the page in Safari and tap Choose PDF files. You can pick from Photos or from the Files app. The converted EPS appears in Files, in the Downloads folder; to put it in your photo library, open it there, tap Share and choose Save Image.
On Android
Open the page in Chrome, tap Choose PDF files and pick them from Files or your gallery. The EPS is saved to the Download folder, where any file manager can find it.
Best settings for PDF to EPS
The EPS page is one point per pixel, the usual convention for placed images, so the artwork keeps its pixel dimensions and can be scaled down freely in InDesign, Illustrator or QuarkXPress. Use the Maximum width setting to make it smaller first if a printer has a file size limit.
Because an EPS image has no transparency, transparent areas become white. For a logo that must stay transparent or scale to any size, convert it to SVG instead, which traces it into vector shapes.
PDF vs EPS: the differences
| EPS | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Portable Document Format | Encapsulated PostScript |
| Type | document | image |
| Created by | Adobe | Adobe |
| First released | 1993 | 1987 |
| Compression | Lossy or lossless | Lossless |
| Transparency | No | No |
| Animation | No | No |
| Vector or raster | Vector | Vector |
| Colour | any colour, pages can mix text, vectors and images | vector drawing, which can also hold raster images |
| In a browser | opens in every browser's built-in viewer | does not open in browsers; Illustrator, Inkscape and Affinity Designer open it, and macOS Preview converts it to PDF |
| Common uses | documents, forms, invoices and print-ready files | logos and artwork for print, and stock vector graphics |
| MIME type | application/pdf | application/postscript |
About PDF and EPS files
What is a PDF file?
A PDF fixes the layout of every page so it looks the same on any device. Converting a PDF to an image renders each page to pixels; converting an image to PDF wraps it as a page.
What is an EPS file?
An EPS is a small PostScript program that draws one page of artwork, with a bounding box so it can be placed inside other documents. Printers and designers still ask for it, but it is gradually being replaced by PDF and SVG.
PDF to EPS not working? Common problems
- Colours look slightly different. Browsers convert images to the standard sRGB colour space when they decode them, so wide-gamut and CMYK images can shift a little.
- A phone photo comes out upright even though it looked sideways elsewhere. That is correct: the rotation stored in the photo is applied during conversion, so the EPS is always the right way up.
- The file is bigger than expected. A PDF is a short list of drawing instructions, while the EPS stores every pixel, so the output is normally larger and grows with the width you choose.
Convert PDF to EPS from the command line
If you work in a terminal, ImageMagick converts PDF to EPS in one line:
magick input.pdf output.epsTo convert every PDF in a folder at once, use magick mogrify -format eps *.pdf. ImageMagick needs Ghostscript installed to read PDF files. The converter on this page does the same job without installing anything.
PDF to EPS converter FAQ
Will I lose quality converting PDF to EPS?
No. EPS is written losslessly, so the result matches the PDF exactly at the size you choose.
Why is the EPS a different size from the PDF?
A PDF is a short list of drawing instructions, while the EPS stores every pixel, so the output is normally larger and grows with the width you choose.
Are my PDF files uploaded anywhere?
No. The conversion runs inside this browser tab using your browser's own image decoder, so your files stay on your device. You can disconnect from the internet after the page has loaded and it still works.
Can I convert several PDF files to EPS at once?
Yes. Select or drop as many files as you like; they are converted one after another and each gets its own download button.
How do I open an EPS file?
EPS does not open in browsers; Illustrator, Inkscape and Affinity Designer open it, and macOS Preview converts it to PDF. EPS is common for logos and artwork for print, and stock vector graphics.
Is this PDF to EPS converter free?
Yes. There is no sign-up, no watermark and no limit on how many files you convert. The site is paid for by advertising, and because conversions run on your device there is no server cost per file.
Can I convert PDF to EPS on my phone?
Yes. The converter works in Safari on iPhone and iPad and in Chrome on Android. Converted files are saved to the Downloads folder.