How to combine PDFs and images into one document

The shape of the workflow

Every "combine PDFs and images" task is some variation on the same three steps:

1. Convert any non-PDF source files to PDF. Images go through JPG → PDF or PNG → PDF. Each image becomes a one-page PDF.
2. Merge all the PDFs in the right order. Drag them into the list in the sequence you want them to appear, then run Merge PDF.
3. Polish the result. Optionally compress to bring the file under email limits, rearrange to fix any out-of-order pages, and add page numbers if the recipient needs them.

Total time, on a normal bundle of a dozen receipts and a cover sheet: about two minutes. The rest of this article goes through the details that matter at each step.

Source formats and their converters

JPG/JPEG and PNG are the two formats defined by long-standing internet standards (JPEG by ITU-T Recommendation T.81, PNG by W3C and IETF RFC 2083).¹ Every reputable PDF combiner handles them directly. HEIC and HEIF are newer (introduced for iOS 11 in 2017) and have less consistent support — the safest move is to convert HEIC to JPG on the source device before bringing it into the workflow.

A worked example — combining 12 receipts + a PDF cover

1. Convert each receipt to PDF. Open JPG → PDF, drop in the dozen JPG (or HEIC, or PNG) receipt photos at once. The tool produces twelve one-page PDFs in a single batch. Each runs entirely in your browser tab; nothing is uploaded.
2. Have the cover-sheet PDF ready. Export it from Word, Pages, or Google Docs (File → Download → PDF).
3. Open Merge PDF. Drop the cover PDF first into Merge PDF, then drop in the twelve receipt PDFs in chronological order. The order in the list is the order in the merged file.
4. Verify the order. The file list at the top of the merge tool is your last chance to reorder before merging. Drag rows up or down if needed.
5. Click Merge. The tool reads each file into memory, copies every page into a new document using the pdf-lib library, and writes the result. A 13-page merged PDF appears in your downloads folder within a few seconds.
6. (Optional) Compress. If the merged file is above the recipient's email cap, run it through Compress PDF with the medium preset. A 28 MB receipt bundle typically drops under 10 MB without visible quality loss.
7. (Optional) Add page numbers. If the accountant wants citations like "see page 4", Add Page Numbers handles this in seconds.

Six real-world scenarios and the right approach for each

Three traps to watch for

1. Mixed orientations. Portrait photos and landscape screenshots produce a merged PDF with alternating page orientations. Visually messy but technically valid. The fix: either force one orientation in the converter, or use Rotate PDF after merging to align specific pages.
2. HEIC-flavoured iPhone exports. The default iPhone format since iOS 11 is HEIC, which not every PDF tool accepts. If your tool refuses your photos, switch Settings → Camera → Formats → "Most Compatible" to force JPG on future shots, or convert existing HEICs to JPG via the Photos app share menu.
3. Source images that are way too large. A 12-megapixel iPhone photo is overkill for a receipt that fits on half a page. The merged PDF inherits the original resolution, blowing up the file size and slowing every viewer the recipient opens. Use aggressive compression on the merged output, or reduce the image resolution before converting in the first place.

Why client-side matters for receipts and IDs

Receipt photos often contain credit-card numbers, vendor names, and addresses. Identity-document scans contain almost the full set of data a fraudster needs. Insurance and medical scans contain protected health information. Sending those images through a server-side combiner means a third-party vendor has a temporary copy on its infrastructure — most reputable vendors delete after an hour, but the safer architecture is one that never uploaded in the first place. ScoutMyTool's JPG-to-PDF, PNG-to-PDF and Merge PDF tools all run client-side in the browser tab using the open-source pdf-lib library, which implements the PDF 1.7 specification (ISO 32000-1).²

Related ScoutMyTool tools and articles

• Merge PDF — combine the converted images and any PDFs into one file.
• JPG to PDF — convert JPG/JPEG photos (and most HEIC/TIFF).
• PNG to PDF — convert screenshots and line-drawing PNGs.
• Rearrange PDF pages — fix order after merging.
• Rotate PDF — fix sideways pages.
• Compress PDF — bring the merged file under email limits.
• Add Page Numbers — paginate the merged bundle.
• How to send large PDFs over email — when the merged bundle is still too big.
• PDF table of contents generator — add a clickable outline to long combined bundles.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to convert images to PDF first, or can I combine them directly?

Both work. The two-step path — convert images to PDF using a JPG-to-PDF or PNG-to-PDF tool, then merge all the PDFs — gives you the most control over each image's page size, orientation, and margins. Direct combination is faster but typically produces letter-or-A4-sized pages with each image scaled to fit. For most everyday bundles (receipts, assignments, claims), the direct path is fine. For court exhibits and visa packets where every page has formatting requirements, the two-step path is worth the extra minute.

Will the final PDF be enormous if I include high-resolution photos?

Yes, unless you compress. A typical iPhone photo is 3–5 MB; ten of them turn into a ~40 MB merged PDF, which is over every major email provider's 25 MB cap. After merging, run the file through ScoutMyTool's Compress PDF tool — most everyday photo bundles drop by 50–70 percent with no visible quality loss in normal viewing. If you have a specific size target (under 20 MB for Outlook, under 25 MB for Gmail), pick the corresponding compression preset.

What happens to the order — will the merged PDF match the order I added the files?

Yes. Every reputable PDF merger preserves the order the files appear in the list. If you need a different order, reorder the list before clicking Merge. After merging, if the order is wrong, use ScoutMyTool's Rearrange Pages tool — drag and drop pages into the correct sequence and save the corrected PDF.

My iPhone exports HEIC, not JPG. Will that work?

Most modern tools accept HEIC directly, but a few legacy tools and many email recipients' inboxes do not. The safest path is to convert HEIC to JPG on the iPhone before sending: Photos app → Share → Save to Files → choose "JPG". Alternatively, the iPhone has a setting at Settings → Camera → Formats → Most Compatible that forces every new photo to be saved as JPG instead of HEIC, which avoids the conversion step entirely.

How do I keep portrait and landscape pages from looking mismatched?

Most combine tools auto-rotate the image to fit the page. If you mix portrait and landscape source images, the result will have alternating page orientations — visually inconsistent but technically valid. Two fixes: (a) force a consistent orientation in the converter (set all pages to portrait, with landscape images scaled to fit), or (b) accept the mixed orientation but use the Rotate PDF tool after merging to manually fix any pages that ended up upside-down or sideways.

Are my photos uploaded anywhere when I use a free combiner?

It depends on the tool. Browser-uploading combiners (Smallpdf, iLovePDF, Adobe online) upload every image to their servers, build the PDF there, and stream the result back — so yes, your photos transit a third-party server. Client-side combiners (ScoutMyTool) run the operation in your browser tab using pdf-lib and the canvas API for image embedding; nothing leaves your machine. For receipts and family photos this rarely matters; for medical scans, identity documents, or evidence packets, the difference is significant.

Can I add a cover page or contents page when combining?

Yes. Create the cover as a PDF (any word processor will export one), put it at the top of the file list, and merge. To add a clickable table-of-contents bookmark tree to the merged bundle, run the result through ScoutMyTool's TOC generator after the merge — it can detect headings, follow a CSV, or accept a manual outline.