# What is SVG in EPUB?

Source: https://epubcc.com/glossary/svg/ (updated 2026-11-04)

SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) is the XML vector image format allowed in EPUB 3, either as image files or inline in content documents. Unlike JPEG or PNG, it stays sharp at any size.

## Why it matters when you convert a PDF to EPUB

Charts and diagrams in a PDF are often vector drawings; converting them to SVG keeps them sharp, while rasterising them is simpler and more compatible with older readers. Fixed-layout pages built as SVG need a viewBox.

How EpubCC handles it: the engine does not produce SVG. Images are taken from the PDF as JPEG or PNG with a longest side of 1,600 pixels, and drawings that are not image objects (lines and shapes drawn directly on the page, as in many charts) are not carried into the EPUB. Chart-heavy PDFs are therefore a known weak spot, and the free sample shows how a given chart comes out.