I have noticed that when I insert a JPG image into a PDF file using Preview, the application inserts white padding around the image. Meanwhile, when I insert a PDF image, no white padding is added. Why is the same image treated differently based on its file format?
MacBook Pro (15-inch Mid 2012), OS X Mavericks (10.9.2)
I'm guessing that when you add a raw graphic file to a set of PDFs pages, OS X "puts the image on a page", possibly either the same size as the preceding page, or the print default size.
Every PDF page contains data specifying its page size, so that data is already there when you drop in a PDF file. Most image files don't actually specify their intended size: they are merely displayed at a useful resolution.
If you want the images to be a different size from your other pages in your PDFs, then you will be better off converting them to PDFs before adding to another PDF. If this is part of a procedure that you do repeatedly, then you should look at the possibilities of automation in OS X.
Why is Preview adding white padding around my images?
