Optimizing Media for GoCanvas

Effective use of media across GoCanvas, such as photos, logos, and static reference images, is essential for clear, branded, and professional documentation, but oversized, unsupported, or poorly formatted files can cause upload failures, slow sync, and delayed PDF generation. These issues can affect forms, mobile users in the field, and all versions of GoCanvas PDFs, including both Standard PDFs and Designer PDFs.

To avoid these issues, you should optimize all media used in GoCanvas by standardizing formats, sizes, and compression before uploading. Use PNG or JPEG files, resize large images (often to a maximum width near 1000 pixels), compress them to reasonable file sizes, and then manage them centrally as logos, reference images, and PDF assets in your GoCanvas account.

Choose supported formats and target sizes

• Use PNG or JPEG for all photos, logos, and static images in forms and PDFs.
• For logos, prefer transparent PNGs on colored backgrounds and keep file sizes under about 1 MB to avoid upload and rendering issues.
• Resize large images so the longest side is around 1000 pixels to balance clarity and performance in PDFs.

Optimize images before upload

• Use image tools to compress files with lossless or high-quality settings, reducing size without visibly degrading quality.
• Avoid uploading very high-resolution photos directly from cameras when not necessary, as they can slow mobile sync and report generation.

Add and manage media in forms

• For static or reference images (such as diagrams or legends), upload them in the Reference Data & Images area, then attach them with a Static Image field in the Builder so they appear consistently across forms.
• Use photo fields when users must capture images in the field; rely on GoCanvas image compression settings to manage file size for submissions.

Add logos and images in PDFs

• For Standard PDFs, upload your logo following the documented pixel and size guidelines so it fits correctly in the header.
• For Designer PDFs, open the PDF Designer for your app, drag in Image elements for logos or graphics, upload your optimized files, then resize and position them within the layout.
• Apply your brand colors (sampled from your logo via hex codes) to backgrounds and text to keep PDF styling consistent.

Review and troubleshoot

• Preview your PDFs to confirm logos, reference images, and photos display clearly and at the right size before publishing changes.
• If PDFs are slow or fail to generate, recheck embedded images for excessive resolution or file size and replace them with optimized versions.
• If images do not appear in forms or PDFs, verify that the files use supported formats, meet pixel guidelines, and are correctly linked (as Reference Images or Image elements).
• If issues persist, contact GoCanvas Support with examples of affected apps and image files for further assistance.

Conclusion

By standardizing formats, resizing and compressing images, and using GoCanvas tools for logos, static images, and PDFs as intended, organizations can maintain fast, reliable app performance and produce professional, on-brand documentation across all GoCanvas outputs. Applying these best practices not only reduces technical issues but also ensures that every form, reference image, and generated PDF delivers clear, consistent value.