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Guide — Document Formats

PDF, EML, MSG & CBR Explained

Email messages, comic archives, and portable documents each use their own file format for good reasons — this guide explains what each one is, and why converting them to PDF is often the most useful thing you can do with them.

What Each Format Is

PDF (Portable Document Format) is a fixed-layout document format designed to look identical no matter what device or software opens it — text, images, and formatting are all locked in place, which is exactly why it's the standard for anything meant to be viewed or printed exactly as written.

EML is a file format for a single email message — sender, recipient, subject, body, and any attachments, all stored in one plain-text-based file. It's an open format supported by most email clients, including Thunderbird, Apple Mail, and many webmail export tools.

MSG serves the same purpose as EML — a single saved email message — but it's Microsoft Outlook's own proprietary binary format. If you've ever dragged an email out of Outlook onto your desktop, it saved as an MSG file.

CBR (Comic Book RAR) is an archive format for digital comics — under the hood, it's simply a RAR file containing a sequence of image files, one per page, that comic reader software displays in order like a digital flipbook.

Format What It Is Typical Use
PDF Portable document — fixed layout, text and images Universal viewing, printing, sharing
EML Single email message, header + body + attachments Used by most email clients (Thunderbird, Apple Mail, Gmail export)
MSG Single email message, Outlook-specific binary format Native to Microsoft Outlook
CBR Comic book archive — a RAR file of sequential images Digital comic and manga reading

Why Convert These to PDF

EML, MSG, and CBR all require specific software to open properly — an email client for the first two, a comic reader for the third. PDF sidesteps that requirement entirely: it opens in any browser, on any device, without needing the original software installed. That universal compatibility is the main reason to convert, alongside two more specific benefits: archival, since a PDF is a stable, self-contained snapshot that won't depend on a particular mail client or reader continuing to support the original format, and printing, since PDFs are built for exact, predictable print output in a way none of the other three formats are.

Common Use Cases

Converting EML or MSG to PDF comes up most often for email archival and legal records — turning a saved message into a document that can be filed, printed, or submitted as evidence without requiring the recipient to have any particular email software. Converting CBR to PDF is popular for digital comic reading, since PDF readers are available on essentially every device, whereas comic-specific reader apps aren't always installed.

Our EML to PDF, MSG to PDF, and CBR to PDF converters handle each of these conversions entirely in your browser, with nothing uploaded to a server.

Related Tools

EML to PDF

Convert an email message file into a PDF.

 MSG to PDF

Convert an Outlook MSG email into a PDF.

 CBR to PDF

Convert a comic book archive into a PDF.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I open an EML file without Outlook?

Yes — EML is a widely supported open format used by most email clients, including Apple Mail, Thunderbird, and many webmail export tools, so you don't need Outlook specifically to open one. Some email clients will open an EML file directly by double-clicking it; if yours doesn't, converting it to PDF makes it viewable in any browser or PDF reader instead.

What's the difference between EML and MSG?

Both store a single email message, but EML is an open, plain-text-based format supported broadly across email clients, while MSG is a proprietary binary format specific to Microsoft Outlook. An email saved from Outlook typically comes out as MSG unless you explicitly export it as EML; most non-Outlook tools expect EML.

Can I convert a CBR file to PDF without losing image quality?

Yes — a CBR is just a RAR archive containing a sequence of image files (usually JPG or PNG), one per comic page, so converting it to PDF means repackaging those same images into PDF pages rather than re-compressing them. Done properly, the visual quality of each page carries over unchanged.

Why convert EML or MSG to PDF instead of keeping the original?

PDF is viewable on essentially any device without needing an email client at all, which matters for archival, legal records, or sharing a message with someone who doesn't use the same mail software. Converting also flattens the email — headers, body, and any inline content — into a single static document that won't change or become unreadable if the original email format falls out of support.