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PAM at a glance
PAM
Convert to PAM when using Unix-style image tools or scripted workflows that benefit from a simple, explicit raster container with more flexibility than PBM/PGM/PPM.
It is useful as an intermediate technical format.
MD at a glance
MD
Convert to Markdown when the output should remain easy to edit in plain text, store in Git, review in diffs, or feed into automated publishing systems.
It is ideal for documentation, articles, developer guides, release notes, and notes that will later be rendered into richer formats.
Use Markdown when semantic structure matters more than exact page layout.
Format comparison
| Feature | PAM | MD |
|---|---|---|
| File type | Image | Document |
| Extensions |
|
|
| MIME type |
|
|
| Compression / quality | depends | depends |
| File size characteristics | medium | medium |
| Compatibility | broad | broad |
| Editability | moderate | moderate |
| Created year | 2000 | 2004 |
| Inventor | Jef Poskanzer / Netpbm lineage | John Gruber and Aaron Swartz |
| Status | active | active |
| Primary use cases |
|
|
| Common software |
|
|
| Archival suitability | moderate | strong |
| Metadata handling | moderate | moderate |
| Delivery profile | strong | strong |
| Workflow fit | delivery | exchange |
| Vector scaling | ❌ | ❌ |
When to use each format
When to use PAM
- capture ingest
- editing
- web or print delivery
- Very simple to parse and generate.
When to use MD
- authoring
- review and collaboration
- distribution
- Readable in raw plain text.
FAQs
Why convert PAM to MD?
Convert to Markdown when the output should remain easy to edit in plain text, store in Git, review in diffs, or feed into automated publishing systems.
It is ideal for documentation, articles, developer guides, release notes, and notes that will later be rendered into richer formats.
Use Markdown when semantic structure matters more than exact page layout.
What changes when converting PAM to MD?
This conversion changes how the format behaves in downstream tools and delivery environments.
Archival profile changes from moderate in PAM to strong in MD. Workflow profile changes from delivery in PAM to exchange in MD.
What should I review after converting PAM to MD?
Check the exported file for Feature sets vary significantly across implementations.; The simplicity that made Markdown popular also created years of portability ambiguity..