diff --git a/debian/changelog b/debian/changelog
index b51e9425..7056609b 100644
--- a/debian/changelog
+++ b/debian/changelog
@@ -2,6 +2,12 @@ debian-cd (3.1.34) UNRELEASED; urgency=medium
 
   * data/bullseye: Update Debian Edu installer logo and syslinux splash image
     from src:debian-edu-artwork 2.11.5-1.
+  * tools/boot/*/boot-x86: Prevent custom splash images from being modified.
+    The related code seems to have been useful a long time ago (the need to use
+    an RLE file and to reduce the number of colours to 16 has been dropped as of
+    syslinux version 3.62). So replace obsolete code with a simple cp command.
+  * debian/control: Drop Recommends: on netpbm and syslinux-utils. These are no
+    longer needed now that custom splash images are used unmodified.
 
  -- Wolfgang Schweer <wschweer@arcor.de>  Fri, 12 Feb 2021 22:07:27 +0100
 
diff --git a/debian/control b/debian/control
index bc55ad59..a7cab4b0 100644
--- a/debian/control
+++ b/debian/control
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ Vcs-Browser: https://salsa.debian.org/images-team/debian-cd
 Package: debian-cd
 Architecture: all
 Depends: ${misc:Depends}, curl, perl, dpkg-dev, cpp, libdigest-md5-perl, libdigest-sha-perl, tofrodos, apt, make, xorriso | genisoimage, lynx, grep-dctrl, bc, libcompress-zlib-perl, bzip2, libdpkg-perl, wget
-Recommends: hfsutils, netpbm, isolinux, syslinux-common, syslinux-utils, mtools, dosfstools
+Recommends: hfsutils, isolinux, syslinux-common, mtools, dosfstools
 Description: Tools for building (Official) Debian CD set
  Debian-cd is the official tool for building Debian CD set since the potato
  release. It was formerly called YACS (for Yet Another CD Script).
diff --git a/tools/boot/bullseye/boot-x86 b/tools/boot/bullseye/boot-x86
index ff0f7104..0e12ed73 100644
--- a/tools/boot/bullseye/boot-x86
+++ b/tools/boot/bullseye/boot-x86
@@ -380,11 +380,7 @@ EOF
 fi
 
 if [ "$SPLASHPNG" ] ; then
-    # Insert our own splash screen.  Color index 0 is background, and
-    # index 7 is foreground.  Set to black and white respecively
-    pngtopnm < $SPLASHPNG | ppmquant 16 | \
-        ppmtolss16 "#ffffff=7" "#000000=0" > boot$N/isolinux/splash.rle
-    pngtopnm < $SPLASHPNG | ppmquant 16 | pnmtopng  > boot$N/isolinux/splash.png
+    cp $SPLASHPNG boot$N/isolinux/splash.png
 fi
 
 # used by Debian Edu
diff --git a/tools/boot/buster/boot-x86 b/tools/boot/buster/boot-x86
index 15c5961a..9110dcdb 100644
--- a/tools/boot/buster/boot-x86
+++ b/tools/boot/buster/boot-x86
@@ -406,11 +406,7 @@ EOF
 fi
 
 if [ "$SPLASHPNG" ] ; then
-    # Insert our own splash screen.  Color index 0 is background, and
-    # index 7 is foreground.  Set to black and white respecively
-    pngtopnm < $SPLASHPNG | ppmquant 16 | \
-        ppmtolss16 "#ffffff=7" "#000000=0" > boot$N/isolinux/splash.rle
-    pngtopnm < $SPLASHPNG | ppmquant 16 | pnmtopng  > boot$N/isolinux/splash.png
+    cp $SPLASHPNG boot$N/isolinux/splash.png
 fi
 
 # used by Debian Edu
diff --git a/tools/boot/jessie/boot-x86 b/tools/boot/jessie/boot-x86
index 2c2e7b0b..a7162dc3 100644
--- a/tools/boot/jessie/boot-x86
+++ b/tools/boot/jessie/boot-x86
@@ -387,11 +387,7 @@ else
 fi
 
 if [ "$SPLASHPNG" ] ; then
-    # Insert our own splash screen.  Color index 0 is background, and
-    # index 7 is foreground.  Set to black and white respecively
-    pngtopnm < $SPLASHPNG | ppmquant 16 | \
-        ppmtolss16 "#ffffff=7" "#000000=0" > boot$N/isolinux/splash.rle
-    pngtopnm < $SPLASHPNG | ppmquant 16 | pnmtopng  > boot$N/isolinux/splash.png
+    cp $SPLASHPNG boot$N/isolinux/splash.png
 fi
 
 # used by Debian Edu
diff --git a/tools/boot/stretch/boot-x86 b/tools/boot/stretch/boot-x86
index 0c250ef1..03e11816 100644
--- a/tools/boot/stretch/boot-x86
+++ b/tools/boot/stretch/boot-x86
@@ -404,11 +404,7 @@ EOF
 fi
 
 if [ "$SPLASHPNG" ] ; then
-    # Insert our own splash screen.  Color index 0 is background, and
-    # index 7 is foreground.  Set to black and white respecively
-    pngtopnm < $SPLASHPNG | ppmquant 16 | \
-        ppmtolss16 "#ffffff=7" "#000000=0" > boot$N/isolinux/splash.rle
-    pngtopnm < $SPLASHPNG | ppmquant 16 | pnmtopng  > boot$N/isolinux/splash.png
+    cp $SPLASHPNG boot$N/isolinux/splash.png
 fi
 
 # used by Debian Edu