Image data representing a desktop image for a client device that is accessing the desktop remotely is compressed according to a method that preserves image fidelity in selected non-text regions. The method, which is carried out in a remote server, includes the steps of generating image data for the remote desktop image and analyzing different regions of the remote desktop image, identifying those regions of the remote desktop image that are text regions, selecting non-text regions of the remote desktop image for lossless compression based on a spatial relationship between the non-text regions and the text regions, compressing the image data using a lossless compression protocol for a portion of the image data corresponding to the selected non-text regions, and transmitting the compressed image data to the client device.