VECTOR VS RASTER FILES

10/17/2018

I've had several customers ask me about file types for print and digital graphics so I decided to write this blog to shed some light on the confusion.
Having an idea of what you want to achieve will help you determine which file type is right for the project. Understanding the importance and role of different file types is essential to ensuring your brand is properly represented.

Vector: AI, EPS and PDF.*
Typical program used for editing vector files: Illustrator, Cad

Most common type of vector files are fonts and logos. A vector image is made up of paths and points which are interpreted as a series of mathematically generated curves. Your company logo and brand graphics should be created as a vector file, which can be used on anything from business cards and letterhead, shirts and other marketing products. Vector files can be scaled to infinite size without compromise to quality. They are smaller, more compact files due to the mathematical composition of vector files. Vector files offer the highest versatility and quality for brand elements. PDF files are usually vector files. However, depending on how it was created, it could also be a raster file. Usually this is determined when you opt to flatten the layers of a file (raster) or retain its layers (vector) upon saving.

AI– Adobe Illustrator
AI files are vector files used to generate art—created and edited with Adobe Illustrator. Vector-based AI files are scalable to any size. Commonly used for creating logos, illustrations and print layouts.

EPS– Encapsulated Postscript
EPS files are vector files of a graphic, text or illustration. Vector-based EPS files are scalable to any size. EPS files can be opened using Adobe Illustrator, or Adobe Photoshop.

PDF– Portable Document Format
A PDF is a universal file format that preserves the fonts, images, layout and graphics of a source document. PDF files can be shared, viewed and printed by anyone with free Adobe Reader software. Some PDF files can be used for digital or desktop printing.

OUR PROCESS: RASTER TO VECTOR
Do you have a JPEG file but need a scalable Vector file format? We can help!
We take your JPEG and create a vector file from scratch. You will receive several file types for all print and digital uses.

original JPEG file

Vector Line Work

Line Work Prepped for Color

Finished Vector File

DXF file for Laser Cutting
DXF is a file extension for a graphic image format typically used with AutoCAD (Computer Assisted Drafting) software. DXF stands for Drawing eXchange Format.

Vector File for Laser Cutting

Finished Laser Cut Product

EPS file for Apparel Design
EPS– Encapsulated Postscript
EPS files are vector files of a graphic, text or illustration. Vector-based EPS files are scalable to any size. EPS files can be opened using Adobe Illustrator, or Adobe Photoshop.

Vector File for Transfer Production

Finished Product

Raster: PSD, JPEG, PNG, TIFF, and GIF.
Typical program used for editing raster files: Photoshop

Most commonly used for photographs or online resources. An image made up of hundreds of pixels. Every photo you find online or in print is a raster image built upon a fixed number of pixels. As such, they can not be scaled without compromising their resolution. When stretched, pixels are added which are not part of the original image, causing blurry, low-res images. Raster files tend to be large due to the data required to fill each pixel with color information.

PSD– Photoshop Document
The PSD file format, usually a raster file, contains graphics and photos created in Adobe Photoshop software. PSD files can only be opened and edited using Adobe Photoshop.

JPEG/JPG– Joint Photographic Experts Group
A JPEG file is a compressed raster image file that does not support a transparent background. JPEG resolution decreases as the file size is decreased. When compressed repeatedly the overall quality of a JPEG image is reduced.

PNG– Portable Network Graphics
The PNG file format is a raster file most commonly created for use online and are not suited for print due to their low resolution. PNG files are bitmap images that employ lossless (meaning they can be edited and not lose quality) data compression. PNG files can be created with a transparent background.

TIFF/TIF– Tagged Image File Format
The TIFF/TIF file format is a large raster file and usually used when saving photographs for print use. TIFF files are most commonly used in professional environments and commercial printing. Though large in size, TIFF files are considered to be the most reliable format for high quality images.

GIF– Graphics Interchange Format
GIF files are low resolution raster files most commonly used for web and email purposes. Often used in their animated form, GIF files are comprised of up to 256 colours. Due to the limited number of colours, their file size is typically smaller. GIF files can be created with a transparent background.

Special Event JPEG & TIFF files created in Photoshop: