When submitting your logo or design for printing, you may be asked “Do you have a Vector File?” You may be thinking what the heck is a Vector File? Don’t worry, we run across this situation almost every day. In simple terms, a Vector File is a specific file format commonly used in the creation of a logo or design . Specialized software typically used by Graphic Designers is necessary to create Vector Files. Often times, Graphic Designers will create a design in Vector format but only send over Bitmap files to their client. More often than not, most clients do not have the necessary software to open or even view a Vector file. Bitmap images are viewable and usable for most projects – until it comes to printing.
Why does Printing need Vector format? Why can’t they use my .jpg or .png bitmap file? The answer is simple – bitmap files cannot be manipulated or resized without blurring or pixelating. In addition, certain print processes require for all colors in a design be separated. All of this can be done in Vector, but not in Bitmap.
Not sure if your logo is Vector or Bitmap? Here is a breakdown of file types. This is not all inclusive, but these are the most common:
Vector – .ai, .svg, .eps, .pdf
Bitmap – .jpg, .gif, .png, .bmp, .tiff, .psd
We hope this helps. If you still have questions, contact us at Big T Printing and we will be glad to help!
