What is vector art and why do I need it?
To accurately produce your logos and design elements, it’s critical that we get art in the correct format so it will print clearly, without pixelization, and make sure it looks amazing!
Images may look clear on your screen, but that does’t mean they can be printed any bigger than you see it without it becoming blurry and pixelated. We require your logo and artwork files to be in a vector format. A format that can be scaled infinitely, without pixelization, and will remain crisp and clear. Non-vector images such as raster or bitmap graphics are made up of small dots (pixels) and can only be printed as large as they are initially created, any bigger and they start to pixelate. vector graphics are based on mathematical equations, not pixels, and can be made as big as you like, always remaining crisp, clear, and sharp, Vector graphics are recalculated every time they are resized. The most common file formats you will find vector graphics in are .ai, .svg, .pdf, and .eps.
The most common raster file formats are .jpeg, .jpg, .tiff, and .gif. Unfortunately, we cannot use raster based images for most types of work.
Example 1 : Vector Graphics (showing how a small graphic can be enlarged and remain clear).
Example 2 : Bitmap Graphics (showing how a small graphic is enlarged and becomes pixelated).
Frequently Asked Questions
Q : My logo is a jpg (bitmap format), is it possible to simply save it as a pdf and it will be in vector format?
A : Unfortunately, no, your logo needs to be re-drawn in vector format using Adobe Illustrator. One of our designers will need to re-draw your logo. Once re-drawn, we will provide you with an eps file to keep for all future advertising needs. Total cost depends on the complexity of your logo or artwork.
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Q : How do I check if my logo is in vector format or not?
A : The best way is to look at the file extension (the .xxx after the file name). If it’s not .ai, .svg, .pdf, or .eps, it’s not vector. There can be instances of having the correct file extension and still not having vector art within the file. If you send us your file in one of the formats listed above, we can check it for you.
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Q : Can I use a logo from my website or Facebook?
A : Images that are displayed on websites are in bitmap format, so no this is not possible.