

Many printing processes can only work with vector file input.

If you have a business logo saved in a vector format, it can be resized to fit on a billboard with no problems or reduced to be printed on a ballpoint pen or business card. Since vectors are based around formulas, vector graphics can scale at high resolution to virtually unlimited sizes. “The key difference between vector and raster files comes down to utility.” In other words, don’t print an image from Instagram at poster size and expect it to look as crisp as it did onscreen. Because of this set number, if a raster file is printed at a larger dimension than what it was designed for, it will appear visibly grainy and pixelated because the dots that compose the image are forced to grow larger as the medium they’re printed on grows. Raster files are composed of a set number of pixels. The key difference between vector and raster files comes down to utility. tif: Images saved as a Tagged Image Format File (also TIFF) are popular with photographers and graphic designers as they can be edited and re-saved without losing image quality. This is the second-most used image format online. gif: The Graphic Interchange Format (GIF) file extension is used for animated graphics. png: Images saved in the Portable Network Graphic (PNG) format have the ability to display transparent backgrounds. This is the most commonly used format for digital and online photos. jpg: A compressed image format standardised by the Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG). Images distort and become grainy when stretched to fill a larger space, which is why they can appear pixelated when resized. Comprising a fixed number of pixels, raster images can’t be resized significantly without losing some of their resolution quality. Raster files are composed of coloured blocks commonly referred to as pixels. svg: The Scalable Vector Graphics format is based in XML (a markup language used widely across the Internet that's readable by both machines and humans). It’s useful for the web, where it can be indexed, searched, and scripted. pdf: The Portable Document Format is built for the exchange of documents across platforms and is editable in Adobe Acrobat. eps: Encapsulated PostScript is an older type of vector graphics file.eps files don’t support transparency in the way more modern file formats like.

ai: Short for Adobe Illustrator, this file is commonly used in print media and digital graphics, such as logos.
