Printing File Formats 101

When it comes to files there are a ton of formats.  For some people knowing if a file is “open able” or “un-openable” on their computer is adequate enough, while others may be interested in learning exactly what the different file formats mean.  Today we are going to briefly discuss the difference between file formats that are generally used for printing.

Before we go any further we need to discuss that there are two kinds of categories for files for printing – vector and raster.  We will discuss these categories below.

Vector files are resolution-independent images that are based on mathematical equations to display their image.  Still with me?  This means that no matter how you resize the image, it will retain all information without affecting the quality of the image.  Vector files can be created with Adobe Illustrator and generally have a file extension of “.eps”.  Vector is the ideal format for logos and generally is the most requested because it allows designers to resize the logo without interfering with the quality of the image.

Raster files, also known as bitmap files, are based on square bits of information called pixels to build the image.  Each pixel is a separate color and the entire image is made up of a patchwork of these color pieces.  This means that resolution plays an important role in how your image will look.  If the original image started out at 72 dpi at 100% and is increased to 200% then your dpi will drop to 36, which will result in your graphic looking less clear than it did at 100%.  Raster files generally are created in Adobe Photoshop and Microsoft Paint and have “.jpg”, “.tif“, “.gif”, and “.bmp” extensions.  These formats are used for images on the web, photos, and scanned images.

JPEG – one of the most common file formats, especially for photos.  JPEG’s use a built in compression to reduce file size.

TIFF – one of the best types of files to use in print for high quality images

GIF – commonly used for on-screen viewing.  GIF’s should not be used for print because they are almost always 72dpi or less, meaning they will print poorly.

BMP – commonly used format for high quality scanned images

Hopefully, this has provided some insight on file formats.  Feel free to contact us at (989) 695-6770 or marketing@zentx.com if you have any design or file questions.

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