"Can you send that in an eps?"

“Can’t you just use the logo on my website on the banner you’re designing for me?”

I’m not calling out any specific customer. Over the past 20 years, I’ve heard this phrase or something similar more times than I’d dare count. And with so many different types of file formats a logo can be saved in, it’s no wonder people are confused. And the answer is, we could use that graphic, but it would be blurry and pixilated and everyone would be bummed.

So, here is a run down of a few of the most common formats used and an explanation of what each is best suited for.

.ai and .eps

Vector formats like .ai (Adobe Illustrator) and .eps (encapsulated postscript) are the best and most versatile of the formats. Editable vector files allow for an illustration to be enlarged to any size without loosing quality. From either of these formats, we can also easily create several other formats. We always request this file type from our customers.

Other vendors such as those who make specialty products like shirts, mugs, and pens will also love you for providing your logo this way. One thing to remember: you may not be able to open or view these formats on your computer as they require special software. Just keep the file in a special place on your computer and remember what it’s there for.

.jpg and .png

Bitmap formats like .jpeg (joint photographic experts group — say that 3 times fast) and .png (portable network graphics) are perfect to use in your emails or work documents using Microsoft programs. Like most of our customers, you’re likely familiar with jpegs. But if you need a file with a transparent background, .png is the way to go. The main limitation to these files is that as they are enlarged, they lose quality.

Here is an example of our logo to show how, when enlarged the .eps remains crisp and clean, while the .jpg doesn’t fare so well.