The problem with logos and pixels

File formats such as JPEG, TIF, GIF, PNG create an image with pixels. In many situations this is good or necessary, for example for printed photographs and images on websites.

With logos on printed documents however, the last thing you want to see is pixels and fuzzy edges. For this reason logos are drawn in a vector program, usually Adobe Illustrator. The illustration shows an exaggeration of the difference between vectors on the left and pixels on the right. The lower left image will help to explain. Vectors (lines) determine the image and then further coded information tells the computer what colour it should be. ‘Draw a square and colour it orange’. Whatever size it is, it is always an orange square. Pixels however are always an approximation, and the more you enlarge them the more approximate they get.

For this reason, when producing printed literature, we always look for logos in their original vector format so that we can produce the best results.

Adobe Illustrator produces file formats such as .AI and .EPS and these are usually the files we are looking for. These formats are not often used in office or corporate environments so they tend to get lost. A quick enquiry to your printer or signmaker usually produces the correct file.