Vector file guides
Plain-English answers for anyone who’s been asked for “a vector file” and isn’t sure what they have. No design background needed.
How to tell if your logo is a vector
Four ways to check if a logo is a true vector, from a 10-second zoom test to opening the file, and what each method can miss.
4 min readWhat is a vector file?
What a vector file is, how it differs from a JPG or PNG, and why printers, sign shops and embroiderers keep asking for one.
3 min readWhy isn’t my PDF a vector?
A PDF is a container. It can hold vector shapes, a picture, or both. Here’s how to tell which one you have, and how to fix it.
2 min readFake vectors: a JPG in disguise
Why renaming or re-saving a JPG doesn’t make it a vector, the common ways fake vectors get made, and how to spot one.
3 min readMy printer says my logo isn’t a vector
What the printer means, how to check the file you sent, and the fastest ways to get them the file they need.
3 min readHow do I get a vector version of my logo?
Where to look first, exactly which files to ask your designer for, and when to redraw or auto-trace instead.
3 min readIs an EPS or AI file always a vector?
EPS and Illustrator files are vector formats, but either one can hold a picture. How that happens, and how to check yours.
2 min readWhat is an SVG?
The web’s vector format: what it’s good for, when an SVG isn’t really a vector, and whether to send one to a printer.
2 min readWhat does “convert fonts to outlines” mean?
Why printers want your text turned into shapes, how to do it in Illustrator, Inkscape, Affinity, Figma and CorelDRAW, and what to save first.
2 min readIs an auto-traced logo good enough?
How auto-tracing works, when the result is fine, when it isn’t, and how to tell a traced logo from one drawn by hand.
2 min read