This is a question we get asked by our customers frequently. It's a great question to ask, for most it's just a meaningless word.
In simple terms a vector file is made up of mathematic formulas that form points on a grid. The main benefits of this this are that vector files can be scaled to any size and won't lose any quality. This is extremely important in the print industry and its common for us to receive artwork that needs the size adjusting.
The other main benefit is that its easy for us to adjust the colours of the design. This is a necessity when a printed label needs to be colour matched to a specific pantone or a physical object
Our production team can also adjust designs depending on what colours and materials are being printed used, giving you the best results possible. The most common vector file formats are .ai, .eps, .pdf and .svg.
What if my design isn't a vector?
If your design isn't a vector file then its most likely what we call a raster file. This is format that is made of up of pixels – Something that most have heard of! Raster files can't be scaled without losing quality therefore they become grainy and blurry. This is then a problem when it comes to printing!
While we can print raster files that are good enough quality, we always recommend printing a vector file for the reasons mentioned previously. The most common raster files are .jpg, .png, .gif, and .tif. These are all files made up of pixels.
How do I vectorise my raster image?
Design software is the best way to create vector graphics. At sticker gizmo we use Adobe Illustrator which is the most popular software that supports vector graphics. Our experienced designers can take a raster image and turn it into a vector graphic. This is part of our free design service which is included in all full orders.
There are also some free websites like vectorizer.ai that can take a raster image and turn it into a vector.
One part of a raster image that we don't always recommending turning into a vector is a photo. Vectorising a photo can create a cartoon effect which isn’t always desired (See example below).
If a photo is good enough quality this part of a design can be left as a raster image and other parts like text and logos can be vectorised.
How can we help?
All of our orders include our free design service. So if none of the above made any sense, don’t panic! We are always here to help. All of the Sticker Gizmo customer service crew are experienced graphic designers with years of experience preparing files for print.
If you want help before placing a order, please give a call or email us!