Whether you are looking to put your company's logo on an award, pen, shirt, business card or one of the thousands of other mediums out there, using appropriate artwork is key. As digital art evolves it can be increasingly difficult to know if you are submitting "usable" or "digital-ready" art. Understanding the differences between the types of files can save a lot of time and aggravation!
There are two different kinds of art used by computers: "Vector" art and "Bitmap" art. The difference between these types is how an image is created and stored within the art file itself.
Vector Art
A vector file contains the information for creating lines; an equation that includes both direction and velocity. Using these coordinates, the computer can draw a line from point A to point B, creating a proper curve. Vector files can be enlarged without distortion because the computer simply recomputes the coordinates. There are several file extensions associated with this type of art: AI (Adobe Illustrator), EPS (Encapsulated Postscript), CDW (CorelDraw) and others. It is helpful to know whether you should submit Windows or Mac based art, as the file types do vary. Windows can only understand file extensions that contain three characters. So AI, for example, could only be read by a Mac.
Bitmap Art
Bitmap files are nothing like vector files. They consist of a series of numbers that represent coordinates within the image area's grid, and the color for that pixel. Pixels are the tiny dots on your computer screen that light up and create everything you see. A line from a bitmap file might look something like this: (62, 19, 64). The first two numbers represent the coordinates on the grid, and the third number represents the color for that pixel. Unlike vector art, bitmap files cannot be enlarged without losing image quality. The current industry standard for bitmap resolution is 300 dots per inch, or dpi, at full size or greater. Common file extensions associated with bitmap files are TIF, BMP, GIF and JPEG.
What is NOT Acceptable
While it helps to understand why types of art are acceptable, it is just as valuable to understand what is not usable. Photocopies, faxes, business cards or any other printed materials are never acceptable as art. PDF, DOC, PUB and TXT are all unusable file extensions. If you are unsure of the type of file needed, consult your promotional products distributor.
Compressing Your Files
Another important aspect of digital art is how to transfer it properly. Before sending any type of art file, it should be compressed. Compression makes large files smaller, decreasing transfer time. More importantly, it protects against corruption. Your artwork files are delicate programs that must be enclosed in a file type designed for proper transmittal. The two most popular compression programs are WinZip (.zip) and StuffIt (.sit).
Although this information may seem a bit confusing, the good news is that the entire industry uses the same artwork guidelines. Just remember a few simple rules: When in doubt, use vector files. If you do submit bitmap instead, make sure it is at least 300 dpi or greater at full size. Compress your files before electronically transferring them. As always, if you have any questions, your promotional products distributor is just a phone call away!
Tom Vann, "How to Get the Right Artwork" Impressions, April 2004
Russell Cera, "Transferring Acceptable Files" Impressions, May 2006
"What is Vector Art?" www.smrsoftware.com