A vector file is made up of lines, curves, shapes and fonts all saved in outlines; different than files many people are more accustomed to via Microsoft Office. A Vector file is a graphics file that contains a vector image, rather than a raster or bitmapped image. Shapes and lines make up vector graphics, which are fully scalable images, while raster images are made of pixels and cannot be scaled up without loss. Vector graphics appear smooth at the edges no matter how they are sized, whereas raster graphics appear jagged, or pixilated when scaled up. Vector files provide a high quality of reproduction based on their clean lines and curves. Vector artwork provides sharper and smoother output. It is the only file type for clean resizing. Most promotional products producers will not accept or guarantee their work without vector artwork.
Vector files are usually created in dedicated vector graphics editing programs, such as Adobe Illustrator. The acceptable output files from Illustrator saved in outlines are: .AI | .EPS | .PDF | .SVG. If a file is saved in one of these formats (.eps, .ai or .pdf), that does not mean it is truly vector art. Only art originally created in a vector editing program, such as Adobe Illustrator, is truly vector art. Even then, fonts that have not been converted to outlines and linked or embedded art may exist within the Illustrator file that will make the correct saved format unusable. If your file is saved as a .JPG | .PNG | .BMP | .GIF | .PSD | .TIF it is NOT vector art. If this is all you have, please speak to customer service to see if we can vectorize your file for a small fee.
If you had a professional designer create your artwork or logo, there is a good chance it is vector. However, they may not have sent it to you in the correct format. Ask them for the “native vector file”. Even though you may not be able to open it, this will most likely be what we are looking for (.AI or .SVG).