Vector Art is created using vector illustration software programs, such as Adobe Illustrator or Corel Draw. These programs use mathematic equations and geometric primitives (points, lines, and shapes) to create art that is clean, camera ready, and can be scaled infinitely, without any loss of quality of fidelity. In the following graphic, we will show you the difference between Vector art and the other, more common type of computer graphic, Raster art:
You’ll notice how, in the Raster art file, the edges of the art become distorted when the picture is enlarged. You’ll also notice how there are hundreds of shades of red and black in the Raster file, but only one shade of red and one shade of black in the Vector file.
Raster Graphics, such as photographs, and graphic files created in Adobe Photoshop, Paint Shop Pro, and other Raster editing programs, can be sued for some screen printing applications, such as printing one-color pen and ink drawings. But in most cases, especially with art such as logos, we will need Vector art to achieve the proper print.
Is My Art Vector?
How can you tell if your art is Vector Art? One way is by the file type. Vector art is usually created in Adobe Illustrator, and is commonly saved with certain file extensions. The four most common Vector file extensions are .ai, .pdf, .eps and .svg.
However, just because a file is saved in one of these formats, does not mean that it is truly vector art. Sometimes, people open raster files in Adobe Illustrator, and re-save the file in a vector format, without recreating the art using the vector editing tools. Only art originally created in a vector editing program such as Adobe Illustrator, is truly vector art.
So, how do you really know if your art file is a vector art file? The only way to know for sure is to open the file, and check to make sure that it was created as vector art. If you have a vector editing program, open your art file, and use the selection tool on an area within the art. You might see something like this:
See the nodes surrounding the letter form? Those are vector editing nodes. If you see those, congratulations! You have vector art.
What If My Art Isn’t Vector?
The file that you have might not be the only one out there. If you had a professional designer created your art, contact them, and ask for the vector files. If you work in large company, contact your company’s marketing department or design department.
If, after all of this, you discover that you have a non-vector art, and you need vector art, we can re-create your design as vector art. All we require is that you send us your design in the highest resolution possible.
