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Format Survival Guide - Practical guide to your logo file formats
 When you've finished working with your designer, you're going to receive many different file formats of your brand new logo. Understanding these file formats can be crucial, especially for the do it yourselfer. This is particularly true when you begin to utilize your logo design in various forms of design services and reproduction. Design houses can vary wildly in which kinds of file formats they supply, and even in which method they utilize to create your logo design. Armed with a little knowledge, you can avoid unnecessary charges, both in production and reproduction, or avoid working with a design house that will supply the wrong files completely. We've put together a digital files primer, a File Format Survival Guide if you will, so that you'll know which files are useful, which formats are difficult to reproduce, and which kind of logo design is completely useless. We'll show you why template logo software is inadequate for most reproduction methods, and how a logo laden with special FX is going to cost you thousands down the road.
File formats and your logo.
For all intents and purposes you should have 2 types of formats of your new (or old) logo design. You should have access to both a vector based version (these should have one of these the file extensions .eps, .ai, .cdr and in the case of Flash animation, either .fla or ..swf) and a pixel based versions (these can vary wildly in size and resolution but the most common versions will feature the extensions .jpg, .gif, .tif and in the case of Adobe Photoshop, .ps). These formats have a variety of uses, and knowing which one is which will save you hours of unnecessary grief when it comes to working with designers and printers, as well as creating your own 'do it yourself' advertising and internal documents.
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Logo design formats - a quick reference guide .
Whenever you hire ANYONE to create your logo, you'll end up with some, or all, of these types of file formats and images. This quick reference guide illustrates the strengths and weaknesses of each. For a more in-depth look at file formats see Vector based logos and Pixel based images. While there are exceptions to every design 'rule', this guide will serve as a fairly comprehensive outline of format uses for your new logo. Note - the file extensions listed assume that files have been correctly named.
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Full color - Vector version
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File extensions - .ai, .eps. If your logo was created in full color, you will require four color process printing to use it on any color material. If you need to enlarge your logo it will not be a concern as Vector based images boast unlimited resolution. While you might pay a premium for your marketing material, you should have no file format concerns.
Preferred for: Traditional printing - business cards, letterheads, brochures and color advertising.
Can be used for: Digital plotter (signage), file conversion (to Pixel based images), scaling, silk screen, inclusion in Flash animation.
Not applicable for: Web, Black & White reproduction.
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Full color - Pixel Based version
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File extensions - .gif, .jpg, .tif, .ps. This isn't such a good scenario. You'll still need 4 color process printing for any traditional material (such as business card and letterhead), but you'll require a resolution that is sufficient for the medium being used (at least 266 dpi for print). This renders most web files (72 dpi) useless. Scaling of your logo is also an issue, as any enlargement past the default size and/or resolution will cause the image to degrade. You'll also need to insure that your image is in the correct color palette (RGB for screen, CMYK for print).
Preferred for: Web usage (RGB) 4 color process printing (CMKY - if high enough resolution),
Can be used for: Internal low resolution printing & addition to office software docs. Suppliers of marketing incentives that allow you to upload files to their server (Cafe Press for example) can use this file (with adequate resolution). As they 'gang run' your printing, many online discount printers will require this 4 color format of your logo for use in business card and/or letterhead printing.
Not applicable for: Black & white reproduction, enlargement and/or large images, format conversion. |
Spot color - Vector based
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File extensions - .ai, .eps. The most common (and versatile) type of logo and format. Can be printed using economical spot color reproduction, while the logo can be enlarged due to the unlimited resolution properties of the Vector file type. This is the type of format and logo combination that is recommended by most design professionals.
Preferred for: Spot color printing (letterheads, business cards). Enlargement and
Can be used for: Digital plotter (signage), file conversion (to Pixel based images and 4 color process), enlargement, two color silk screen (mugs, pens and other premium incentives).
Not applicable for: Web use, black & white reproduction, use in four color process printing, Flash animation (needs conversion to RGB). |
Two color - Pixel based
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File extensions - .gif, .jpg, .tif, .ps. We can't really call this a 'spot color' logo as it requires many shades of black and red to print (see enlargement). And even though this logo only features two colors visually, it still requires 4 color process reproduction to print. Enlargement, like all pixel based images is an issue. You'll also need to insure that your image is in the correct color palette (RGB for screen, CMYK for print).
Preferred for: Web usage (RGB) 4 color process printing (CMKY - if high enough resolution).
Can be used for: Internal low resolution printing & addition to office software docs. Suppliers of marketing incentives that allow you to upload files to their server (Cafe Press for example) can use this file (with adequate resolution). As they 'gang run' your printing, many online discount printers will require this 4 color format of your logo for use in business card and/or letterhead printing.
Not applicable for: Black & white reproduction, enlargement and/or large images, format conversion. |
Halftone - Vector based
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File extensions - .ai, .eps. While this logo appears to have multiple shades of silver or gray, all the tones are actually made up of small dots of black. As the logo is Vector based, we can enlarge it without any fear of image degradation. When the logo is printed (using one color reproduction) the tones will appear smooth (as long as the resolution is high enough).
Preferred for: Traditional black and white printing, newspaper advertising, flyers.
Can be used for: Enlargement.
Not applicable for: Web. |
Halftone - Pixel based
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File extensions - .gif, .jpg, .tif, .ps. While this logo appears to be made up a few shades of grey, in actuality it requires hundreds of tones to reproduce. While we can't enlarge this version of your logo, it can be printed adequately as Black and White (as long as the resolution of the image allows). Converting a 72 dpi web based image will not be sufficient for any type of printing, including typical office desktop models.
Preferred for: Traditional black and white printing (if high enough resolution), inclusion in office software and internal documents.
Can be used for: Black and white photocopies.
Not applicable for: Low resolution black and white reproduction (FAX and Checks), high resolution black and white reproduction (unless image resolution is adequate), enlargement or format conversion. |
Linear - Vector based
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File extensions - .ai, .eps. This logo ONLY features 100% shades of black. It can be enlarged and the edges of the solid areas will remain sharp and clean. When it is printed (regardless of the resolution) this image will appear crisp and recognizable. You can safely use this image on low resolution reproduction (FAX and Checks, etc) and your logo will appear as well as can be expected.
Preferred for: Low resolution black and white printing, one color printing, etching, one color silk-screening (mugs, pens, T-shirts, etc). Vinyl plotter.
Can be used for: Enlargement.
Not applicable for: Web or color printing. |
Linear - Pixel based
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File extensions - .gif, .jpg, .tif, .ps. Even though this logo appears to be made up of black solids, because it is Pixel based, the image requires hundreds of shades of gray in order to preview correctly. This is known as 'aliasing' and is typical of all electronic images. Once again, we cannot enlarge this image without loss of quality and 'crispness' and even when printed as a one color BW, the edges of this image may appear soft or 'fuzzy' (above right).
Preferred for: Low resolution black and white printing, inclusion in office software and internal documents.
Can be used for: Black and white printing (with adequate resolution).
Not applicable for: Web, color printing, enlargement or format conversion. |
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Some of the file format information presented in our library may be too technical for the average client, especially if you just want to order a logo and be done with. In practical terms, what does it all mean? With all the logos featured in our graphic design portfolios, we've included a series of 'chiclets' that will reveal certain aspects of the logo presented. Each logo is 'tagged' as being either spot color or 4 color process. The chiclets also outline the logotype of each example. See our design glossary for more details on terms you might hear when developing your new brand.
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For professional results, you need a printer that understands file formats and setup. We suggest The Logo Factory's exclusive printing partner - Printing For Less. Top quality printing with dedicated customer support. Receive a 10% discount on your first printing order. Online file upolad and more.
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