Graphic File Formats for Print and Web: A One-Page Reference

The right file format depends on two questions: is the artwork vector or raster, and will it end up on paper or on a screen. Use vector files (SVG, AI, EPS, PDF) for logos and anything that must scale, a print-ready PDF for the printer, and JPEG, PNG, WebP or AVIF for images shown on screen.

This page is a reference you can bookmark. It covers the graphic file formats we hand over to clients and the ones printers and web developers ask for. If you only need the logo side, our article on which logo file you actually use goes deeper.

Graphic file formats at a glance

The table below is the whole reference in compact form. The sections after it explain the reasoning.

Vector and raster: the distinction behind every format

A vector file stores shapes as mathematical paths. You can enlarge it from a favicon to a billboard and the edges stay sharp. A raster file stores a fixed grid of pixels, so enlarging it past its native size makes it soft or blocky.

Logos should always exist as vectors. Photographs are always raster. Everything else, such as icons, illustrations and charts, can be either, and the choice depends on where it goes.

Converting between the two works in one direction only. A vector exports cleanly to PNG or JPEG at any size you choose. A JPEG cannot be turned back into a clean vector by pressing a button, because the shapes are gone and have to be redrawn. That is why the vector master is the file worth protecting. We cover the working set in more detail in Logo Source Files: AI, EPS, SVG, CDR and What Printers Want.

Print: what printers actually accept

Commercial printers want one of two things: a vector logo they can place themselves, or a finished PDF made to a print standard. For finished artwork the standard is PDF/X. According to the PDF Association, the X stands for eXchange, meaning the exchange of print data between a print buyer and a print producer.

The practical benefit is predictability. One printer's guidance, from DUON, notes that PDF/X requires the details a press needs, such as bleed settings, colour definitions and embedded fonts. A file that meets the standard can be printed without a phone call to the designer.

There are several versions, and printers differ on which they prefer. Under ISO 15930-7, a file that contains everything needed for final print reproduction is designated PDF/X-4. A newer part, PDF/X-6, was published as ISO 15930-9:2020, according to Ugra. In practice, Mapsoft points out that many printers still request X-1a or X-4 by name. Ask before you export.

Before sending anything to print, check these points with the printer:

• Which PDF/X version and colour mode they want (CMYK or a colour-managed workflow)
• How much bleed they need beyond the trim edge
• Whether they want the logo as a separate vector file as well
• The final size of the artwork, so nothing is enlarged

Web: what browsers and your CMS handle

On screen, the aim is the smallest file that still looks right. Start with the content type.

For logos and icons, SVG is the first choice. MDN Web Docs says SVG suits images with few colours that are not photo-realistic, and that PNG is the fallback when the image only exists as a bitmap.

For photographs, the choice is between JPEG, WebP and AVIF. MDN's format guide recommends WebP or AVIF for raster images, as they generally compress better than PNG, JPEG and GIF. The savings are real: MDN states that lossy AVIF images are around 50% smaller than comparable JPEGs.

AVIF needs a safety net. MDN advises including fallbacks with better browser support when using AVIF, using the picture element. web.dev describes WebP as widely supported across modern browsers, which makes it the lower-risk default.

If your site runs on WordPress, the platform already handles both. The WordPress core team confirms that from version 6.5 you can upload AVIF like a JPEG or PNG, provided your hosting environment supports it. DreamHost adds that WebP uploads have worked since WordPress 5.8, under the same hosting condition. Check Site Health in the admin area before relying on either format.

Which file for which job

Most questions we receive are of the form "I need the logo for X, which file do I send?" This list answers the common ones.

1. Business cards, brochures, flyers: a print-ready PDF/X from the designer, with the logo as a vector inside it.
2. Signs, vehicle graphics, banners: the vector logo as EPS, AI or PDF. Never a PNG.
3. Embroidery, engraving, promotional items: the vector logo, usually EPS or AI. The supplier will convert it for their machine.
4. Website header and icons: SVG, with a PNG version as a fallback where needed.
5. Website photographs: WebP, or AVIF with a fallback.
6. Email signatures, slide decks, social profiles: PNG with transparency, or JPEG where a flat background is fine.
7. Documents you share for review: a standard PDF.

Five mistakes that cost time and money

• Logo saved as JPEG. The format has no transparency, so the logo arrives with a white box around it. Web.dev notes that transparency is a feature the JPEG codec does not offer.
• Enlarging a small PNG for print. The pixels are fixed. The result is a blurry banner, and no export setting fixes it afterwards.
• Sending RGB artwork when the printer asked for CMYK. Colours shift on press. Confirm the colour mode first.
• Missing fonts. A file that needs fonts the printer does not have will be substituted or rejected. Embedding fonts in the PDF solves it.
• WebP or AVIF with no fallback. Some visitors and some email clients will see nothing. Keep a JPEG or PNG behind it.

Blurry output is not always a file problem. Sometimes it is a design choice, which we discuss in Why the World's Logos Are Suddenly Going Blurry.

What a logo file package costs at MalbarDesign

Our logo prices are fixed and final, and we are not a VAT payer, so the number you see is the number you pay. The Logo package at €430 includes 4 concepts, up to 4 revision rounds, vector files in SVG, AI, EPS and CDR, JPG and PNG versions, and 12 months of free edits. Logo Start at €310 covers 2 concepts and 2 revision rounds. Logo Refresh at €175 covers one concept for an existing logo that needs updating.

Delivery is within 5 business days, and express delivery in 24 hours costs 100 % extra. Logos are paid 100 % upfront. If none of the first logo concepts works for you, you get a full refund within 5 business days.

If a website is part of the plan, an HTML site of up to 10 pages is €1,060 and a WordPress or Joomla site is €1,800. Websites are paid 50 % as a deposit and 50 % after completion. Full details are on the pricing page, and the logo design service and web design service pages explain what each package covers.

Get your files checked

If you are not sure whether the files you hold are good enough for print and web, send us your logo and a note on where you use it. Our free 5-point brand check at /contact/ returns a one-page PDF within 48 hours on business days, with no sales call. It includes a look at whether your logo exists in the formats you need.

If the answer is that you only have a JPEG, we will say so plainly and tell you what the options are.