Vehicle Wrap and Sign FAQ's: Best Image File Formats

For non graphic designers, the world of image formats can be very confusing. What’s the difference between a GIF a TIF and  JPG? What exactly is a megapixel anyway? What’s the difference between a rastor file and a vector file? I’m not an expert in the ins and outs of every file format, here’s a question that I get at least a few times a week that I can answer: if you’re providing us with graphics, what format should they be in?

We accept files in a few different formats, preferably vector over raster. I spoke to our designer today and here’s what he had to say about his top four file formats:

.EPS: .EPS stands for encapsulated post script files, and they’re one of the standard vector file formats. We like them because all of their components are completely scalable, so your images will look good at  two feet or two hundred feet. Because programs like Adobe Illustrator automatically save to .EPS format, any graphic designer will be familiar with this handy format.

Non-Compressed .PDF: .PDF's are good because they can accommodate both vector files and rastor files. So if your vehicle wrap includes an illustrated logo and a photograph, they can both be sent in handy .PDF format.

High resolution, non compressed .JPG: JPG's are the last resort. While uncompressed JPG's are tend to be fine for our purposes, most non-graphic designers will not be able to provide them. Think of it this way, that photo you snapped on your iPhone looks great on your two inch screen, but blown up into a larger than life trailer wrap? Unless grainy and blurry is the look you’re going for, we don’t recommend it.

Unflattened .PSDS: It’s always nice to have an unflattened .psds file just in case of any last minute design tweaks. Because we have so much experience with vehicle wrap templates and installation, it’s fairly easy for our designer to spot a problem area that your designer might have overlooked if he or she isn’t familiar with the quirks of vehicle wrap template design. Unflattened .PSDS files allow us to make small adjustments without endless back and forth between our designer and yours, saving you time and a hefty design bill.