Introduction
Vector art is an image format that allows for more control over the look and feel of your artwork. This is because it uses mathematical equations to create shapes and colors that aren’t possible with traditional photographic techniques or inkjet printing.
This means you can create images with perfect perspective, color gradation, smooth edges, etcetera — all previously difficult or impossible to achieve using these methods alone.
In this guide, I’ve shared why you should consider getting vector artwork for promotional products.
How many types of image formats are there?
There are two major types of image formats, bitmap and vector. Both serve the same purpose but have different importance.
Bitmap:
Bitmap image formats are images that have been compressed in bitmap format. Bitmap images come in various file formats, including JPEG, GIF, and PNG. The formats are all different, with their strengths and weaknesses.
Bitmap images are created by any software that creates images from raster data (like Photoshop or GIMP). They are generally easier to modify than vector graphics due to their lower resolution and pixel-based nature.
Bitmap files are often used for logos but also have their place in promotional products.
Vector:
Vector art is an image created in a program like Adobe Illustrator or CorelDRAW. The vector file contains information about how to draw shapes, colors, and other design elements. This means that when you print your vectorized artwork out on paper, it’s automatically scaled up so that your text will be readable (without worrying about resolution issues).
Vectorized artwork can also be used as a mask for bitmap images – you can use one file over another!
Which One’s Recommended More for Promotional Products?
Perfect Imprints recommend vector artwork for promotional products, and here’s why:
The main reason bitmap artwork needs to be vectorized is that you need an image that can scale up or down without losing detail. A logo produced at 300 dpi might look great on a billboard, but if you scaled it up to 1000 dpi, it would look blurry and unreadable.
You must ensure that your artwork will look great no matter what size it gets scaled up to!
What is Vector Art?
Vector graphics are made up of mathematical equations, which means they can be infinitely scaled and resized without losing quality.
On the other hand, Raster graphics are made up of pixels—the smallest units in an image or graphic. These pixels don’t consider resizing or scaling, which means that if you want to make a smaller version of your image (like when you’re working with an advertisement), only the actual size of each pixel will change instead of everything else being affected as well.
Vector art has been around since the early days of computers; however, when Adobe Illustrator came around, it became more widely accepted by businesses worldwide. Vector artwork can scale infinitely without losing quality, along with being able to edit images at any stage during their creation process easily!
Why do we need Vector Art for Promotional Products?
Vector art is resolution-independent. This means that it can be scaled to any size without losing quality. It also allows you to print on various media, such as paper, canvas, or vinyl! Because of this, vectorized artwork is easier to edit and manipulate than rasterized artwork which requires more time spent on each piece.
Vector art is scalable, meaning that no matter how big or small, your image will look good in all situations (even if you’re printing at a large scale).
What can Vector Art do that a conventional photograph or graphic cannot?
Vector Art allows printing on any size and output device you choose. With a photograph or graphic, if the logo needs to be enlarged for display purposes, then there will be a degradation in image quality because everything has been squashed together into a smaller space (like how many pixels are in an 8 x 10-inch photo versus how many are on an A3 sheet). With vector art, this isn’t an issue!
How will I know if my promotional product image is vectorized in Illustrator?
In addition to looking great on your website and in print, vectorized artwork is more resistant to scaling than its raster counterpart. If you need to resize your image for printing or online use—such as when selling t-shirts online—you can scale it without losing quality.
Conclusion
This is a good question to ask yourself when deciding whether or not your artwork needs vectorization.
If the answer is “yes,” then the best thing you can do is talk with an expert who has experience in vector art creation and design so that they can help guide you through this process.
It also helps if you have access to tools such as Adobe Illustrator or CorelDraw so that they can create vectors directly from your original file before creating them on screen!