Which file format is best high resolution printing?

When choosing which file format to save your graphics in, you have many options such as tiff, .eps, jpeg, gif and so on. But, not all file formats are created equally, and it is best to know which ones translate best to print.

From a design standpoint what makes these file options really stand apart from each other are the programs that they are created and edited in, in addition to how your computer reads the file. For example, .eps files are created in illustrator programs such as Adobe Illustrator and Coreldraw; whereas, bitmaps are created in Adobe Photoshop and Corel Photo Paint.

Paint Programs- Adobe Photoshop and Corel Photo

Take for instance, bitmap formats like jpeg, gif, and tif. These file formats, or rasters, compose the image from a collection of pixels. Consequently, when printing these file formats in high resolution, you need to have at least 300 dpi in order to get a high quality image. Additionally, these file formats are typically those used by digital cameras and so when working with photo quality images, it is best to use bitmap formats.

Because the pixelation changes as the image is enlarged, bitmap graphics don’t very well for large, high resolution printing. That is where the advantage of using vector art comes in…

Illustrator Programs- Adobe Illustrator and Coreldraw

Vector file formats, such as pdf and .eps are images composed by using mathematical equations. The use of equations means that the file is compressed but it also means that the quality of the image does not change when you enlarge the image. This makes vector art, or those images saved in .eps, a better choice for large, high resolution printing and the main reason why this file format is awesome.