Raster vs Vector: What the Difference Is
Every file you send us is one of two things, or a mix of both. A raster image is a grid of pixels: a photograph, a scan, anything painted in Photoshop or Procreate. A vector is a set of shapes described mathematically: a logo, live type, line art, anything drawn in Illustrator or set in InDesign. Our press prints both, but treats them very differently, and knowing which you have tells you most of how to prepare it.
Raster: pixels on a grid
A fixed number of pixels. Enlarge the image and the same pixels are spread across more inches, until you can see each one. Our press is entirely capable of printing individual pixels, and on a foil edge that reads as a ragged stair-step.
Right for: photographs, scans, painted illustration, and anything else with continuous tone.
Vector: shapes, not pixels
The shape itself; a circle is a center and a radius. It is drawn fresh at whatever resolution the output device has, so it is as crisp on a banner as on a business card, and it always gets better effective resolution on our press than a raster of the same thing.
Right for: logos, type, line art, die lines, and specialty ink shapes wherever you can draw them. (A Photoshop spot channel is the raster exception, and it works.)
The practical rule for raster is at least 300 pixels per inch at the size it prints; Module 4 has the arithmetic and where each application reports the number. Two habits catch people out: placing a raster logo in Illustrator does not make it vector, and Image Trace only approximates one. If a real vector version exists, ask for it.
We learned this the hard way on The Kiss: the background text came out of Procreate as raster, the piece needed to go smaller, and the fix was rebuilding the background as vector.
The Rule
Vector for logos, type and line art. Raster for photographs, at 300 ppi at the size they print. When a piece needs both, build the layout in Illustrator or InDesign and place the photos into it.
PDF/X: What to Send Us
Whatever you build in, the file we want to receive is a PDF. A print PDF is a container: vector stays vector, placed images ride inside at the resolution the export preset keeps (Module 2 sets it to 300 ppi), and the fonts are embedded, so it opens the same on our machine as on yours. PDF/X is the print-specific flavor, and Module 2 is the full treatment. The short version, in order:
Export a PDF/X, not a plain PDF
Module 2 covers the choice between PDF/X-1a and PDF/X-4 and names the preset in Illustrator, InDesign and Photoshop. Pick the one that matches your file and let the preset do the work. In InDesign that is Adobe PDF (Print), never Interactive.
Include bleed and crop marks
We trim to the crop marks, and bleed is what keeps a white sliver off the edge. Module 1 has the numbers and the Marks and Bleeds panel.
Fonts: embedded, or outlined for specialty ink
Embedded fonts are the baseline for any print PDF, and Module 2 shows how to confirm it in Acrobat. For a job with HP White, Metallic, Foil or Gloss, outline the type and leave the HP inks as the only spot colors, as Module 3 lays out.
Proof it, then back up the native file
Open the exported PDF in Acrobat and look at every page. Fix any error at the source and export again. Keep the native file as your backup. If the PDF is over 30 MB, email the job specs to order@indigoinkprint.com, use the Upload Files link at the top of indigoinkprint.com, and let Project Management know it is there.
Native Files: AI, PSD and INDD
We accept native files too: .ai, .indd and .psd, plus
.qxd and .eps. There are honest reasons to send one: we are making
edits for you, the piece is built in Photoshop with spot channels, or the job is unusual
enough that we would rather see how it is put together. The catch is that a native file is
only complete when everything it points at comes with it.
Illustrator (.ai)
Vector native. File > Package collects the file, its links and its fonts, the same as InDesign; or embed the placed images. Set specialty inks as named spot swatches per Module 3. Our feather sample files ship as an AI beside the PDF.
InDesign (.indd)
Layout native, and it links everything by default. File > Package collects the document, its links and its fonts into one folder. Send the folder, not the .indd alone.
Photoshop (.psd)
Raster native. 300 ppi at final size, CMYK, with each spot channel named exactly. The Titan sample ships as a PDF with its PSD.
Package it with all the fonts, all the pictures and all the links. We need everything to open your file correctly: a missing font gets substituted, and the warning is easy to click past; a missing link prints its low-resolution preview. Native files are also version-sensitive, so tell us which version you saved from.
Not working in Adobe? We strongly suggest preparing the final production file in Adobe Creative Cloud for compatibility. If your application cannot carry spot colors, and Procreate cannot, send two files: the artwork with its knockouts and bleed, and the specialty effect layer alone as solid black. Microsoft Office files we can take, but we have to make a PDF and have you approve it, and colors from Office programs tend to shift purple. For color-sensitive work, send a PDF.
Image Formats: TIFF, JPEG, PNG and EPS
These are the formats for the pictures inside your layout, not for the job itself. A bare JPEG or TIFF sent as the whole job sits under "lower quality" on our resources page for a good reason: no bleed, no crop marks, and any type in it is pixels. Placed into a layout and exported as a PDF, the same image file is exactly right.
| Format | What it is | Use it for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| TIFF | Lossless raster. Carries CMYK, layers and alpha | The master for photos and scans; what to place in a layout | File size. That is the price of losing nothing |
| JPEG | Lossy raster | Camera originals; photos where size matters | Every save recompresses. Keep the original, save at maximum quality, and never re-save a JPEG as a JPEG |
| PNG | Lossless raster, RGB only | Screen graphics; assets with a transparent background | No CMYK, no spot channels. It converts at the RIP, so read Module 5 first |
| EPS | Legacy PostScript container, vector or raster | Old logo files. Still accepted | Transparency is flattened on save, and there is no bleed or crop-mark setup inside it. Prefer AI or PDF for new work |
| SVG | Vector format for the web | Logos handed over by a web team | Fine as the source for a logo; not something we print from. Place it in Illustrator and export a PDF or save an AI |
A placed raster brings its color mode with it, and Module 5 explains why converting to CMYK early is worth the trouble. Transparency in the layout, meaning drop shadows, opacity and blend modes, is an export question that Module 2 settles. The one place to avoid it entirely is on specialty ink elements: no transparency, blend modes or effects on a spot color.
Embedding vs Linking Images
A layout can hold a picture two ways. Linked, it stores a path to the image file and a low-resolution preview; the full pixels stay in the original. Embedded, the image data is copied into the layout itself. InDesign links by default; Illustrator asks when you place, and its Links panel shows which you chose.
Linking keeps the layout small and lets a retouched photo update everywhere it is placed. The cost is that the layout is incomplete on its own: open it without the image and you get a missing-link warning, and printing anyway prints the preview. Embedding makes the file self-contained, and large.
For a native file, we need the links. Package collects them in both InDesign and Illustrator (File > Package). Our Printable Foil + CMYK feather sample is the pattern: the AI, the INDD and the exported PDF travel together, with a ZIP of supporting files beside them.
For a PDF, most of this goes away. Export copies the image data into the file whether the layout linked it or not, which is a large part of why we prefer a PDF. The one thing it cannot do is find a link you have lost: a missing or modified link exports as its preview, so clear the Links panel's warnings before you export.
Before It Leaves Your Desk
Five things to check:
- Logos, type and line art are vector. Photos are raster at 300 ppi at the size they print.
- The job is a PDF/X per Module 2, with bleed and crop marks per Module 1.
- Fonts are embedded, or outlined if the job carries a specialty ink.
- A native file is packaged with every font, image and link.
- The PDF is proofed in Acrobat and the native file is backed up.
Not sure which format to send? Send what you have and tell us what you built it in. Sorting out a file takes us a few minutes; guessing wrong at the press takes a reprint. We would much rather look at the file, and we are glad to answer the question before you export.