We want every sticker to look perfect and to do that, we ask for artwork that is either a high-resolution raster file or a vector image. If you aren’t sure what type of file your designs are, we can help! Let’s take a closer look at what makes raster and vector different.

What Are Raster Images?

Raster images are artwork files made of tiny dots or pixels of ink that make up the whole image, like a digital photograph. When you zoom in close to these images, you can see a more grainy look, which is the individual pixels making up the image. Since they are made of pixels or dots, the size of raster images can only be increased or decreased a certain amount before they become distorted and begin to lose quality.

To make sure your designs will look great at the size you want your stickers or labels to be printed, it’s best to set your dots per inch (dpi) to at least 300 at the size you need your stickers to be. This will give you the best print quality when you take your designs from digital to physical stickers.

There are a couple of ways to tell if your artwork or graphic is raster-based. The first way is to zoom in or enlarge your image significantly. If the edges look rough or the image appears grainy, then it is a raster-based image. You can also look at the file extensions. Commonly seen file extensions on raster-based artwork are JPEG, PSD, PNG, or TIFF. These usually indicate a raster image.

What Are Vector Files?

Vector art files are made of lines created using mathematical equations. This means the size of vector designs can be decreased or increased to any size and the designs will not become distorted or look grainy. Typically, vector files must be built originally in a computer software program such as Adobe Illustrator.

If you are trying to figure out if your artwork is a vector-based file, here are a couple of tips. First, if you enlarge your image significantly and the edges stay smooth, plus any text in the design keeps its crisp lines and spacing, chances are the artwork is vector-based. You can also look at the file extensions and if you see EPS, AI, or SVG, then your artwork is very likely a vector-based image.

Just because your file extension is an AI, EPS, or SVG does not necessarily mean your image is fully vector. Sometimes designs can be mostly vector but with raster images embedded into them. In those situations, you will want to make sure the embedded images such as a barcode or logo are at least 300 dpi at your desired size.  

Still have questions on your art files and if they will meet our requirements? Reach out to our Customer Service team!

For more information on Print-Ready Artwork, check out this article!