# Artwork file formats: what printers can actually use

> AI, EPS, PDF, SVG, PNG and JPG compared for label printing — which preserve vectors, which flatten, and what to send when you only have a logo image.

Pillar: artwork · Updated: 2026-11

**Our view.** The single most useful thing a customer can do is ask their designer for the vector original. Everything else — resolution, cut paths, spot white — becomes easier once the file is vector. A flattened PNG is not a design file, and the setup charge for redrawing it lands on the order.

The file you send determines how much of the design survives. A vector file scales and cuts cleanly; a screenshot does neither.

## The formats

| Format | Type | Use for print | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI (Illustrator) | Vector | Best | Keep layers and text editable or outlined |
| EPS | Vector | Good | Older but reliable; check fonts are outlined |
| PDF | Vector or raster | Best | Export at final size with bleed |
| SVG | Vector | Good for cut paths | Check stroke settings before sending |
| PNG | Raster | Acceptable at 300 dpi | Transparency supported |
| JPG | Raster | Acceptable at 300 dpi | No transparency; compression artefacts |
| Word / PPT / screenshot | Neither | Not usable | Resolution and fonts will fail |

## What "vector" buys you

A vector describes shapes mathematically, so it can be scaled to any size without losing sharpness, and its paths can drive a die cutter.

A raster image is a grid of pixels: at 300 dpi it prints acceptably at the size it was designed for, and badly if enlarged.

For a logo sticker, the difference is visible at the edge: a vector cut is clean, a raster-derived cut is jagged.

## When you only have a PNG

Common with small brands whose logo was designed for a website.

- Send the largest version that exists — 2000 px wide or more.
- Expect it to work at small sizes (up to about 50 mm) and to soften above that.
- Text inside the logo will look soft; consider having the logo redrawn as vector.
- Never upscale and call it fixed: interpolation adds pixels, not detail.

## Layers and cut paths

For die-cut work, the cut path must be a separate vector layer, not part of the artwork. For spot white or foil, the areas need their own layers too.

A flattened JPEG has no layers, which means every special process must be redrawn — a cost that appears on the quote as artwork preparation.

## What this means for buyers

**Always ask for the vector original** from whoever designed the logo. It is the difference between a cheap reprint and a redesign.

**Export PDFs at final size with bleed.** A PDF exported at business-card size cannot be enlarged.

**Keep cut paths and white-ink areas on separate layers.** It removes an entire class of setup charges.

**Screenshots are not artwork.** A 72 dpi image from a website will not print at 60 mm.

## Quick answers

**What file format should I send for label printing?**

A vector PDF or AI file at final size with 3 mm bleed, fonts outlined and the cut path on a separate layer. EPS and SVG also work. PNG or JPG is acceptable only at 300 dpi at final size, and never for a cut path.

**Can you print from a JPG?**

Yes, if it is at least 300 dpi at the final print size and does not need a custom cut shape. Above that size it softens visibly, text loses its edge, and any die-cut outline has to be redrawn as a vector, which is a setup charge.

## Sources

- ISO 15930-7:2010 — PDF/X-4 for prepress digital data exchange — https://www.iso.org/standard/55843.html