Graphic Design File Types and Programs

So you hire a Graphic Designer - what type of files will you get when the product is finished and how do you use them.

LOGO Files
This is an important question to understand if you are sourcing design services. Let’s say you need a logo. With any good design company your logo would be done using Adobe Illustrator or a similar program. The resulting file is in a vector format. This file type is perfect for logos since it is completely scaleable. Meaning you can change it’s size without worrying about it becoming jaggy or losing resolution. Final logos are usually delivered in a .eps format. This format can be imported into word processor programs or desktop publishing programs such as Indesign.

Note: Make sure you receive the fonts that are required to print the logo, or have your designer create outlines which means that you do not need the source fonts. You can import your .eps files into MSWord however if they are created on a MAC you will need to have them saved with a PC preview. We usually provide a set of logo files in various formats that are compatible with MS Office applications. Tiff and BMP and JPEG files are a good choice for PPT on screen applications.

Note: If you import .eps files into MS Office products they will look jaggy on the screen, however will print OK but only if you are using a postscript printer, if your printer is not a postscript printer ask for another file format.

Brochures, Magazine and Catalogues
Indesign is a program that many designers use for layout, such as brochures, magazines or catalogues. Element Design does most of it’s work using Indesign. Indesign files are usually saved as high resolution PDF files and will go to a printer to produce high-end results on either a traditional press or digital press.

Note: When you are spending money to print you don’t want any surprises. Avoid using programs like MS Word or Publisher as these programs are often not supported by printers.

Most Common Customer Errors
Most people get the .eps files on their PC and immediately try to double click on them to open them. If you need to use them in Word, open the program create a document and import the graphics from the file menu. If you do not see a preview it is probably because the graphics were created on a different platform, ask your designer to resave with a tiff preview.

The above is just a quick guideline and not all designers use the same formats and programs so to be sure ask you graphics person about the finished product and what you should expect.

Graphic Design File Types

Here are some of the file type extensions that are commonly used by designers.

.Ai
Adobe Illustrator file (NFE)

.PDF
Adobe Acrobat file which can be either low or high resolution

.PS
PostScript File

.PSD
Photoshop Document (NFE)

.BMP
Bitmap Image

.EPS
Encapsulated Post Script (EPS files are used for artwork and logos as they are vector (scalable)

.GIF
Graphics Interchange Format used for web images

.html
Filename extension for a document with HTML coding (a website file)

.INDD
Indesign File (NFE)

.JPG
File extension can be used for web or print images

.TIFF
TIFF Tagged Image File Format - used for print images

.ZIP
Is a compressed file you would need a program to open these like Stuffit Expander.

NFE
Native File Extension. Indesign, Illustrator and Photoshop can be used to make many of the other file formats ie, tiff, eps or pdf files.