Understanding Raster Logo Files
A raster image is a digital image made up of thousands, or even millions, of tiny coloured squares known as pixels.
Common raster file formats include:
✔ JPG / JPEG
✔ PNG
✔ GIF
✔ TIFF
✔ WEBP
✔ Screenshots
✔ Photographs
In recent years, AI-generated artwork has also become a common source of raster files. Logos and graphics created using tools such as ChatGPT image generation, Adobe Firefly, Midjourney, DALL·E and Canva AI are typically supplied as image files rather than true vector artwork.
Despite what many people believe, raster images are not inherently bad. In fact, they are often the best choice for certain applications and are used throughout the design, photography and printing industries every day.
Raster files are ideal for:
✔ Photography
✔ Social Media Graphics
✔ Website Images
✔ Digital Advertising
✔ Product Photography
✔ Printed Artwork & Posters
✔ Marketing Materials
When created at the correct size and resolution, raster images can produce exceptional results.
For example, a professionally prepared image at 300 DPI (Dots Per Inch) and the correct physical dimensions can often be printed beautifully without any visible loss of quality.
A high-resolution raster image supplied at:
✔ 300 DPI ✔ Correct final print size ✔ High pixel dimensions
may be perfectly suitable for brochures, flyers, posters, fine art prints and many other applications.
However, raster images have one important limitation.
Unlike vector artwork, raster files contain a fixed amount of image information. Once created, they can only be enlarged to a certain point before image quality begins to degrade.
When enlarged beyond their intended size, the pixels become visible, causing artwork to appear:
✖ Blurry
✖ Pixelated
✖ Jagged
✖ Distorted
For example, a logo that looks perfect on a website at 500 pixels wide may become unsuitable when enlarged to 2 metres wide for a shop sign or exhibition display.
This is one of the most common issues businesses encounter when ordering signage, embroidered clothing, vehicle graphics or promotional products.
Many customers contact us after discovering that their printer, sign maker or embroidery company requires vector artwork, but the only logo they possess is:
✔ A screenshot
✔ A social media profile image
✔ A website graphic
✔ A scanned document
✔ A photograph of existing signage
✔ A low-resolution PNG file
✔ An AI-generated image
In these situations, professional logo redrawing and vector conversion can transform the artwork into scalable vector graphics suitable for commercial production.
