We’ve covered GIFs and JPEGs, but there are a couple of other image formats that your marketing agency may mention when talking about imagery. PNGs and EPS files are commonly used by designers; here are a few points about them.
A PNG is short for Portable Network Graphics, and pronounced ‘ping’. Its main feature is that it can save graphic images by reducing the file size without affecting image quality. It was originally created to replace the GIF format which had patenting issues, but both are still widely used on websites. A PNG has two advantages over the GIF. It has greater compression ability and areas of the graphic can be transparent, which can be needed for graphics on the web. Because of the transparency feature, it is useful to have a logo on a PowerPoint presentation as a PNG file. Then you will not see a white outlined background to the image as it will blend into the background of the slide.
EPS files are used for printing on brochures, flyers etc, rather than on websites. An EPS stands for Encapsulated PostScript, and is a file format used to transfer graphic images. EPS files can contain combinations of text, graphics and images, and is one of the most versatile file formats that are available. It’s mainly used to save a design created in a drawing program such as Adobe Illustrator. An EPS is the file that you would send to printing company as they are the high resolution artwork files, and can’t be altered, so printing errors are less likely.
An EPS file can also contain a vector representation of the image. Vector graphics are not made up of pixels like a JPEG file. They are comprised of paths, which are defined by a start and end point, along with curves and angles along the way. As the paths can be scaled up or down, depending on what the design will be use for, the same quality in the image will be seen whether it is on a business card or on a poster.
So, be it a GIF or JPEG, PNG or EPS, you can see that each file format has its pros and cons, and is each useful for certain design requirements. Your marketing agency can advise you further, but it’s good for you to know the nuts and bolts to get you started.