A design agency delivers your brand files as a ZIP. Inside: SVG, AI, EPS, PDF, PNG (transparent), PNG (white), PNG (black). Seven files, one logo, zero explanation of which to use for what. This is a companion to our complete AI logo vectorization guide — understanding formats helps you brief vendors and developers correctly.
This isn't a theoretical question. Send the wrong file to a developer and they'll spend an hour cleaning up your SVG. Send the wrong file to a printer and they'll call you asking for "the original vector." Send the wrong file to an embroidery machine and the digitizer will reject it.
Here's a practical breakdown of every format in a professional logo delivery.
SVG — Your Everyday Vector File
Full name: Scalable Vector Graphics
Type: Vector
What it is: An XML-based format that describes graphics using code. Open an SVG in a text editor and you'll see the actual path descriptions. A circle is literally <circle cx="50" cy="50" r="40"/>.
Best for:
- Web and app development
- Figma, Webflow, Framer, and any design tool
- Animated logos (CSS and JavaScript can target SVG elements directly)
- Anywhere a developer needs to embed your logo
Not great for: Sending to commercial printers. SVG is a web standard; most print RIPs (raster image processors) prefer PDF or EPS.
The quality caveat: Not all SVGs are equal. An SVG exported from a raster image via auto-trace can be 200KB with 4,000 anchor points. A hand-crafted SVG of the same logo might be 2KB with 80 anchor points. For a web-production-ready SVG, see our SVG optimization guide. The file extension tells you nothing about the underlying quality.
When a developer complains that your SVG is "messy" or "hard to work with," they're telling you the SVG has structural problems — not that the logo is wrong.
AI — The Editable Master File
Full name: Adobe Illustrator document
Type: Vector (proprietary)
What it is: The native file format of Adobe Illustrator. Contains all the editable paths, layers, color swatches, and artboards of your original design.
Best for:
- Future editing and updates to your logo
- Handing off to another designer
- Source of truth when regenerating all other formats
- Your archive copy
Not for: Sending to anyone who doesn't have Adobe Illustrator. Printers, developers, and non-designers cannot open .ai files without the software.
The layer organization matters: A well-organized AI file has named layers, global color swatches, and logical grouping. A poorly organized one is just an SVG wrapped in an AI container — functionally the same but harder to work with in future.
Guard the .ai source file carefully. Every other format is regenerated from it. If you lose the source and need to modify the logo, you're starting over or paying for reconstruction.
EPS — The Print Vendor Standard
Full name: Encapsulated PostScript
Type: Vector
What it is: A PostScript-based format developed in 1987. Old. Ubiquitous. Every commercial print system on the planet accepts EPS.
Best for:
- Sending to commercial printers
- Older production systems (sign makers, screen printers, some embroidery systems)
- Anywhere a vendor explicitly requests EPS
Not for: Web use. Browsers don't render EPS natively. Not for editing — while EPS is technically editable in Illustrator, it's not the format you want for working files.
The practical reality: EPS is the format of choice for the print industry because of its compatibility. When a printer asks for "the vector file," they usually mean either PDF or EPS. Send both and let them pick.
ℹEPS vs AI for Printers
Modern print workflows increasingly use PDF over EPS. But many sign shops, screen printers, and older offset houses still prefer EPS. When in doubt, send both.
PDF — Print-Ready and Presentation
Full name: Portable Document Format
Type: Can be vector or raster depending on content
What it is: A cross-platform format that can contain vector paths, raster images, embedded fonts, and color profiles — all in one standardized container.
Best for:
- Sending to commercial printers (PDF/X-1a or PDF/X-4 are print standards)
- Brand guidelines and presentations
- Proposals and documents that include the logo
- Printers who specifically request PDF
The version matters: There is a significant difference between a "PDF" and a "print-ready PDF." A print-ready PDF has:
- CMYK color space (not RGB)
- Embedded color profiles
- Fonts embedded or outlined
- Crops and bleed marks (for bleed-sensitive print jobs)
- PDF/X compliance
A PDF exported from Illustrator with default settings is not print-ready. A PDF exported with the correct print preset is.
For logo delivery specifically: Export as PDF/X-1a for maximum compatibility with commercial print. Use PDF/X-4 if your logo includes transparency that must be preserved.
PNG — The Raster Universal
Full name: Portable Network Graphics
Type: Raster
What it is: A lossless raster format that supports transparency (unlike JPG). At its correct resolution and size, it looks sharp. Scaled beyond that size, it degrades.
Best for:
- Social media profile photos
- Embedding logos in Word and PowerPoint documents
- Email signatures
- Anywhere someone needs a quick visual that doesn't require vector
The resolution question: A PNG for social media needs to be different from a PNG for print. A social media profile logo at 400×400px looks fine. That same PNG used on a business card printed at 300 DPI will degrade.
Professional logo delivery includes multiple PNG sizes:
- @1x (standard screen resolution)
- @2x (retina/high-DPI screens — twice the dimensions)
- @3x (mobile high-DPI — three times the dimensions)
- @300dpi (print-compatible raster, sized to the largest practical print application)
Avoid JPG for logos. JPG uses lossy compression that introduces artifacts around sharp edges and hard color transitions — exactly the characteristics of a logo. PNG is always the correct raster format for logo marks.
A Quick Reference
| Format | Type | Opens In | Best Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| SVG | Vector | Browser, Figma, Illustrator, any code editor | Web, apps, animation |
| AI | Vector | Adobe Illustrator only | Editing, archiving, source file |
| EPS | Vector | Illustrator, print RIPs | Commercial printing, legacy systems |
| Vector + Raster | Any PDF viewer | Presentations, print-ready files | |
| PNG | Raster | Everything | Social, documents, quick use |
What to Send to Common Vendors
Web developer: SVG (optimized, clean code)
Commercial printer: PDF/X-1a or EPS, with separate CMYK color spec
Sign maker: EPS or AI
Embroidery digitizer: EPS or AI
Social media: PNG at 400×400px minimum
Figma designer: SVG
Presentation deck: PNG @2x or embedded PDF
Merchandise company: EPS or PDF, with Pantone references
When a vendor asks for "the original vector," they mean SVG, AI, or EPS — not a PDF or a PNG with a transparent background.
Need a complete, production-ready logo file set?
Every vectorization we deliver includes SVG, AI source, EPS, PDF, and PNG exports at multiple resolutions — organized, labeled, and ready for any vendor.