Submit Logo for Custom Basketball Sticky Mat Set

File Types for Custom Logos

What file types can I submit for a custom logo?

Please submit vector based files. These files are Adobe Illustrator (.ai), Freehand (.fh), Encapsulated Postscript (.eps) and Window Metafile (.wmf).

When requesting these files from your art or sports information department, be sure to tell them that you need these files in their native file format, in other words, opening up a jpg file in photoshop and using the “save as” to save it as an eps file is not going to magically convert a bitmapped file back into a vector file.

How can I tell whether it is a vector file or not?

You cannot tell for sure unless you open the file in a graphics program but one good indication is that the file size is usually very small, usually under 200k and sometimes as small as 50k.

Why can’t you just use what I give you?

We could but we won’t. We want to print the highest quality image possible and for logos, vector files are the best way to go. So while you can use small jpgs or gifs to print out a business card or a letter head, you cannot use them to print out an image that is 15″ x 18″ or larger. In addition to what was already mentioned, bitmapped files are extremely difficult to color match without ICC profiles. Vector files are much easier to get to print the colors you are looking for.

See the examples below:

These files both look and print the same if printed and viewed at this size.

When scaled up just 300% it is very easy to see the difference. Keep in mind that these area of the images are only about 4 inches wide and logos on a small base are 15 inches wide.

This is 1800% magnification.

If you would like more technical information on file formats and their differences please click Image File Formats.