A useful logo handover gives you files for the jobs you actually need to do: update your website, add a logo to a proposal, order business cards and send artwork to a signwriter. One file rarely covers all of them.

The practical starting point is a genuine vector master, an SVG for compatible digital uses, a vector PDF for sharing with print suppliers, transparent PNG exports and a short guide to the versions. Keep the editable source file if it is included in your agreement. Request EPS or a specialist production file when the receiving supplier needs it.

The important word is genuine. Saving a small PNG inside an SVG or PDF does not turn its pixels into scalable vector artwork.

Get your logo files sorted

A manual vector redraw and six file formats for your existing logo.

Our Logo Final Files Package includes AI, EPS, SVG, PDF, PNG and JPG files, minor clean-up and an organised folder.

View the Logo Final Files Package

Which logo file should I use for each job?

Use this guide to choose a starting file, then check the receiving platform or supplier’s specifications. The right file also needs the right logo version, colours and dimensions.

Website header

Start with
SVG containing vector artwork; PNG if the site cannot accept SVG

Check before sending
Correct light or dark version, readable size, no missing fonts or linked images

Avoid
A large padded image that makes the visible logo tiny

Social profile or marketplace listing

Start with
PNG in the platform’s required dimensions

Check before sending
Square or compact composition and the platform’s crop preview

Avoid
Squeezing a wide wordmark into a small circular crop

Email signature

Start with
PNG sized for the intended display

Check before sending
Actual sending system, mobile display and light/dark backgrounds

Avoid
Assuming SVG support or relying on a white logo on transparency

Proposal or presentation

Start with
PNG for straightforward placement; SVG where the software supports it

Check before sending
On-screen result and exported PDF

Avoid
Copying a screenshot from the website

Business cards or brochures

Start with
Vector PDF for the logo asset

Check before sending
Supplier’s colour profile, finished layout, bleed and font requirements

Avoid
Treating a logo PDF as a finished print-ready business card

Signage or vehicle graphics

Start with
Vector PDF, SVG, AI or EPS as requested

Check before sending
Finished dimensions, production method, colours and any required cut paths

Avoid
Assuming every large-format job uses the same settings

Embroidery

Start with
Clean source artwork in the digitiser’s accepted format

Check before sending
Garment, placement, size, thread colours and a stitch-out proof

Avoid
Sending an SVG and assuming it is a machine-ready embroidery file

A future designer

Start with
Agreed editable source plus approved vector exports

Check before sending
Software/version, linked assets and font licensing

Avoid
Only supplying flattened previews

For embroidery, the artwork is an input to digitisation. A production file needs stitch instructions appropriate to the job and machine. Wilcom distinguishes editable embroidery designs from machine files; neither is simply another name for an ordinary logo SVG. See Wilcom’s explanation of embroidery files.

Vector and raster describe the artwork inside the file

Vector artwork describes shapes and curves. Those shapes can be redrawn at a larger size without enlarging a fixed grid of source pixels. It is well suited to the clean lines and lettering in many logos.

Raster artwork is a grid of pixels. PNG and JPG are familiar examples. A raster logo can look excellent at an appropriate size, but enlarging it does not recover detail that was never present.

Some formats can hold both. Adobe confirms that EPS can contain vector and bitmap graphics, and the SVG specification explicitly permits embedded PNG and JPEG images. A filename is therefore a useful clue, not a quality certificate. Adobe’s EPS guidance; W3C’s SVG embedded-content specification.

Compare what is inside two SVG files

Imagine the same simple mark supplied twice. The first SVG contains the paths that draw the mark. The second contains a 24 × 24-pixel PNG of it. Both files end in .svg, but only the first contains the mark as vector shapes.

Enlarge both. The paths can be drawn cleanly at the new size; the embedded PNG still has only 24 pixels across. Depending on the viewer, its edges may look soft or blocky. The wrapper changed, but the underlying image did not.

Both files are SVGs. The left contains vector paths; the right contains a 24 × 24-pixel PNG.

Zooming is a useful first check, not a definitive inspection. A large raster image can look sharp at moderate magnification. Ask the designer to inspect the artwork’s objects and confirm whether the logo itself is built from paths, contains embedded images, or depends on raster effects. Also check that fonts and linked files have not gone missing.

The logo file formats worth understanding

SVG for scalable digital artwork

SVG is a strong choice for a clean logo on a website that supports it. It can keep the visible shapes sharp at different display sizes. Ask for a self-contained export that renders correctly without a missing local font or external image.

An SVG is not automatically the same as the designer’s complete working file. It may preserve the appearance without retaining every layer, effect or editing feature from the source application. Test the exported file in its intended destination.

PNG for transparent everyday exports

PNG is useful for social uploads, documents, presentations and other places that want an ordinary image file. It supports transparency and lossless compression, although the export must actually include a transparent background if you want one. PNG supports more than RGB: the specification also includes greyscale and indexed-colour images. It does not provide a CMYK image colour model. Read the PNG specification.

Lossless compression does not make a PNG infinitely scalable. Ask for pixel dimensions suited to its intended uses, rather than one vaguely labelled “high-resolution” file.

PDF for sharing and print workflows

A PDF is convenient for viewing and passing artwork to another business. It can contain vector artwork, raster images, text or a mixture. A PDF made from a screenshot is still a screenshot inside a PDF.

Ask for a vector logo PDF, then let the printer confirm the production requirements. A complete brochure or business card may need a particular PDF preset, colour profile, bleed and other layout settings. These requirements belong to the finished print job, not just the logo asset. Adobe explains PDF production and colour settings.

AI for the Illustrator working file

AI is Adobe Illustrator’s native format. It can preserve the working structure needed for later edits, but it can also contain placed pixel images. Receiving an AI file alone does not prove the artwork is all vector.

If editable source files are in scope, request the final source and its software/version details. Keep it alongside simpler exports so your team does not need specialist software for everyday jobs. See Illustrator’s supported file and export formats.

EPS when a supplier requests it

EPS remains useful in some legacy and production workflows. It is not the default answer to every printing question, and its exchanged PostScript artwork does not support modern live transparency in the same way as newer formats. Transparency may need flattening, which can introduce raster regions. Ask the supplier which file they want rather than converting everything to EPS. Adobe’s transparency guidance explains the distinction.

JPG when transparency is not needed

JPG is widely used for photographs and flattened images, but ordinary JPEG has no alpha channel for transparent backgrounds. Its lossy compression can introduce visible artefacts around crisp logo edges. Keep a JPG if a platform requests it, but do not make it your only logo file. PNG is often more suitable for a standalone raster logo. Compare image formats in MDN’s guide.

What about PSD and WebP? A PSD may be useful for a Photoshop mockup; it is not a substitute for the logo’s vector master. WebP can be a useful website raster export, but it still needs sufficient pixel dimensions. Neither removes the need to keep the source artwork.

Missing the files you need?

Get AI, EPS, SVG, PDF, PNG and JPG together in one organised folder.

If you only have a JPG, PNG or preview image, our Logo Final Files Package gives you a manual vector redraw and useful exports. Include any supplier specifications so we can check the required production work.

Get the Logo Final Files Package

Check size and colour as well as the extension

Pixel dimensions matter more than a “300 DPI” label

For a raster image, effective print resolution depends on its pixels and the size at which you print it:

Pixels across ÷ printed width in inches = pixels per inch.

For example, a 1,200-pixel-wide image placed 100 mm wide is about 305 ppi. The same image at 1,000 mm wide is about 30 ppi. Changing its resolution metadata without resampling does not add pixels. The required resolution depends on the output and viewing distance, so ask the printer. Adobe explains pixel dimensions, resolution and resampling.

For screen exports, specify pixel dimensions and check the actual rendered size. “300 DPI” is not a useful standalone website-logo specification.

RGB and CMYK are not file types

For ordinary screen use, ask for an RGB export, commonly using sRGB. For print, ask which colour mode and profile the supplier requires. Many workflows use CMYK, but converting a file to an arbitrary CMYK profile is not a guarantee of correct colour.

Keep approved colour values in your own brand guide. Our brand guidelines examples show how client manuals document colours and usage. Where colour is critical, request a suitable proof. Screen light, printing inks, paper, vinyl and thread can produce different results; a file extension cannot make them identical.

Your logo handover checklist

Before you archive the project, check that the delivered package answers these questions.

• Master artwork: Is there a verified vector version of the logo, not just an embedded image?

• Editable source: Have you received the source files agreed in the project scope, with software/version information?

• Useful exports: Can you identify the web SVG, transparent PNGs and supplier-ready logo PDF without guessing?

• Logo variations: Are the agreed full-colour, single-colour and reversed versions clearly labelled? Are compact or alternative layouts included where needed?

• Colour: Are screen values and any supplied print specifications documented?

• Fonts: Is there a reproduction version that does not rely on missing fonts, plus clear licensing information for anyone who must edit live text?

• File integrity: Do the files open correctly, with no missing links, unexpected background or cropped artwork?

• Usage notes: Are clear space, minimum size and background choices explained?

• Ownership and access: Are the agreed usage rights documented, and is the final package stored somewhere the business controls?

• Real-world check: Have you tested one website placement, one everyday document and any immediate supplier job?

For fonts, the licence matters. For example, Adobe Fonts permits certain finished artwork to be supplied to clients but does not allow the font software to be freely packaged and shared. Record the font name and legitimate licensing route rather than assuming every font file can be passed on. Adobe Fonts licensing guidance.

A clear filename might look like business-logo-horizontal-white-rgb-1200px.png. The filename should describe the actual contents. Keep a short “start here” note explaining which folder to use for web, office and print work.

If you only have a PNG or JPG

First ask the original designer whether a vector master already exists. That is usually better than rebuilding the logo from a preview. If the source is unavailable, the artwork may need to be redrawn and checked against the approved design. Automatic tracing can be a starting point, but its lettering, curves and small details still need review.

Our guide to preparing final files from an image or AI-generated logo covers the rebuild process in more detail.

Order your Logo Final Files Package

Get a manual vector redraw, minor clean-up and an organised set of final files.

Send your existing logo and tell us where you want to use it. If a printer, signwriter or embroiderer has supplied specifications, include them before ordering so we can check whether the standard package fits.

See package details and current pricing

Need more than a file rebuild? Tell us what needs changing so we can discuss whether the standard package or a custom project fits.