So you get your pretty logo files from your designer and now you’re wondering “which one am I supposed to use to upload my logo to my website”? Today I’ll let you in on the trade secrets and point you in the right direction of when you use each file format. Let me know if you have any questions by leaving a comment below.

BEST FORMATS FOR ONLINE USAGE –

JPEG | Joint Photographic Experts Group Most known file format. This is what your photographer will you send you your photos in. This makes the online usage list because the file format will lose quality the larger you explode the image. If you are going to print a .jpg, the image needs to be a high resolution image. (Hi Res is at 300 dpi and Low Res is at 75 dpi) This file format will not allow you to have a transparent background. So if you’re wanting to put your logo over a colored background, .jpg is not your best bet.

PNG | Portable Network Graphics Intended to show graphics online and not for printing purposes. This file format does give the option to have a transparent background and therefore is best to use on a website and will give you a crisp, clear graphic.

GIF | Graphics Interchange Format It is lower quality than a .png so I suppose it is good if you need a reduced file size. Used specifically for online use and is the format used to produce animations.

BEST FORMATS FOR PRINTING –

PDF | Portable Document Format Another common file format that serves as a digital version of a hard copy. This format is preferred for printing because it does not lose its resolution or quality when changing size.

EPS | Encapsulated Postscript File This is a vector file that’s commonly used for logos and graphics. This file format allows for transparent backgrounds and can be scaled to any size without losing its quality. Great for printing larger items like life-size signs.