Top 3 File Types

JPG vs PNG vs PDF: Which File Type to Use and When

Use a JPG for photographs, a PNG for logos and anything that needs a transparent background, and a PDF for printing or sharing documents. Digital files should be RGB at 72 to 150dpi. Print files should be CMYK at 300dpi. Get those two rules right and you'll avoid most of the problems that send files back from the printer.

This one's for the non-designers, the small businesses, and especially those juggling the whole lot solo.

File types can feel like a language nobody bothered to teach you. Your designer sends a folder with eight versions of your logo, your printer asks for something "print ready", and somewhere along the way your logo ends up on a white box in the middle of your Facebook header. A right pain in the apples.

The truth is you only need to understand three file types to get by. Anything beyond that is a conversation for your graphic designer or printer.

JPG: best for photographs

A JPG (sometimes written JPEG) handles images with lots of colours and subtle shading, which makes it the right choice for photography.

• Best for photos, product shots and detailed imagery
• Does not support transparency, so it will always sit on a solid background
• The most widely accepted image format going... every viewer, editor, browser and platform opens it
• Compresses well, which keeps your website fast

The catch: JPG compression is lossy, so quality drops slightly every time you re-save. Always keep your original and export a fresh copy rather than editing and re-saving the same file over and over.

PNG: best for logos and transparency

A PNG (short for Portable Network Graphic) is your go-to for anything digital that needs a clean edge.

• Best for logos, illustrations, icons and graphics with flat colour
• Does support transparency, including semi-transparent edges
• Popular with web designers for exactly that reason
• Larger file size than a JPG, so don't use it for photographs

If your logo is turning up on a white rectangle where it shouldn't be, you're almost certainly using a JPG when you need a PNG.

PDF: best for printing and sharing

A PDF (portable document format) keeps your layout, fonts and colours locked in place no matter what device opens it.

• Best for anything heading to a printer
• Also ideal for digital documents like proposals, price lists and brochures
• Holds formatting exactly as designed, so nothing shifts between your screen and theirs
• Opens on almost every device, either through Adobe Reader or straight in a browser

PDFs can be edited with the right software, so they're not locked down by default. What they are is stable... what you send is what the other person sees.

The honourable mention: SVG

Worth knowing about even if you don't use it daily. An SVG is a vector file, which means it scales to any size without going fuzzy. A pinhead or a billboard, same crisp result.

Use an SVG for your logo on your website wherever your platform supports it. It stays sharp on every screen and the file size is tiny, which is good for your load speed.

Your brand kit should include vector files (AI, EPS and SVG) alongside your PNGs and JPGs. If you've only ever been sent PNGs, you don't have full ownership of your logo... and that becomes an expensive problem the day you need signage.

RGB or CMYK? Getting colour and resolution right

This is where most files come unstuck, and it's a simple rule:

Use	Colour mode	Resolution	Export as
Screen and digital	RGB	72 to 150dpi	PNG or JPG, SVG for logos
Print	CMYK	300dpi	PDF with crop marks and bleed

Send an RGB file to a printer and your colours will shift, usually in the direction you least wanted. Upload a 300dpi CMYK file to your website and you've just slowed your page down for no reason.

Quick reference: which file do I use?

I need to...	Use
Post a photo to Instagram	JPG
Put my logo on a coloured background	PNG
Send artwork to a printer	PDF
Add my logo to my website header	SVG, or PNG if SVG isn't supported
Email a price list or proposal	PDF
Upload a header image to my website	JPG

 

Frequently asked questions

What's the difference between JPG and JPEG? Nothing. They're the same format. The shorter version exists because older systems only allowed three-letter file extensions.

Why does my logo have a white box behind it? You're using a JPG. Swap it for a PNG, which supports transparency, and the box disappears.

Can I convert a JPG or PNG into a vector file? Not properly. Both are raster files made of pixels, so converting them is a trace, not a true vector. If you need a vector logo, it has to be rebuilt or supplied from the original design file.

What file types should my designer give me? At minimum: your logo in AI or EPS, SVG, PNG (with transparency) and JPG, plus a primary logo, a submark and any variations. Anything less and you'll be back asking for files every time you order something.

Why won't my file open? Usually a file type your device doesn't support, like an AI or EPS. Those are working files for designers. Ask for a PDF, PNG or JPG version instead.