Sign making requires the highest quality originals. A good logo designer will provide many file formats to the client. Among these will be two file types, which, if the average customer attempts to open them, will appear to be filled with gobbledygook. These extensions are “.ai” and “.eps” and are useful to design professionals.
All too often an office staff member finds the first file they can open when they are assigned the task of getting a banner or purchasing a tradeshow display. This file is most likely a “.jpg” file and is insufficient for making a sign. But that’s ok; somewhere close by will be a nice high-resolution file suitable for large format printing. Instead of sending me the “logo.jpg” file, send me the “logo.eps” file. Easy! In the image below I show a comparison between a .jpg file and an .eps file.
As Adobe PDF files become more common, this issue will gradually become less important. A .pdf file can be viewed with Adobe’s free Acrobat. Usually it is also a high-resolution file which will produce a beautiful sign.