SVG vs PNG vs PDF: Which Logo File Do You Actually Need?
You made a logo, and now you have a folder full of files with different extensions — and a print shop, a web developer, and an embroiderer all asking for something slightly different. Here's a plain-English guide to what each format is, and exactly which one to hand over for each job.
The confusion almost always comes down to one distinction: raster vs vector. Once that clicks, the rest of the choices — transparency, file size, which format goes where — mostly answer themselves. So let's start there.
Raster vs vector: the one idea that explains everything
A raster file stores your image as a grid of colored dots (pixels). PNG, JPEG and WebP are all raster. Zoom in far enough and you see the squares; blow a small raster logo up to poster size and it turns soft and blocky. A raster has a fixed resolution — it only holds as much detail as it was saved with.
A vector file stores your logo as math: points, lines and curves. SVG is the common vector format for logos (and many PDFs are vector too). Because it's described by shapes instead of dots, a vector scales to any size — favicon to billboard — and stays perfectly crisp. That's why designers hand off logos as vectors: one file works everywhere.
The formats, one by one
- SVG — vector. Infinitely scalable, tiny file size, supports transparency, and stays sharp on every screen. The best format for a logo on the web and the ideal master to send a print shop. Not meant for photographs.
- PNG — raster with transparency. The go-to when you need your logo to sit cleanly on any background without a white box around it. Great for web graphics, presentations and social profiles. Larger than JPEG, and it doesn't scale up beyond the resolution you saved.
- JPEG — raster, no transparency. Built for photographs, where its compression keeps files small. A poor choice for logos: it can leave blurry "artifacts" around crisp edges and text, and it always fills the background with a solid color.
- WebP — raster, modern. Similar quality to PNG/JPEG at smaller file sizes, and it supports transparency. Excellent for speeding up web pages; every current browser reads it.
- PDF — the print handoff format. A PDF can hold vector art, so it scales like an SVG while being the file format print shops, sign makers and merch vendors ask for most. Open it anywhere and it looks the same everywhere.
Which file for which job
| Format | Best for | Scalable? | Transparency? |
|---|---|---|---|
| SVG | Website logo, favicon, print master, embroidery digitizing | Yes (vector) | Yes |
| PNG | Logo on any background, slides, social profile, email signature | No (raster) | Yes |
| JPEG | Photographs, photo social posts, banners with photo backgrounds | No (raster) | No |
| WebP | Fast-loading web images and photos | No (raster) | Yes |
| Print shop, signage, merch, business cards | Yes (if vector) | Yes |
Real situations, sorted
- Print shop / business cards / banners. Send a vector — SVG or a vector PDF. One file prints crisp at any size, from a card to a trade-show backdrop.
- Website. Use SVG for the logo (sharp on every screen, tiny file). Use WebP or JPEG for photos, and PNG when a raster needs transparency.
- Embroidery. Digitizers work best from clean vector art (SVG). It gives them crisp edges to convert into stitch paths — a blurry PNG makes their job harder and the result worse.
- Favicon (the tiny browser-tab icon). SVG is ideal, since it stays sharp at 16px. A high-res PNG is the common raster fallback.
- Social profiles & posts. PNG with transparency for a profile mark; JPEG or WebP for photo-based posts.
- Merch — shirts, mugs, stickers. Vector (SVG/PDF) so the printer can size it to the product without quality loss.
A word on transparency and file size
Transparency (an "alpha channel") is what lets your logo sit on a colored background, a photo, or a dark header without a white rectangle around it. SVG, PNG and WebP all support it; JPEG does not. If your logo shows up boxed in white where it shouldn't, it's almost certainly saved as a JPEG.
File size matters most on the web, where every kilobyte slows a page. Vectors (SVG) are usually tiny for a logo. Among rasters, WebP is generally the smallest for equal quality, JPEG is small for photos, and PNG is larger but keeps transparency. Pick the smallest format that still does the job the page needs.
The simple rule to remember
Keep a vector master (SVG or vector PDF) as your source of truth — it scales forever and never degrades. Then export raster copies (PNG, JPEG, WebP) for the specific places that need them. If you only ever remember one thing: vector for print and scaling, raster for a fixed spot on a screen.
Frequently asked questions
Which logo file should I send a print shop?
Send a vector — an SVG or a vector PDF — whenever you can. Vector art scales to any size without blurring, so a printer can put your logo on a business card or a banner from the same file. If the shop only takes raster, give them the largest, highest-resolution PNG you have.
Which format should I use on a website?
Use SVG for the logo itself — it stays razor-sharp on any screen and the file is tiny. Use PNG when you need a raster with transparency, JPEG for photographs, and WebP when you want smaller files and faster page loads.
What is a vector, in plain English?
A vector file stores your logo as math — points, lines and curves — instead of a grid of colored pixels. Because it's described by shapes rather than dots, it can be scaled to any size, from a favicon to a billboard, and stay perfectly crisp. SVG is the common vector format for logos.
Get every file your logo needs
Vectura exports your logo as PNG, JPEG and WebP plus a true SVG vector — so you always have the right file for the web, the print shop, or the embroiderer.
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