Hey, Linda!
My designer kindly sent me a folder full of different files – jpgs, pngs, pdfs, and something that ends in .ai? Can you help me sort out which files I should use for what?
—Lost in the Files
Hey, Linda! is my weekly advice column. Submit questions here. (It’s anonymous!)
Dear Lost in the Files,
I sure can! File types can be confusing, but they don’t have to be. I’ll try to break them down here so that you can begin to understand why to use one type of file over another. But, barring that, download this handout to help you make file choices quick.
Two Kinds of Files
To understand broading which type of file you are looking for, it’s helpful to know that there are two broad categories of files used for print and on the web: raster files and vector files.
Raster Files
Raster files
Til Next Time,
