Logo File Formats Explained: SVG, PNG, PDF, EPS and the Sizes You Need

You finish a logo, and immediately someone asks for “the EPS”, a printer wants “a high-res PDF”, and a website builder asks for a “512 × 512 PNG”. Logo files are confusing because different jobs genuinely need different formats.

This guide explains the formats you will be asked for, what each is good at, and a practical set of files to keep in your logo folder.

Vector vs raster: the one concept that matters

Every image file is one of two kinds.

Vector files describe shapes mathematically: points, curves and fills. They can be scaled to any size, from a favicon to a billboard, with no loss of quality. SVG, EPS, AI and (usually) PDF are vector formats.

Raster files are grids of pixels. Each has a fixed resolution; enlarge it beyond that and edges become blurry or blocky. PNG, JPG, WebP and GIF are raster formats.

The rule: keep your logo’s master file in vector form, and export raster files from it when needed. Never create a logo by enlarging a small PNG.

The formats, one by one

SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics)

SVG is an open, text-based vector format and a web standard.

• Use it for: websites, web apps, favicons (in modern browsers), and as your master editable file. Most design tools open SVG, including Figma, Illustrator, Inkscape and Affinity Designer.
• Strengths: infinitely scalable, small file size for simple logos, editable in a text editor, can be styled with CSS.
• Watch out for: text in an SVG relies on the font being available unless it is converted to outlines. For a logo you send to others, convert text to paths. Some print shops and embroidery services do not accept SVG.

PNG (Portable Network Graphics)

PNG is a raster format with lossless compression and support for transparency.

• Use it for: social media avatars, documents and presentations, email signatures, anywhere SVG is not accepted.
• Strengths: universally supported, crisp edges, transparent background.
• Watch out for: fixed resolution. Export at the size you need, or larger, and let the platform scale down rather than up.

PDF (Portable Document Format)

PDF is a document format that can contain vector graphics, raster images and fonts.

• Use it for: sending logos to printers, and sharing a logo with someone who does not have design software.
• Strengths: opens anywhere, preserves vectors when exported correctly, widely accepted by print shops.
• Watch out for: a PDF is only vector if it was exported from vector artwork. A PNG placed in a PDF is still a raster image.

EPS (Encapsulated PostScript)

EPS is an older vector format based on Adobe’s PostScript language.

• Use it for: legacy print workflows, sign makers, promotional product suppliers and some embroidery digitizers who specifically request it.
• Strengths: long-standing compatibility with professional print software.
• Watch out for: EPS is a legacy format, and support for previewing and editing it has been reduced in some modern software. Provide it when asked, but do not treat it as your master file.

JPG (JPEG)

JPG is a raster format with lossy compression, designed for photographs.

• Use it for: almost nothing logo-related, except when a platform accepts nothing else.
• Watch out for: no transparency, so the logo sits on a white or colored box, and compression artifacts appear around sharp edges.

AI (Adobe Illustrator)

AI is Illustrator’s native working file. Keep it if your logo was made in Illustrator, but send SVG, PDF or EPS to others; not everyone can open AI files.

Quick reference table

Format	Type	Transparency	Best for	Send to
SVG	Vector	Yes	Web, master file	Web developers, designers
PNG	Raster	Yes	Social, docs, email	Almost anyone
PDF	Vector (if exported from vector)	Yes	Print	Printers, clients
EPS	Vector	Yes	Legacy print, signage	Printers who request it
JPG	Raster	No	Last resort	Platforms that require it

Color modes: RGB, CMYK and spot colors

Formats are only half the story. Colors are specified differently for screen and print.

• RGB (red, green, blue) is for screens. Web files (SVG, PNG) use RGB, often written as hex codes like #14213D.
• CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, black) is for most full-color printing. Some printers want CMYK PDFs; converting from RGB can shift bright colors.
• Spot colors (such as Pantone) are specific premixed inks, used when color accuracy matters or for one-color printing.

Record your logo colors in a simple text file:

Primary ink:   HEX #14213D   RGB 20 33 61
Accent gold:   HEX #D4B25A   RGB 212 178 90
CMYK / Pantone: ask your printer to match, then record their values here

Asking your printer to proof the conversion is safer than guessing CMYK values yourself.

Sizes you will actually need

Platform requirements change, so always check the current spec, but these are the common needs.

Website

• Header logo: SVG. If you must use PNG, export at twice the displayed size for high-density screens.
• Favicon: an SVG favicon for modern browsers, plus a 32 × 32 PNG or ICO fallback.
• Apple touch icon: 180 × 180 PNG, square, no transparency (iOS fills transparent areas).
• Web app manifest icons: 192 × 192 and 512 × 512 PNG.
• Social sharing image (Open Graph): 1200 × 630 PNG or JPG is the widely used size. This is a banner that includes the logo, not the logo alone.

Social media profiles

Most platforms display avatars in a circle and accept a square upload. A square PNG of at least 400 × 400 pixels (larger is fine) covers most of them. Keep the monogram centered with padding so the circular crop does not cut it.

Print

• Business cards, letterhead, invitations: vector PDF.
• Signage and large format: vector PDF or EPS, as the sign maker prefers.
• If a printer insists on raster: export at 300 pixels per inch at the final printed size. A logo printed 2 inches wide needs at least 600 pixels across.

Embroidery and engraving

Embroidery requires a stitch file created by a digitizer, who will typically ask for a vector file (EPS, PDF, SVG or AI). Engraving and laser cutting normally use vector paths, often SVG, DXF or PDF. Single-color versions are essential for both.

A suggested logo folder

logo/
  master/      logo.svg, logo.pdf, logo.eps
  web/         logo.svg, favicon.svg, favicon-32.png,
               apple-touch-icon-180.png, icon-192.png, icon-512.png
  social/      avatar-1024.png
  one-color/   logo-black.svg, logo-white.svg
  colors.txt

Provide each version on a transparent background, plus one-color black and white variants. Our logo testing checklist explains why the one-color version matters.

How InitialAI handles files

InitialAI is designed around SVG output, so you start with a vector master you can open in any editor and export from. Everything else on this list can be derived from that file. If you are still choosing a design, start with how to design a monogram from your initials.