COMMON TERMS
Clients are often confused when asked for a 'vector' file or other terms commonly used in the graphic design world. Below, you'll find some of the common terms and their definition. Hope this helps!
AI: represents Adobe Illustrator Artwork file. This graphics file format is a creation of Adobe systems for containing vector based graphics in a single page.
EPS: (short for Encapsulated PostScript) is a vector format designed for printing to PostScript printers and image setters.
PDF: (short for Portable Document Format) is a file format developed by Adobe as a means of distributing compact, platform-independent documents.
JPEG: stands for “Joint Photographic Experts Group”. is often produced by digital photography. The ideal jpeg is 300dpi.
VECTOR: A graphic (shape or line)that is created in Adobe Illustrator
that has infinite scalability. The type of file needed for a logo.
PANTONE COLORS: A system used for color matching. The colors are also made up of more inks, providing a larger selection of colors that cannot be made up by CMYK.
CMYK: Color mode used for print designs, and is an acronym for the four main colors used when printing – cyan, magenta, yellow, and key (black)
RGB: Is used for digital/web designs, and is an acronym for the three colors that get mixed together in different amounts – red, green, and blue
OPACITY: Amount of transparency an image or graphic has
GRADIENT:
Gradual blending of colors or shades from the same hue
TRIM LINE: Crop marks that show where your printed piece will be cut down to its correct size, usually shown when there is a bleed that goes outside the trim area
BLEED: Design that goes beyond the border of the pages so there is no margin
DPI/PPI: Refers to dots per inch, or pixels per inch; these describe the resolution of an image
MOCK-UP: A realistic representation of the final design (either to scale or full-size)