23.2.1 Which Export Format Should I Choose

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The format that you choose will depend on the target application. Publishers often have strict requirements for image file formats, so be sure to get details before creating your images.

Formats common to print publishing

Vector formats are generally preferred for their scalability. It might seem reasonable to expect that vector images should be infinitely scalable, but the information necessary to describe these images can be considerable if data sets are very large. For formats that have ColorSpace options, publishers typically prefer CYMK over RGB.

Formats common to web publishing

There are two important considerations when creating images to be used on the web. You want to:

• Minimize file size to increase download speed.
• Choose a format that is supported by commonly used browsers.

The two most widely supported web image formats are JPG and GIF. PNG is growing in popularity as a replacement for GIF because it does not require licensing.

Note that you must balance color and detail with download speed; the lower the color density and resolution, the faster the download speed. However, there may be times when you decide to sacrifice some download speed for more color or sharpness.

Since web pages are viewed on a computer screen, export at a resolution that approximates that of a computer monitor -72 to 120 dots per inch (dpi).

Formats for use by other applications

If you intend to edit your graphic file in another application, then you should choose that application's native file format or one of its supported formats.

Extension	Format Name (type)	Owner Application
AI	Adobe Illustrator (vector) Origin recently added support for .SVG files. If you export images for final editing in Adobe Illustrator, we strongly recommend the .SVG format.	Abobe Illustrator
BMP	Bitmap (raster)	Windows Paint
CGM	Computer Graphics Metafile (vector)	Wordperfect
DXF	AutoCAD Drawing Interchange (vector)	AutoCAD
EMF	Enhanced Metafile (vector)	MS Office Applications
PCX	Zsoft PC Paintbrush Bitmap (raster)	PC Paintbrush
PDF	Portable Document Format (vector)	Adobe Acrobat
PSD	Adobe Photoshop (raster)	Adobe Photoshop
SVG	Scalable Vector Graphics (vector)	Open Standard
WMF	Windows Metafile (vector)	MS Office Applications

These formats may be raster or vector. There are fewer vector format editors available and some of those programs will 'rasterize' a vector format when it is loaded in the editor. Consult your owner application's documentation for details.