Send a vector file (a PDF, EPS or SVG with the text converted to outlines) to anyone who makes something physical, like a sign shop, screen printer or embroiderer. Send a large PNG with a transparent background to anything on a screen that asks you to upload a logo. Most "why does my logo look fuzzy" problems start when someone grabs the small PNG from the website and sends it everywhere.
Here's the short version we give Fort Worth clients: how to check what you have, which file goes where, and what to keep in one folder.
How do you know if you have a real vector logo?
Open the file and zoom in as far as you can. A vector logo stays sharp at any size because it's built from shapes, not pixels. If the edges turn into little squares, it's a raster image, no matter what the file is called.
Two things trip people up:
- Renaming doesn't convert. A JPG saved or renamed as .eps or .pdf is still a pixel image inside. Print and embroidery shops warn about this in their artwork guidelines, and they'll charge to redraw it.
- A PDF isn't automatically vector. If someone placed a photo of your logo into a PDF, it's still a photo. The zoom test is the only real check.
Can't find a vector file? Before you pay anyone to redraw your logo, check two places. Search your email for the files your original designer sent. Then ask the last shop that printed your business cards, sign or shirts. Shops often keep artwork from past jobs.
Which logo file goes to which vendor?
Here's how we'd match files to the requests a DFW small business actually gets:
- Sign shop, vehicle wrap or vinyl decals: vector PDF or EPS, text outlined, plus your CMYK and Pantone color values. Cut vinyl needs clean one-color shapes, so include a one-color version.
- Screen printer for team or event tees: vector file and a one-color version. Each ink color is its own screen, so a simpler version often prints better.
- Embroidery for polos, hats and uniforms: vector or high-resolution art. The shop turns it into a stitch file (often a .DST) through a step called digitizing. Ask up front whether you get a copy of that stitch file and whether you can use it with another shop. Small text and thin lines often don't survive stitching.
- Sponsor requests (a youth league banner, a charity golf tournament, a nonprofit gala program): send a vector PDF and a transparent PNG, in both a dark version and a white version. You usually won't see a proof, so give them what they need for any background.
- Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Canva and Google Docs: transparent PNG, around 2,000 pixels wide.
- Email signature: PNG, not SVG. SVG support in email apps is still uneven, so an SVG logo can show up broken for some of the people you email.
- Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn profile: a square version with breathing room around the mark. Facebook and Instagram crop profile pictures to a circle, so a wide logo gets its corners cut off.
What logo file should you use on your website and Google?
For most small business sites, a large transparent PNG. The details depend on where it goes:
- Squarespace site logo: Squarespace accepts .jpg, .gif, .png or .webp for the header logo, not SVG. Upload a transparent PNG at roughly twice the size it displays so it stays sharp on phones and high-resolution screens. Skip Squarespace's built-in image editor for logos. It saves the image as a JPG, which drops the transparent background and leaves a white box.
- Favicon (the tiny icon in the browser tab): Squarespace recommends a square PNG between 100 x 100 and 300 x 300 pixels, under 100 KB. Google Search also requires a square favicon. Use your icon or initials, not the full logo with a tagline. At tab size, words disappear.
- Google Business Profile logo: a square JPG or PNG. Google recommends 720 x 720 pixels, with a minimum of 250 x 250 and a file between 10 KB and 5 MB. More profile fixes are in our Google Business Profile checklist.
Why don't your colors match from the van to the website?
Screens and printers use different color systems. Your website uses HEX or RGB values. Printed pieces use CMYK. Signs, shirts and packaging often use Pantone spot colors for an exact match. Embroidery uses thread, which comes in set colors, so the shop matches the closest thread to your brand color.
If your brand only has a HEX code, every vendor converts it their own way, and your navy can turn purple on a wrap. Ask your designer for all of the values in one place. When color matters, ask the shop for a printed proof or thread sample before the full run.
What should be in your logo folder?
One shared folder, saved in two places (a cloud drive and a backup), with:
- The editable master (an AI or SVG file) so any future designer can make changes.
- Print files: vector PDF and EPS, in full color, one-color black and one-color white, text outlined.
- Screen files: transparent PNGs in full color, black and white, around 2,000 pixels wide.
- A square icon for favicons and social profiles.
- A one-page color and font sheet: HEX, RGB, CMYK and Pantone values, plus font names and where each font is licensed.
Name files by use, like "logo-white-print.pdf" or "icon-square-web.png," so anyone on your team can grab the right one. And make sure the files and the rights are yours. That's the same principle we cover in do you own your website.
Need your logo files cleaned up?
If your logo only exists as a blurry screenshot, or it falls apart in one color or at small sizes, that's a design fix, not a file fix. Our branding work covers logo design and identity, and our graphic design team delivers final files ready for both digital and print. If a logo refresh is turning into a bigger question, read when should a small business rebrand. You can also see our pricing or browse the FAQ.
FAQs
What logo file format should I send to a printer? Send a vector file, usually a PDF or EPS with the text converted to outlines, plus your CMYK or Pantone color values. Ask the printer which format they prefer before you send it.
How can I tell if my logo is a vector file? Open it and zoom in as far as you can. A vector logo stays sharp at any size. If the edges turn into small squares, it's a pixel image, even if the file ends in .eps or .pdf.
Can I use an SVG logo on Squarespace? Not as the standard site logo. Squarespace accepts .jpg, .gif, .png or .webp for the header logo, so upload a large PNG with a transparent background instead.
Why is my logo blurry on my website? The uploaded image is usually too small for the space, so it gets stretched. Upload a transparent PNG at about twice the size it displays, and don't edit it in Squarespace's built-in image editor, which saves it as a JPG.
What logo files should I get from my designer? An editable master file, vector print files (PDF and EPS), transparent PNGs, a square icon, and a sheet with your HEX, RGB, CMYK and Pantone colors and font names. Get each in full color, black and white.
