Vector Art vs. Raster Art: Key Differences You Should Know

August 12, 2025 Rankifly SEO Agency

If you’ve ever worked with graphics for printing, embroidery, or web design, you’ve probably come across the terms vector art and raster art. While both are used in digital design, they work in completely different ways — and choosing the wrong format can ruin your print quality or slow down your project.

Whether you’re a business owner, designer, or crafter, understanding the difference is essential. And if you’re getting designs converted for embroidery, services like Absolute Digitizer can help you turn raster images into clean, scalable vector files that work perfectly for your needs.

In this guide, we’ll break down what vector and raster art are, their pros and cons, where each should be used, and how to decide which is right for your project.

What is Vector Art?

Vector art is made up of mathematical paths and shapes instead of pixels. These paths can be straight or curved lines, combined to create shapes, logos, or illustrations.

Common file formats for vector art include:

.AI (Adobe Illustrator)
.EPS (Encapsulated PostScript)
.SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics)
.PDF (when saved in vector mode)

Key Features of Vector Art:

Infinitely Scalable – You can resize without losing quality.
Editable Elements – Each shape, line, and color can be changed individually.
Smaller File Sizes – Compared to large raster images.

Best Uses:

Logos and branding materials
Embroidery digitizing and printing
Signage and large-format printing
Illustrations and infographics

What is Raster Art?

Raster art (also known as bitmap images) is made up of tiny pixels arranged in a grid. Each pixel has its own color value, and together they form the complete image.

Common raster file formats include:

.JPG (Joint Photographic Experts Group)
.PNG (Portable Network Graphics)
.GIF (Graphics Interchange Format)
.TIFF (Tagged Image File Format)
.BMP (Bitmap)

Key Features of Raster Art:

Resolution-Dependent – Quality decreases when enlarged.
Rich Color Detail – Great for photographs and realistic images.
Larger File Sizes – Especially at high resolutions.

Best Uses:

Photographs and digital paintings
Web graphics (icons, banners, product images)
Social media content
Complex textures and gradients

Key Differences Between Vector and Raster Art

Here’s a side-by-side comparison:

Feature	Vector Art	Raster Art
Made of	Paths and shapes	Pixels
Scalability	Infinite, no quality loss	Loses quality when enlarged
File Size	Usually small	Can be large at high resolution
Best for	Logos, text, illustrations	Photos, realistic images
Editability	Easy to edit shapes/colors	Limited; pixel editing only
File Formats	AI, EPS, SVG, PDF	JPG, PNG, GIF, BMP, TIFF
Printing	Crisp and clear at any size	Needs high resolution for good print quality

When to Use Vector Art

You should choose vector art when:

You need your design in multiple sizes (e.g., a logo on a business card and a billboard).
You’re working with embroidery digitizing, where clean outlines are essential.
Your design has simple shapes, flat colors, or text.
You want a small file size without losing quality.

When to Use Raster Art

Raster art is the better choice when:

Your design includes complex shading or textures.
You’re working with photographs.
You need detailed digital art for web or social media.
You don’t plan to resize the image significantly.

How Vector and Raster Art Affect Printing & Embroidery

If you send a raster image (like a low-resolution JPG) for large-format printing or embroidery, the edges may appear blurry or pixelated. That’s why most printers and embroidery digitizers request vector files — they remain sharp at any size.

For embroidery, a vector file ensures:

Crisp outlines for accurate stitching
Easy color separation
Smooth scaling for different garment sizes

Raster images can still be used, but they often need to be converted to vector first. This is where vector art services like Absolute Digitizer come in — they take your raster design and turn it into a professional, clean vector file ready for production.

Converting Raster to Vector

The process of converting raster art to vector art is called vectorization or tracing. While some software can auto-trace, the results are often messy and need manual cleanup.

Professional vector conversion services:

Redraw the design by hand for perfect lines.
Match colors exactly to your original.
Provide the file in multiple formats for different uses.

Pros and Cons at a Glance

Vector Art Pros:

Infinite scalability
Small file size
Perfect for logos and printing
Easy to edit

Vector Art Cons:

Not ideal for realistic images
Requires specific software to create/edit

Raster Art Pros:

Great for detailed and realistic images
Widely supported across all devices
Ideal for web and photography

Raster Art Cons:

Quality loss when enlarged
Larger file sizes at high resolution

Final Thoughts

Both vector and raster art have their place in the design world. The key is knowing when to use each. If you want crisp, scalable designs for printing, embroidery, or signage, vector art is the way to go. If you’re working with rich, detailed photographs, raster art is your best choice.

When in doubt, start with vector — you can always convert it to raster later, but turning raster into vector requires more work (and often a professional service).

For embroidery digitizing, logo design, and high-quality print work, Absolute Digitizer can help you create clean, production-ready vector files that make your designs look their best.