best file format for importing a logo

D

danielle

I'm trying to import a logo into Word to make a letterhead template but the
image of the logo is showing up blurry.

I have tried importing the logo in EPS, PDF and GIF formats but the image is
always fuzzy. Does anyone know what the ideal image format is for
importing images that need to be crisp (like logos)?

thanks
danielle
 
S

Suzanne S. Barnhill

EPS graphics will print clean on a PS printer, but only the placeable header
(a TIFF, I think) will display in Word or print on a non-PS printer. TIFFs
don't display well in Word but usually print crisp. GIFs look good on screen
but are really designed for Web use and don't usually print very well. PDF
is not a graphics format as such. WMF and EMF are metafiles (combining
bitmap and vector properties, I think), which means they're scalable and
usually both print and display acceptably. John McGhie used to have an
article on graphics formats at http://word.mvps.org, but apparently he's
taken it down.


I'm trying to import a logo into Word to make a letterhead template but the
image of the logo is showing up blurry.

I have tried importing the logo in EPS, PDF and GIF formats but the image is
always fuzzy. Does anyone know what the ideal image format is for
importing images that need to be crisp (like logos)?

thanks
danielle
 
C

CAndersen (Kimba)

I'm trying to import a logo into Word to make a letterhead template but the
image of the logo is showing up blurry.
Click to expand...

Is it printing blurry as well? Since Word 97, MS has this way of displaying
graphics on screen that's supposed to be "smooth" but is just blurry. The
screen image does not represent the way the document will print.
I have tried importing the logo in EPS, PDF and GIF formats but the image is
always fuzzy. Does anyone know what the ideal image format is for
importing images that need to be crisp (like logos)?
Click to expand...

OK, there are two types of graphics files: bitmap and vector. Vector
graphics will print well at any size, provided you can get Word to
interpret them correctly. There can be numerous problems with line weights,
smoothness of curves, and so on. Vector formats include WMF, EMF, and CGM.

Bitmap formats are also called "raster" formats; each pixel in the image is
individually defined. For this reason, you have to consider the size at
which you wish to print the image. If you image file is too small, you will
get a poor printout. Minimum acceptable resolution is 300 dots (pixels) per
inch for line art; 150 dpi for 24-bit color. If you have a B&W logo you
wish to print at 2 inches wide, your image will have to be at least 600
pixels wide, preferably larger. The usual result of low-resolution B&W
images is jaggedness in the printout; low-res greyscale or color images
will look blurry. Bitmap file formats are GIF, TIF, BMP, JPG, and many
others. Avoid JPG for logos--it will always look blurry with line art. GIF
is fine for B&W or greyscale images; it doesn't support enough color depth
for full-color images. TIF and BMP can support any type of image.

EPS is a combination format; the name stands for Encapsulated PostScript.
The PostScript portion of the file is the vector portion; Word does not
interpret this information so it will print nicely on any printer that has
a PostScript interpreter installed. (You can add PostScript capability to
your printer with a program called GhostScript:
http://www.cs.wisc.edu/~ghost/ .)
The Encapsulated part is a bitmap "preview" of the image; this is what will
print on a non-PostScript enabled printer, and it's very low resolution.

Recommendations:
1. EPS if you have a PostScript printer. Don't worry about how it looks on
screen.
2. Bitmap format sized (before importing to Word) large enough for a
high-res output: GIF for B&W or greyscale only; TIF for anything.
3. WMF, EMF, or CGM if you have time to troubleshoot Word's handling of the
file.
 
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