Image Quality

The main difference between raster art and vector art lies in how they are created and how they handle scaling. Raster images, like those created in Photoshop, are made up of pixels, which means they have a fixed resolution. When you enlarge a raster image, it can become pixelated and lose quality. On the other hand, vector art, typically created in programs like Adobe Illustrator and Corel Draw, uses paths and shapes defined by mathematical equations instead of pixels. This allows vector art to be scaled up or down infinitely without any loss of quality, making it ideal for logos, text, and designs that need to be resized frequently. Visit our vectorization page to learn more about getting your artwork vectorized.

Images downloaded from the internet are often low resolution and have a low DPI (dots per inch), typically around 72 DPI, which is suitable for screens but not for printing. Low-resolution images can appear blurry or pixelated when printed. For the best print quality, we recommend using vector graphics, which are scalable and maintain their quality at any size.

Original Image at 72dpi

Vector Image at 300dpi

Preferred Vector File Types

• .AI (Adobe Illustrator file)
• .EPS (Encapsulated Postscript file)
• .PDF (Portable Document Format)

Other Accepted File Types

• .PSD (Adobe Photoshop file)
• .PNG (Portable Network Graphic)
• .JPG (Joint Photography Experts Group file)
• .TIF (Tagged Image File)
• .HEIF (High Efficiency Image File)
• .AVIF (AV1 Image File)

DPI stands for Dots Per Inch in printing. The more dots per square inch, the higher the visual quality of the printed material. PPI, or Pixels Per Inch, is more commonly used for digital displays, but it also relates to the image quality per physical inch. Both DPI and PPI are often referred to as resolution.

Images made up of pixels or dots are known as raster images. Each tiny pixel is assigned a color, and all the pixels together form the entire image. Raster images are most commonly seen in digital cameras, scanners, and monitors.

Because resolution is directly related to the physical size of the image, if you take an image that is 1" x 1" at 300 DPI and scale it up to 2" x 2", the 300 DPI becomes 150 DPI, as the dots are spread over a larger area, reducing the resolution.

Print-ready artwork means that the file you are using is the exact size, color, and quality you want your final sticker to be. If you're unsure about your sticker's size and quality, please review our DPI and SIZE FAQ page. Your image should meet the printer's requirements to ensure a high-quality sticker. At CarStickers.com, we can print up to 1000dpi in full color. If your image is at 300dpi and at the desired output size, or if you have true vector art, we should be able to reproduce your design with excellent quality.

Common factors that prevent a layout file from being print-ready

• Document sized improperly.
• Colors set to RGB instead of CMYK.
• Spot colors not properly defined.
• Resolution not high enough (should be minimum 300 dpi at 100% size).
• Missing fonts or images.
• Poor contrast between text and background.
• Spelling and grammar errors.

If your graphic has a resolution lower than 300 dpi, it might appear blurry when printed as a sticker. To ensure your design looks its best, Car Stickers, Inc. offers our Fix My Graphic service.

When you choose the Fix My Graphic option, one of our skilled designers will transform your uploaded image into a crisp vector graphic. This process, known as Vectorization, uses advanced software like Adobe Illustrator or Corel Draw. Vector art is created using mathematical equations and geometric shapes, allowing your design to be scaled infinitely without any loss in quality.

To give you a clearer picture of the difference, here's an example: below is a graphic submitted at 72 dpi, followed by the same graphic after our design team has vectorized it and saved it at 300 dpi.

Original Image at 72dpi

Vectorized Image at 300dpi

This service starts at $25.00, and in some cases, our Customer Service team may reach out if your design requires additional work. Once completed, you'll receive a high-quality vector file of your artwork that you can use for future projects.