How to Scan an Image in JPEG Format for Logo Redrawing

The short answer

To scan an image as a JPEG, place the print face down on a clean scanner bed and open your scanning software. Preview the page, crop to the artwork with a small margin, set the color mode and resolution, choose JPEG (sometimes listed as JPG) as the file format at its highest quality setting, then scan and save. If your software only saves in another format, open the scan in any image editor and export or save a copy as JPEG.

For logo work, keep in mind what the result is. A JPEG is a raster image: a fixed grid of colored pixels. It is not vector artwork, which describes shapes as mathematical paths (lines and curves defined by anchor points) that scale to any size without losing sharpness. A scanned JPEG is the reference you redraw from, not the finished logo file.

Why JPEG needs some care with logos

JPEG uses lossy compression, meaning it discards some image data to make files smaller. On photographs this is usually hard to notice, but logos have flat colors and hard edges, where compression tends to leave blotchy noise and soft halos. Those artifacts make tracing less accurate, so use the least compression your software allows.

If you are free to choose the format, a lossless format such as TIFF or PNG keeps edges cleaner. A practical approach is to scan to a lossless master file and export a JPEG copy for anyone or anything that requires JPEG specifically.

Before you scan

Choose the cleanest, flattest and largest printed example of the logo you have; larger prints carry more edge detail.
Confirm you have the right to reproduce and redraw the logo. Having a scan or a file of it does not grant permission to reuse it.
Wipe dust and smudges from the scanner glass, since every speck becomes a mark you will have to ignore or clean up.
Flatten creased or curled paper so it sits evenly against the glass.
Check that your scanner is connected and recognized by your computer, and identify which program you will scan with: the manufacturer's utility or the scanning app built into your operating system.

Step-by-step: scanning to JPEG

Menu names and option locations differ between scanner utilities and operating system versions, so treat the wording below as a guide and check the labels in the software version you are using.

Place the print face down on the glass, aligned squarely with the edge guides so the logo is not rotated.
Open your scanning software and run a preview (sometimes called a prescan).
Draw the crop or selection area around the logo, leaving a small margin so no edges are cut off.
Set the color mode: color if the logo's colors matter for matching later, or grayscale for single-color marks. Avoid pure black-and-white or line-art mode unless you have tested it, because it decides which pixels are black for you and can erase fine detail.
Set the resolution (shown as dpi or ppi) to the highest optical resolution your scanner supports. Optical resolution is what the sensor actually captures; interpolated or enhanced resolution only adds estimated pixels and gives no real extra detail.
Turn off automatic sharpening, auto color correction and similar enhancements so you capture the print as it is.
If the logo was printed in a magazine, brochure or other commercially printed piece and you see a dot pattern in the preview, turn on the descreen option if your software has one.
Choose JPEG or JPG as the file type and set quality to maximum, or compression to minimum.
Name the file clearly, choose a save location you can find again, and start the scan.

Converting an existing scan to JPEG

If the scan already exists in another format, such as PDF, TIFF, PNG or BMP, open it in an image editor or your operating system's built-in image viewer and use its export or save-as command to choose JPEG. Set the quality as high as the dialog allows. Keep the original file: converting from a lossless format to JPEG cannot be undone, and converting a JPEG back to PNG or TIFF does not restore detail that compression already removed.

Phone scanning apps are an alternative when no flatbed scanner is available. They can save to JPEG, but camera captures are more prone to perspective distortion, uneven lighting and automatic processing. If you use one, keep the phone parallel to the print, light the print evenly, and check that straight lines in the logo stay straight.

How to confirm the scan is usable

Check the file properties or file name extension to confirm the file was saved as JPEG.
Open the image and zoom in to full size (100 percent) or closer. Edges should be distinct, not mushy, and free of obvious blocky compression artifacts.
Check that small details, such as thin strokes, gaps between letters and small type, are visible and not filled in.
Confirm the logo is not skewed: horizontal and vertical lines in the design should line up with the image edges.
Look for dust, scratches, paper texture or show-through from the reverse side, and rescan if they cross important edges.
If color matters, compare the scan to the print under good light. Expect differences, since scanners and screens do not reproduce printed color exactly; the scan is a visual reference, not a color specification.

From scanned JPEG to vector logo

Once the scan passes those checks, place it in your vector editor on its own locked layer, often called a template layer, and draw new paths on a separate layer above it. Tracing means building vector outlines that follow the shapes in the scan. Automatic image tracing can give a quick starting point, but it often produces uneven curves and too many anchor points, so a manual redraw with clean, minimal paths is usually needed for professional-quality artwork.

Treat lettering separately. If the logo uses a typeface, try to identify it and set the text with a properly licensed font, then convert the text to outlines (shapes) for the final file. If the lettering is custom, redraw it as paths like the rest of the mark.

After redrawing, save the master file in a vector format such as AI, EPS, SVG or vector PDF. Like JPEG, these extensions do not by themselves prove a file contains clean vector paths, so open the file and inspect the paths before you hand it off. Export raster copies such as JPEG or PNG from that master as each use requires.

What this guide cannot specify

No verified figures were available for a single correct scan resolution, file size or JPEG quality value, and the right choice depends on your scanner and on how small or detailed the printed logo is. Exact menu commands also vary by scanner model, software and operating system version. Check your scanner's documentation for its optical resolution and the location of its format and quality settings.