logoredraws.com

Illustrator High-Resolution Export: Delivering a Redrawn Logo Without Losing Quality

How to export a redrawn logo from Adobe Illustrator at high resolution: when to deliver vector files, how to set PNG resolution, and how to check the result.

Published

Contents
  1. The short answer
  2. Choose the format before you export
  3. Starting conditions
  4. Step 1: Prepare the redrawn artwork
  5. Step 2: Save the vector master files
  6. Step 3: Export high-resolution raster files
  7. Step 4: Verify the result
  8. Gaps in this guide

The short answer

A logo redrawn as vector artwork in Illustrator has no fixed resolution. Its shapes are stored as paths, which are mathematically defined lines and curves, so they can be scaled to any size without blurring. "High resolution" only applies when you convert, or rasterize, that artwork into a pixel-based format such as PNG or JPEG. For print and for any recipient who may resize the logo, the highest-quality delivery is a vector file: PDF, AI, EPS or SVG. When a pixel image is required, export it at pixel dimensions large enough for its intended use, with File > Export > Export As or File > Export > Export for Screens.

Two terms recur below. Resolution, measured in pixels per inch (ppi), describes how many pixels a raster image places across each inch of printed or displayed size. Pixel dimensions are the width and height of the image in pixels. Pixel dimensions set how much detail a raster file contains; a ppi value only means something in relation to a physical output size.

Choose the format before you export

Base the format on where the logo will be used, not on which file looks largest. The table below shows the usual mapping between use and format.

Intended use | Recommended format | Resolution concern
Commercial print, signage, embroidery or vinyl cutting | PDF, EPS or AI with outlined type | None for the vector content; the printer or vendor specification governs the file
Website or app where vector graphics are supported | SVG | None; it scales in the browser
Website, slides, documents or social media requiring a pixel image | PNG with transparency, or JPEG on a solid background | Pixel dimensions must cover the largest display size
Desktop print from office software that only accepts images | High-resolution PNG | Pixel dimensions must match print size multiplied by the required ppi
Ongoing editing by a designer | Native AI file with live type kept on a separate layer or artboard | None

A file extension does not prove a file is vector, editable or cleared for reuse. A PDF or EPS can contain an embedded bitmap, such as the low-resolution image you traced from, and still carry a vector-sounding extension. Check what the file actually contains, as described in the verification steps. Redrawing a logo also gives you no rights over the mark; confirm that you are authorized to reproduce it.

Starting conditions

  • The logo has been fully redrawn as vector paths, not left as an embedded or linked copy of the original low-resolution image.
  • You know the intended use and, for print, have the printer's or vendor's file specification if one exists.
  • You know the required color model: CMYK for most offset print, RGB for screens, or specific spot colors if the brand uses them.
  • You have saved a working copy of the native AI file before making destructive changes such as outlining type or expanding strokes.

Step 1: Prepare the redrawn artwork

Cleaning up before export matters more for a reconstructed logo than for original artwork, because tracing often leaves behind reference images, stray points and overlapping shapes.

  • Remove or isolate the reference image. Delete the placed low-resolution image, or move it to a layer that you will delete in the export copy. Open Window > Links to confirm that no placed images remain unless they are intentional.
  • Inspect the geometry in Outline mode (View > Outline). This shows paths without fills or strokes, which exposes stray points, unclosed paths, duplicate shapes and leftover tracing fragments.
  • Remove stray points and empty objects with Object > Path > Clean Up.
  • Convert type to outlines for delivery files. Select the text and choose Type > Create Outlines, so the recipient does not need the font installed. Keep a copy with live type in your working file for future edits, and confirm that your font license permits the use.
  • Expand strokes where scaling behavior matters. Object > Path > Outline Stroke turns strokes into filled shapes, so line weights stay proportional when the logo is resized in other software. Object > Expand Appearance does the same for effects and graphic styles.
  • Check for raster effects. Drop shadows, glows and blurs are rasterized at the value set in Effect > Document Raster Effects Settings. If the logo uses any of these effects, raise that setting before export, or replace the effects with vector shapes so that the logo stays fully scalable.
  • Set the document color mode with File > Document Color Mode (CMYK or RGB) to match the destination, and confirm that brand colors are specified correctly in that mode.
  • Fit the artboard to the logo. Object > Artboards > Fit to Artwork Bounds removes excess empty space, or you can set deliberate padding by resizing the artboard manually.

Step 2: Save the vector master files

Save vector deliverables through File > Save As, or through File > Save a Copy if you want to keep the working file open.

  • PDF: Choose Adobe PDF and select a preset that suits the destination, for example a high-quality print preset or a PDF/X preset if the printer requests one. Leave Preserve Illustrator Editing Capabilities on if the recipient may reopen the file in Illustrator, and turn it off for a smaller, final-only file.
  • EPS: Choose Illustrator EPS for vendors whose workflows still require it. EPS is an older format, so ask whether PDF is acceptable instead.
  • SVG: Choose SVG via File > Save As, or use File > Export > Export As, which produces cleaner web-oriented output. Outline type first unless you specifically need live text in the browser.
  • AI: Keep the native file as your editable master.

Step 3: Export high-resolution raster files

Work out the pixel dimensions you need before opening the export dialog. For print, multiply the physical size by the ppi value your printer or output method requires. For screens, use the largest size at which the logo will be displayed, and allow extra for high-density displays.

required pixel width  = print width in inches  × required ppi
required pixel height = print height in inches × required ppi

Illustrator offers two main routes for raster export. File > Export > Export As (choose PNG or JPEG, and tick Use Artboards to export the artboard area rather than the artwork bounds) opens an options dialog. That dialog lets you set Resolution to Screen (72 ppi), Medium (150 ppi), High (300 ppi) or a custom Other value. The resulting pixel dimensions depend on both this ppi value and the artboard size. File > Export > Export for Screens lets you export at scale multiples, or to a set width, height or resolution, and can output several sizes and formats in a single pass. That makes it convenient for building a delivery set.

  • Background: For PNG, choose Transparent so the logo can sit on any color. JPEG cannot store transparency, so pick a background color that suits where the logo will appear.
  • Anti-aliasing: Art Optimized (Supersampling) smooths curved and angled edges and suits most logos. Type Optimized (Hinted) can keep small text crisper, and None produces hard pixel edges, which rarely suits a logo.
  • Color: Raster files for screens should normally be RGB. If you are exporting from a CMYK document for on-screen use, check the colors in the exported file, because conversion can shift them.
  • Variants: Export separate files for each logo version you deliver, such as full color, single color and reversed for dark backgrounds, instead of expecting recipients to recolor a raster file.

Exact menu labels and dialog options can differ between Illustrator versions. If an option named here does not appear, check Adobe's documentation for your version before you rely on the setting.

Step 4: Verify the result

Do not treat a successful export as proof of quality. Open each delivered file outside Illustrator and check the following.

  • Raster pixel dimensions: Check the width and height in an image viewer or file properties panel, and confirm that they meet the size you calculated.
  • Raster edge quality: View the image at 100% zoom. Edges should be smooth, with no jagged steps, halos or soft blurring left over from the traced original.
  • Transparency: Place the PNG over a dark and a light background. Look for leftover white boxes, fringes or missing knockouts in letter counters.
  • Vector content: Open the PDF or SVG and zoom in far. Vector edges stay sharp at any magnification. If an area turns blocky, a bitmap is still embedded, often the old reference image or a rasterized effect.
  • Fonts: In a PDF viewer's document properties, the font list should be empty if all type was outlined. In an SVG, open the file as text and search for text elements that should have been converted.
  • Color: Confirm that the delivered colors match the specified brand values in the correct color model, and ask for a printer's proof if color accuracy is critical.
  • File naming: Name each file so the format, color version and intended use are clear to the recipient.

Gaps in this guide

No source-specific evidence was supplied for this article. It gives no printer requirements, version-specific dialog screenshots or exact target sizes for particular platforms. The ppi presets mentioned are options Illustrator offers in its dialog, not universal requirements. Your printer, vendor or platform specification should decide the final resolution, color model and file format.