AI file

Vector drawing

AI is actually a proprietary file format developed for displaying so-called vector drawings in a specific type of format. A vector drawing has the great advantage that you can have such a drawing enlarged without worrying about any quality loss. And that's convenient for having larger print work done, such as banners and billboards.

But how do you ensure that your printer receives the files you want to have printed in the correct format? So a vector image saved as, for example, an AI file.

Converting files to AI format

You have a logo that is saved as a pixel file, but you want to convert it to an AI file. How can you best approach that? The pixel file is not suitable for larger format print work, so what are your options?

What you should definitely never do is change the extension of the file. Suppose you have a pixel file with, for example, the extension .jpg, then it has no effect to save this file as .ai so that the file gets this extension. That's not the right way. The file will then become an .ai file with a pixel file embedded (for example a .jpg image). However, the image remains a pixel image and not a vector image.

Opening and editing an AI file

Should you get started yourself then? You could of course purchase and start using a package like Adobe Illustrator. But that's honestly not recommended. Adobe Illustrator is quite expensive, you pay quite a bit of money for the subscription you take out.

There are also some free programs such as the program Inkscape. But the tricky thing about all these programs, like Adobe Illustrator and Inkscape, is that they have a fairly steep learning curve. It therefore requires a lot of your time (and perhaps also patience) to get started and master the program of your choice.

Do you have a pixel file that you want to have converted to an AI file? There are several ways to approach that.

So how can you approach it better?

As we mentioned earlier, AI stands for Adobe Illustrator, the package with which you can create vector files and thus save them as an AI file. Adobe Illustrator is a beautiful and very powerful graphics program but, as we mentioned earlier, with a very steep learning curve. Using this program is not something you'll learn in a day. Adobe Illustrator is also a fairly expensive application for which you'll have to pay a considerable monthly amount.

If you work in the graphics industry yourself, purchasing such a package is a must, but if you're an entrepreneur in a completely different industry, that's not a necessary investment. And as we actually already said, the use of packages like Adobe Illustrator is far from accessible or intuitive to use. If you're not familiar with such a package at all, it's frankly difficult to get started with it.

Fortunately, there are other options that require less of your time.

There are online services where you can have your files converted to an AI file. We'll explain how that works below.

Convert online to an AI file

There are a number of online services where you can have your files automatically converted to an AI file. There are websites where you can upload a pixel file that is then automatically converted to an EPS, SVG, AI, or PDF file.

But here too we have to place some reservations. Such websites are initially usually free, but if you want to convert more files or larger files, you'll often have to take out a subscription here too. And usually the final result also leaves something to be desired and you have to go through everything yourself to check.

Converting a pixel file to a vector file actually comes down to very careful and time-consuming manual work. If you want to be sure that it's done properly, it's better not to leave such meticulous work to automated systems.

But are there any more options then?

Small investment

The last and actually the most obvious option is that you make a one-time, small investment and have your file or files converted by a specialized company like Logo in Vector. In Adobe Illustrator, we trace your pixel file by hand and make a vector of it that way. This file is then saved as an AI file, among others. That AI file is therefore a vector file that you can then use for larger business expressions such as vehicle lettering, window lettering, printing or embroidering company clothing, engraving work, indoor and outdoor advertising such as facade signs, banners, sponsor boards, and flags, etc.

In fact, for smaller expressions, such as business cards and somewhat smaller format posters, you can have them made with a logo saved as a pixel file. However, it's recommended to also use a vector file for this. This prevents the quality of the logo used from decreasing when it needs to be slightly enlarged or reduced. In short, with a razor-sharp vector image like an AI file, you're always best off and you leave the most professional impression on your target audience.