EPS | SVG | AI

#vector #design

Introduction

Recently, I’ve been handling vector files more often at work—especially EPS and SVG. As a personal memo, this post concisely summarizes the positioning, strengths, caveats, and best-use cases for the main extensions: EPS / SVG / AI.

EPS (Encapsulated PostScript)

📝 Overview

Late 1980s (Adobe). A print-oriented vector format from the heyday of DTP.
Contents are PostScript programs (text), though some EPS files include binary elements (e.g., embedded previews).

💪 Strengths

Excellent for high-resolution printing; works well in PostScript-based output environments.
Can embed placed raster images.

‼️ Cautions (practical pitfalls)

Does not natively preserve transparency, so exporting EPS from Illustrator often flattens transparency (can cause visual discrepancies).
Not suitable for the web (heavy / no interactivity / not supported by browsers).
Today’s print workflows mainly use PDF (or PDF/X). EPS remains a legacy format that is still sometimes requested.

🧰 When to use (minimally)

When the client explicitly requests EPS and you know their workflow is PostScript-based.
Otherwise, default to PDF/X for safety.

SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics)

📝 Overview

1999 (W3C standard). A web-standard vector format. XML-based.

💪 Strengths

Infinitely scalable without quality loss; lightweight and strong in browsers.
Supports styling and animation via CSS/JS; an excellent fit for interactive UIs.
Rich visual features (transparency, gradients, filters, etc.).
Can embed raster images (PNG/JPEG) as well (often discouraged depending on use case).

‼️ Cautions (practical pitfalls)

Support is limited in print workflows (depends on the RIP or submission guidelines).
Designed for browsers, so the default color space is RGB. Print-oriented needs like CMYK/spot colors are better handled by PDF-based workflows.
Fonts are environment-dependent; consider web-font loading or outlining.
Security: inline SVG can contain scripts, so sanitize files when exchanging them.

🧰 When to use

Browser-bound deliverables such as web logos, icons, illustrations, UI parts, and animations.
For print, export a final PDF instead.

AI (Adobe Illustrator format)

📝 Overview

1987 (Adobe). Illustrator’s native editing (“mothership”) format.
Modern AI files are effectively “PDF-compatible data + Illustrator-specific data” (older generations could be EPS-compatible).

💪 Strengths

Preserves full editing info: layers, artboards, guides, appearances, etc.
Can export to many formats as needed: PDF / EPS / SVG / PNG.

‼️ Cautions (practical pitfalls)

Limited compatibility outside Illustrator; even if a file opens, layers/effects may be missing.
Version compatibility issues: older Illustrator versions may not open newer AI files.
- Before sharing, enable “Create PDF Compatible File,” or save to an older version.
For the web, it’s common to export to SVG/PNG for delivery.

🧰 When to use

As the working/editing master: intermediate assets, team sharing, archiving.

Which to use at a glance

For production work: AI (preserves full editing info)
For print deliverables: PDF (PDF/X recommended) Use EPS only when explicitly requested by the recipient
For web deliverables: SVG (with PNG/JPEG as needed)

Conclusion

I’ve understood the basics of vectors and used them in limited ways, but I wasn’t deeply familiar with the differences among the vector file extensions (EPS, SVG, AI). Since I’ve been handling EPS and SVG more frequently at work, I want to better understand their differences so I can choose the most appropriate format for each job.

This is a personal memo-style write-up, but I hope it’s helpful. Thanks for reading.