Exporting and formats
Most of the logo variations should be exported in all of the following formats to be used smoothly. Of course, there are some exceptions, but it all comes down to one thing: usage. Generally, vector files are good for printing, while a small bitmap image is all you need on a website. These are the go-to formats when exporting the final logo design from Inkscape.
SVG
SVG stands for Simple Vector Graphics, and this is the most familiar to any Inkscape user as this is the native format of the program. But as a W3C standard format, SVG is also the best vector format used on the web! It is small and scalable, so it’s perfect for website headers and icons.
Inkscape can save to different types of SVG formats! While the Inkscape SVG has all the descriptions and metadata the program is using, when saving for web usage, it is better to choose plain SVG or optimized SVG. This will make the file size even smaller and the SVG graphics will be ready to be animated or scaled on the web.
Adobe Illustrator can also open SVG files created in Inkscape, so this is a good format to send to the client when they want to edit the file but do not use Inkscape.
EPS
Encapsulated Postscript files or EPS are versatile and considered the standard format for printing vector graphics. Whenever your logo is screen printed on a T-shirt or used in a brochure, EPS is a good file format to choose.
As the true Portable Document Format, PDF can be viewed on any platform, can be used in printing, and is harder to edit. In my interpretation, this means it is harder to create any mistakes after you have handed over the file to the customer.
PDF is also the best solution if you need to export in CMYK color mode. You will learn more about this in Chapter 8, Pro Tips and Tricks for Inkscapers.
PNG
Why is PNG on this list? PNG is small, and as a bitmap, it can be used on the web, on Facebook, and on other platforms. It also has transparency, so it can be used on different backgrounds – that is, as a watermark on a photo. This is the reason why a PNG logo, although not as scalable and editable as vector formats, is a must to send to your clients as an easy-to-use solution.
