What is a vector file and why does it matter?
A vector file describes a design as shapes and curves rather than pixels, so it scales to any size with no loss and can be cut by a plotter. It matters when you need one design at many sizes or a machine-cut edge. It does not matter for a framed print, which is why Apex wall art is a raster file at print resolution, not a vector.
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Vector formats
SVG, AI, EPS, PDF-with-paths. Logos, icons, cut files, signage. Infinite scaling, small file size, editable shapes.
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Raster formats
PNG, JPG, TIFF. Photographs, painted and textured art, anything with gradients and detail that paths cannot describe. Fixed resolution.
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Which Apex products are which
Wall art: raster (one 4:5 300 DPI file). Stickers: raster PNG, never SVG. Canva templates: Canva's editor, exportable as PNG, JPG or PDF. 3D models: neither — mesh files (GLB, STL).
Can painterly art be vector?+
Rarely well. Tracing produces a stylised approximation. If you need the look of the original, print the raster.
Is a PDF a vector?+
Only if what is inside it is paths. A PDF wrapping a PNG is a raster in a PDF envelope.
Do I need vector for a print lab?+
No. Labs print rasters at 300 DPI every day. Vector matters for cutting and for scaling beyond the raster's pixel count.
- —Apex wall art is not available as vector and cannot be scaled beyond its pixel count without softening.
- —No sticker includes an SVG — trace the PNG if you need a vector.
Raster where it should be raster.
Wall art shipped at print resolution, not traced into shapes it was never drawn as.