Once you’ve decided on your box packaging design, getting printing is your next stage, and it’s thrilling! You’ve spent time creating the perfect packaging for your company. It’s now time to look it over and make sure it’s exactly what you intended. The design process is often stuffed with terms like vector and raster, which you might not understand.
We’ll discuss some of the essential terms and the essential information regarding the custom box printing and design process. This article will look at some key terms that you’ll need to keep in mind throughout your journey.
What are Pixel and Bitmap?
There are many instances of “pixel” and “bitmap when designing. This is what they mean:
Pixel: A pixel is a tiny element in an image displayed on a screen. Screens’ images are comprised of tiny squares that contain various colors.
Bitmap: The term “bitmap” refers to pixels in a grid form that together make up an image or photograph. Once we’ve identified a few critical terms, let’s examine what a vector image is.
What is Vector?
A vector image is more of a striking image and can only be made using specific design programs like Adobe Illustrator. Vector graphics are lines that define geometric shapes to make an image. They don’t degrade image quality while scaling or editing and allow greater flexibility.
The best part is that Vectors are easily transformed into raster if needed. Images that are vector remain smooth, no matter how large they are compared to the raster images. They are also helpful for working with limitations on file size when designing.
One disadvantage is that you can only manipulate and access vector images using specific software. In addition, you cannot open them with other programs except if they’ve been converted into a raster image.
What are Vector Images?
Vector images can be created using programs like Adobe Illustrator and Sketch. Photoshop isn’t the best option since that program is designed for raster images.
Vector files are great for design projects such as icons and logos since there are plenty of details to be incorporated. However, the files may have to be available in various dimensions without sacrificing quality for branding websites, products, and much more.
Vector Formats
Use the below types of vector formats.
- Ai
- EPS
- SVG
What is Raster?
Bitmaps or raster graphics are digital images comprised of tiny rectangle dots/pixels placed in grids to create an image. Images made with raster are typically created from scans of photos or digital camera images and are best suited to images that do not have lines.
A more significant number of pixels is a higher quality image. Lower pixel counts are evident when you zoom into the image. It is easy to discern each pixel, resulting in low-quality. One benefit of Renderer images is in conveying subtle color gradients and intricate compositions.
The majority of raster images can be seen in digital photography tools. Therefore, it is necessary to use an application that works with raster, such as Adobe Photoshop, to make changes or edits. Images in the form of vectors are ideal for photography and illustration instead of design work since they are not scalable as vector images are and are often distorted when they are blown into huge dimensions.
While raster images can be effective in photography, they are not as efficient for creating logos as size capabilities are limited by the number of pixels you can use.
Raster Formats
Renderer files can be saved using the formats below:
- TIFF
- PNG
- JPG
- BMP
- GIF
- PSD
Although image files contain display all the pixels, display settings can differ among the size of the file.
Images with higher quality will render more effectively, but they will also require larger storage space. On the other hand, a smaller file can be stored more quickly but less high-quality.
When do you understand the different types of vector and raster that you should pick to use for packaging?
What is the Preferred Version for Box Printing?
What to select will be based mainly on your brand and what you intend to present on the product packaging. Vector images are more effective using geometric shapes and other elements.
They will also be of top quality, and you will be able to manipulate the image to accommodate different deadlines without compromising quality. Fortunately, you don’t need to start over using vector images.
If you have vectored graphics, programs like Adobe Illustrator can be used to create the images. However, this is only applicable when your image is characterized by distinct mathematical lines, shapes, and curves.
It is impossible to do this for images with no identifiable shape, like photography. Images with a high resolution are ideal for photos and real-life’ photos that pixels can recreate.
For instance, if you require images of your product on the packaging or other images using raster, it is the ideal choice as it prints with high-quality as long as your pixel count stays high.
It is best to work with raster images at their original size. However, you can scale them up or down an amount. It is not recommended to drastically alter the dimensions of your images since this will result in a poorer image.
After you’ve determined what kind of image you want to make use of, there are some conditions you’ll need to be aware of.
Requirements for High-Quality Box Printing
The print quality will vary based on the resolution that you select. A high-resolution of 300 DPI will guarantee that you receive the highest quality printing. For images or graphics less than 300 DPI, you may not have the best print quality, and the image may not be as clear.
If you aren’t sure your photo’s resolution has, you can click on the right button to look at the properties on your computer to verify.
CMYK Color Model
Colors are a crucial element of branding; therefore, you should employ the CMYK model of color to ensure that they are perfect. If you are printing your package, ensure that your drawings have been converted from RGB to CMYK to ensure print quality and color clarity.
Request for a Box Sample
After you’ve chosen your packaging, it’s essential to obtain a sample box to see how it will look in real life! A close-up view lets you inspect the packaging and identify any issues that need to be addressed before printing larger quantities!
Once you’ve mastered the concept of the image files and the requirements, it’s pretty simple, and you’ll be capable of getting uniform packaging that looks exactly as you want it to!