EPS files.

What you’ll learn.

• What is an EPS file?
• History of the EPS file
• What are EPS files used for?
• Pros and cons of EPS files
• How to create and edit an EPS file
• EPS files: frequently asked questions

What is an EPS file?

EPS is a vector file format traditionally used for professional and high-quality commercial printing and graphics art production. PostScript printers and image setters typically use EPS to produce vast, detailed vector graphics — such as signage, large posters, and attention-grabbing marketing collaterals.

EPS files also:

• Can contain bitmap data, retaining individual coding on color and size. For bitmap graphics, EPS files can lock in a specific linescreen setting to ensure consistent reproduction output for any given graphic size.
• Get used by illustrators and graphic designers in tools such as Adobe Illustrator.
• Offer backward compatibility and are one of the most common formats used by professional printers.

History of the EPS file.

Adobe created Encapsulated PostScript in the late 1980s, making it an early graphic file choice for the design industry. The format was designed to mak e it easier to incorporate graphics and vector illustrations into predominantly text-based creations. The EPS file format could also render onscreen in a preview before printing — something that wasn’t previously possible.

EPS became an early industry standards for professional printers — a common format compatible with most leading printing hardware and image setters. Though still in use today, EPS technology has largely been replaced by native file formats.

Because EPS files contain graphic file-specific data, they are a useful format for graphics that need to be scaled.

What are EPS files used for?

EPS files have a variety of uses for designing and printing graphics.

Legacy format.

Though overtaken by more modern file formats such as PDFs, EPS files still have a function as a common legacy format compatible with almost all systems and software.

Printing.

Many professional printers use EPS files for large-scale jobs. The backward compatibility feature of the file format makes it suitable for a wide range of printers — including those that may outdate more modern formats such as PDF. Computer-controlled engraving machines, and specialized reproduction processes like cutting vinyl graphics and lettering for signage and computerized embroidery processes, may also find EPS data simpler to render in detail.

Billboards/Signage.

The individual graphics data stored in vector files means EPS files can retain resolution regardless of scale. That makes EPS ideal for expanded graphics, such as billboards and other large-scale marketing collaterals.

Discover more vector files

Pros and cons of EPS files.

As with most file formats, EPS is used in a wide variety of ways. These are the main advantages and disadvantages of EPS files:

Advantages of EPS files.

• The EPS format is ideal for scaling graphics for most any reproduction size. The graphics data it retains ensures the resolution remains high, even when stretched or blown up to larger proportions.
• EPS graphics data benefits from a lossless form of compression. This ensures picture quality remains high, even when the file gets downsized.
• Most modern professional printers can comfortably handle EPS files — making them a universal choice for a wide range of print jobs.

Disadvantages of EPS files.

• EPS files consist of mathematical data that determines how a graphic will look in a thumbnail preview. It can be time consuming to establish settings before creating the EPS file, which is not always convenient for fast-paced working environments.
• Once you save a file as an EPS, you can no longer edit it without specialized software like Adobe Illustrator and specific formatting of a given EPS file. For example, if you convert type into outlines or fail to embed font information into a given EPS file, you will need to reset the original text in the file before making any edits/corrections to the copy in the file.
• While EPS files can contain bitmap images and effects placed within a given file, bitmap images will not scale seamlessly like vector graphics in the file and bitmap effects may not output as expected.
• Transparency effects are not natively supported in EPS files, which can cause problems when working with layered images or design elements created with a transparent background.

How to create and edit an EPS file.

An Encapsulated PostScript image can consists of bitmap info and/or vector data. Only the vector information is editable using the correct software.

To create an EPS file:

1. Once you have completed the design of an image in Illustrator or a similar program, go to the File pull-down menu.
2. Select the Save as menu command.
3. In the Save as type: options box select Illustrator EPS (*.EPS).
4. Specify where you want the document saved.
5. Select which pages in the range you want to export when prompted.
6. Ensure your graphics are within the border image or page trim area.
7. Hit the Save button and create your EPS file.

To edit EPS files, you will need specialized software such as Adobe Illustrator.