Guide · 3 min read

SVG vs EPS: one logo, two files.

An SVG for screens, an EPS for a print tool that asks for one: what differs, which to send, and one logo opened both ways.

A slate camera with a peach ring and a plum lens with a white glint, on cream

SVG1.2 KB

<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 2048 2048">
<rect width="2048" height="2048" fill="#f7eee0"/>
<path fill="#384153" d="M759.87 597.15l35.57-75.18q16.57-34.46 49.46-47.06c14.7-5.58 26.21-5.7 41.69-5.56l287.96-.08c30.59.03 62.58 20.04 75.56 47.66l38.23 80.23 229.44-.03c95.71 1.17 175.41 72.4 187.66 167.02 2.16 17.19 1.49 35.56 1.48 52.88l.01 568.95a35.01 35.01 0 0 1 .13 4c-2.22 101.53-84.89 188.21-187.72 188.45l-969.95.21-22.97-.21c-103.01-1.88-183.02-88.41-185.49-189.7.06-2.55.09-5.03.14-7.51l.07-595.91c1.35-99.03 82.95-184.94 182.65-187.9l9.48-.25 226.6-.01z"/>
<path fill="#5c2545" d="M709 567H515.38l.02-34.65c0-13.41 13.02-30.73 27.2-30.87l136.87-.16c14.13 0 29.4 15.12 29.4 29.28L709 567z"/>
<circle cx="1024.05" cy="1023.99" r="392.89" fill="#f29b78"/>
<circle cx="1024.07" cy="1023.89" r="235.18" fill="#5c2545"/>

EPS2.7 KB

%!PS-Adobe-3.0 EPSF-3.0
%%BoundingBox: 0 0 2048 2048
%%HiResBoundingBox: 0 0 2048 2048
%%Creator: VecSnap
%%LanguageLevel: 3
%%Pages: 0

Use an SVG for websites, apps, design tools and cutting machines, and a PDF or an EPS when a printer asks for one. They are both vector files, so each stays sharp at any size. An SVG is text a browser can draw. An EPS is an older PostScript file made for print, which no browser opens. The logo on this page, saved both ways, shows each difference.

Updated 2 sources ↓

The difference

What is the difference between SVG and EPS?

An SVG is a web format: shapes written as text that a browser draws. An EPS is a print format: a small PostScript program that a print tool runs.

  • Made for

    SVG
    Screens, since 2001
    EPS
    Print, since the 1980s

  • Written in

    SVG
    XML
    EPS
    PostScript

  • Opens in a browser

    SVG
    Yes
    EPS
    No

  • Colors

    SVG
    RGB
    EPS
    RGB, or CMYK when a design app saves it so

  • Empty areas

    SVG
    See-through
    EPS
    See-through in an EPS of shapes

  • Good for

    SVG
    Websites, apps, Figma, Cricut
    EPS
    Older print and sign tools

By job

Which is better for a logo, print or the web?

Keep an SVG as your logo's master file. Send a PDF to most printers, and an EPS only when one asks for it.

  • A website or an app

    Use
    SVG
    Why
    Browsers draw it, it weighs little, and CSS can recolor it

  • A logo's master file

    Use
    SVG
    Why
    Every design app opens it

  • Figma or Cricut

    Use
    SVG
    Why
    Both take SVG, and neither takes EPS

  • A printer who asks for a vector

    Use
    PDF or EPS
    Why
    Ask which: most take a PDF today

  • An older sign or print tool

    Use
    EPS
    Why
    It is the format those tools were built around

Is it outdated?

Are EPS files obsolete?

For new work, mostly: PDF has replaced it in print. Many print and sign tools still read it, so it stays useful when one asks for it.

  • Illustrator, CorelDRAW, Affinity, Inkscape

    An EPS today
    Open it as shapes

  • Photoshop

    An EPS today
    Opens it as pixels

  • Print and sign shops

    An EPS today
    Most read it, and most prefer a PDF

  • Microsoft 365

    An EPS today
    No longer inserts it

  • A browser

    An EPS today
    Does not open it

To a printer

Can I send an SVG to a printer?

Ask first. Many print shops don't take an SVG, because their workflow expects a PDF or an EPS. Send them one of those made from your SVG.

An SVG holds RGB colors, and a CMYK printer converts them. If a brand color matters, ask for a proof.

  • A vector file

    Send
    A PDF, or ask which they read

  • A print-ready PDF

    Send
    A PDF made from your SVG

  • An EPS

    Send
    An EPS made from your SVG

  • Pixels at 300 DPI

    Send
    A PNG exported at the print size

Get both

How do I get an SVG and an EPS of my logo?

Drop a picture of your logo. VecSnap redraws it as shapes, and one credit keeps the SVG, the EPS and the PDF together.

Drop your logo. Get its SVG.

  1. Drop a PNG, a JPG or any picture of your logo.
  2. Check the shapes up close, for free.
  3. Download the SVG for screens, and the EPS and the PDF for print.

Questions

SVG vs EPS, answered.

Sources

For screens and design tools, yes. For an older print tool that asks for an EPS, no: send it what it reads.

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Drop an image. Check the file.

Converting is free. You see the whole result before you spend anything.