What is Vector Art?
Vectored art is an image that uses points, lines, and curves so it can be stretched or shrunk without losing any image quality. There are two major types of images: raster and vector.
Raster images contain pixels for detail. Think of pixels as individual dots or points in a two-dimensional array. The more pixels in the image, the more detail that image will have. When you zoom in or blow the image up, however, the quality will eventually degrade and become "pixelated". Digital photographs like those taken by a digital camera or scanned electronically are raster images.
Vector images do not contain pixels. Instead, they use mathematical formulas to determine the shape and color of lines and areas between points on a 2-dimensional landscape. The detail is determined by the number of points and complexity of the curves between those points. This way, when the image is blown up, the quality is not compromised in any way. Simple graphics such as logos and illustrations are generally created as vector images so they can be blown up to any size without sacrificing quality. This is usually the preferred format for printers (like us) whenever possible.