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This is an old revision of the document!
Create all graphics using the right tool and the right format. For example:
The proper choice of graphics formats during processing and publishing has a critical impact on the quality and usability of the result. The two principal issues are:
The most important distinction is between vector (resolution independent) and raster (pixel) data. From this follows Rule Number One: Never convert vector data to raster data.
Then, file formats require attention because of the technological restrictions imposed by the publishing medium.
<object>
tag, for example), see below.Format | Vector | Raster | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
lossless | lossy | |||
Portable Document Format | • | • | • | |
Scalable Vector Graphics | SVG | • | • | • |
Portable Network Graphics | PNG | • | ||
JPEG File Interchange Format | JPG, JPEG, JFIF | • |
There are open-source tools for essentially all conversions that arise in practice. To convert PDF to SVG I recommend Inkscape.