Vector vs PNG

For both printing with only colors and printing with colors and white, vector and png files can be used.
These file types are preferred over the other types and each has its own advantages.
Below I will describe this file type and explain their advantages.
 

Vector files:

Vector files are based on points that are connected with lines that together form an object.
Such an object can take on a specific color or even a color gradient.
Nowadays it is also possible to work with effects such as shadows, gloss, light point, etc.
Due to the construction method, the objects can be infinitely enlarged or reduced without any loss of quality, which is also the reason for its popularity.
Vector files are created in programs such as Adobe Illustrator, Inkscape, Vectr and many more.
If you don't have any software and want to try drawing vector then Inkscape and Vectr are free options to try.
The most commonly used file formats in vector are ai, pdf, svg and eps.
I prefer to receive AI or PDF files, but I can usually also handle SVG and EPS files, but these are not always dimensionally stable.

A small note about PDF files
PDF files have now become a fairly broad standard in digital (print) work, and also are preffered to be used. However, not all PDF files are by definition also vector files, a file created in a vector-based software and saved as a PDF is a vector-based PDF. A file made up in, for example, word, numbers or another office program is usually not vector-based. Nevertheless, PDF is a great standard to work with for both vector and non-vector files. When properly formatted, a PDF file captures the sizes, embeds fonts, embeds images, adds a color profile, and also provides editing options even for non-vector based files.

Advantages of vector files

1. Universal editing options
   For example: An object created in inkscape can be resumed / modified in illustrator and vice versa, without sacrificing the possibilities
2. No fixed size or quality
   A vector file can be enlarged and reduced indefinitely without loss of quality, nor is it captured at a specific resolution
3. Making use of objects, drawing shapes yourself, inserting texts, but also embedding pixel-based images is possible.
4. Clear through its layers and groups structure

 

PNG files

Png files fall under the pixel-based images and the name says it all these are based on pixels.
Pixels are a fixed matrix of points in a file, but also in a monitor or prints, although in prints they are called drops instead of pixels.
Such a matrix is ​​measured per inch and is often displayed as dpi, which is unjustified but is currently an established standard.
DPI stands for drops-per-inch, this is the unit for prints, with an image or monitor you actually speak of PPI or pixels-per-inch.
Since DPI is the standard nowadays used to indicate the pixel density, from here on out I also speak about DPI.
Standard monitors work at 72dpi, browsers and most "simple" software also work at 72dpi.
72dpi means that there are 72 pixels in a square inch.
In print work, on the other hand, 300dpi is the standard, and therefore there are 300 pixels per square inch.
Such a pixel can always only have 1 color, so color gradients and details are sharper at 300dpi than at 72dpi.
But what are the advantages of .....?

Advantages of PNG files

1. If properly set up (based on A4 297x210mm or A3 297x420mm), the files are dimensionally stable
2. Everything is converted into pixels which are fixed, nothing can accidentally shift or change
3. No hassle with layers or splits when printing with white
4. All texts, images, objects are saved and automatically converted to fixed pixels
5. Also, png files can handle much more advanced effects techniques than vector files. For example, you can simply make a color effect, shadow or whatever with a brush

Vector VS png ... The perfect marriage

Both vector and png have their advantages, and what could be better than if you could combine them, well... YOU CAN !!!
It is possible to create a file in vector and save it as hi-res png and then edit / add the little extras from a pixel-based file with software like photoshop.
It is even possible to create png files in photoshop, embed them in the vector file and then save it as a pdf for the print work. There is a drawback to png files and that is that it does not print very sharply when it comes to extremely small things. A vector file can print texts just a fraction smaller in sharpness compared to a png file, but we are talking about possibilities at the extreme of the printer.
Texts with a font size of 1mm are already small, with png you can still print full and sharp down to 0.6-0.7mm. With a vector, on the other hand, depending on the font and color, it may still be possible to print at 0.5 or even 0.4mm.
In my opinion, all these sizes are already small enough and difficult to read with the naked eye and require the use of a magnifying glass.
Nevertheless, I have often had to print against and even smaller than the printers.

The great advantage of converting vector to hi-res PNG

The great advantage of working in vector and then converting to a png is that it offers the best features of both worlds.

1. In vector: you have no quality loss
2. In vector: you have complete freedom in sizes and colors
3. In vector: you no longer need to split layers, because adding white in PNG files works very differently
4. In PNG: all fonts are converted to pixels (no manual conversion required)
5. In PNG: all images are enclosed (no manual embedding required)
6. In PNG: the file formats are much smaller because only the essential (visible) data is preserved
7. In PNG: everything is merged as a layer in the visible order

Nowadays, I often work via a PNG file myself, because this gives more certainty that white comes in places where it really has to be.
In vector I create a layer on top of the rest of the document, which is printed first and thus under the colors.
As a result, it sometimes happens that in the file white is on a different color, but this color does not have a crop to allow white to come through (see the article: 3-layer vector file).
This is prevented by using a png file because everything as it is visible is also merged into 1 layer, where I then place white underneath.

If you send me a vector file I will do the following:

1. I open the file in illustrator,
2. Check the file for inaccuracies, hidden white fillings, etc.
3. Then save it as a hi-res png file with transparent background
4. Open it in photoshop
5. Select all data in the png (cmd + click / ctrl click on the layer image)
6. Make that selection a spot color channel
7. I make a selection by color range to select all black
8. Remove this selection from the spot color channel
   As a result, no white is printed under the black, which would result in gray
9. I save this as a psd file
10. Then I open InDesign and drag the psd file into it
11. I save this as a printable pdf file with spot color layer in a pdf / X-1a: 2001 file
    Which I can send to the printer.

As you can see, these are quite a lot of actions in different software, but this gives the most reliable printing.
For reliable printing from a vector file read the article: "3-layer vector file"