Question
What's the difference between the JPEG and TIFF formats?
Answer
JPEG and TIFF are two of the most common image file formats, and they behave very differently once your artwork heads to a printing press. Picking the right one keeps text sharp and colors clean.
| Format | Full name | Compression | Best use |
|---|---|---|---|
| JPEG | Joint Photographic Experts Group | Lossy, smaller files | Photos and web images where some quality loss is acceptable |
| TIFF | Tagged Image File Format | Lossless, larger files | High-resolution print artwork that must stay pixel-perfect |
- JPEG discards some image data every time it is saved, which can create visible blocks or fuzziness around edges and text.
- TIFF keeps every pixel intact, so it is the safer choice for detailed print files, though the files are much larger.
- For either format, work at 300 DPI at final size and use CMYK color for the most accurate print results.
- When possible, send a print-ready PDF, which preserves quality while keeping the file manageable.
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