What is a JPEG file?
A JPEG file is a very common computer file type which may appear in a range of different settings and circumstances. JPEG stands for Joint Photographic Experts Group, which is the group that originally developed the JPEG and set its standard. As you can imagine then JPEG are especially common for photographs and similar files.
A JPEG is basically a type of data encoding format. It works through a process of data compression called lossy compression. After compressing the file the rest of the data is discarded for smaller storage size. The amount of compression can be adjusted upward or downward which creates a tradeoff between smaller storage size and poorer image quality or larger storage space taken up but better image quality.
A JPEG is one of the most common computer extension types and it is also the most common type of format for a digital camera to save a file in. The JPEG standard even allows for a lossless mode in which no data is lost and the quality is at its highest; however, there are many products which do not support that mode at all so it may not always be an option.
For the purposes of printing t-shirts and other apparel a PDF or other vector format file is generally preferable. The reason for this is that the quality is typically better and the file is easier to manipulate and edit. For example, JPEGS look worse and get very blurry if they are enlarged or zoomed in on. Whereas vector files keep their crisp lines and high quality regardless of how much they are expanded or zoomed in on. JPEG are typically fine for price quoting purposes though and if that is the only format you have for your artwork we can typically work with it for printing as well, depending on the file and design.
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