What each file actually holds
Both files are the same film: one ink, separated and screened at the film resolution (360 or 720 dpi), with the margin, registration crosses, crop ticks and label around it. The halftone pattern in the artwork area is identical. What differs is the file format, and how the text and marks in the margins are rendered.
The PNG is a lossless bitmap. PrintFilmReady writes the resolution into it, so a program that reads that setting opens the film at its true size. The dots in the artwork area are pure black or pure white; the small label text and marks in the margin are drawn with smooth edges, so a few grey pixels live there.
The EPS is a PostScript file. Here it is still a bitmap: a 1-bit image inside a PostScript wrapper, at true size (the bounding box is in points, 72 to the inch). The whole sheet, label included, is pure black and white: every pixel is decided at 50% grey.
An EPS from PrintFilmReady is not vector
The three letters suggest vector art, and EPS can hold vector shapes. This one holds pixels. Zoom in and you see the same square pixels as in the PNG. Wrapping the film in EPS doesn't smooth the dots, sharpen the edges or add resolution. Where it goes wrong is when a program treats it as vector art and rasterises it again at another resolution, which is why the rules further down matter.
Side by side
| PNG | EPS | |
|---|---|---|
| Halftone pattern (artwork area) | Same, dot for dot | Same, dot for dot |
| Opens in | Browsers, image viewers, Photoshop and most printer software | RIP software, prepress and layout programs; usually not browsers, phones or web tools |
| True size | Stored as dpi (360 or 720) | Stored in points (72 to the inch) |
| Pure black and white | The artwork area, yes. Margin text has soft edges | The whole sheet |
| File size (our demo export: 10″ film, 360 dpi) | 0.9 to 1.3 MB | About 2 MB |
| Extra file to keep track of | No | Yes: a second file per film |
Choose the PNG when…
- you print straight from Photoshop, Preview, your printer driver or film-printing software that takes images.
- you email or store the films: in our demo export the PNG was roughly half the size of the EPS. File sizes vary with the artwork and export settings.
- you're not sure. Almost every program opens it, and nothing has to be interpreted.
Choose the EPS when…
- your RIP or print shop asks for EPS or PostScript.
- you place several films on one sheet in a layout program and want each to land at its true size without setting a resolution.
- you want the margin text and marks to be pure black and white like the artwork.
What can go wrong with either
- Scaling. “Fit to page” changes the size and resamples the dots. Print at 100% from either file. Some programs ignore the resolution stored in a PNG, so 100% alone doesn’t guarantee the intended size: check the dimensions in the print dialog and measure the printed film. If you need a different print size, regenerate the film at that size.
- Anti-aliasing on import. Some programs rasterise an EPS when they open it and ask for a resolution and an anti-aliasing setting. Give it the film's dpi and switch anti-aliasing off, or the dots turn grey at the edges.
- Re-saving lossily. Avoid JPEG compression, resampling and any export settings that alter the black-and-white artwork pixels. Save losslessly and preserve the original pixel dimensions.
- Not every program opens EPS. Many web and office tools don't. That is the main reason the PNG is the safe default.
What this means in PrintFilmReady
Tick Also export EPS under Output before you generate. You get an .eps next to every PNG, on each film's card and in the ZIP; with large formats, every panel gets one too. Nothing changes in the halftone itself. We checked the EPS structure and its pixel data ourselves, not every RIP on the market: print one film before a real job, and tell us which program refused it.
Common questions
Is the EPS exported by PrintFilmReady a vector file?
No. It contains a 1-bit bitmap inside a PostScript file. EPS can hold vector artwork, but this export contains pixels. It does not add detail or resolution compared with the PNG.
Will an EPS give me sharper dots?
No. The halftone pixels in the artwork area are identical. Sharpness on the screen depends on your film density, exposure and mesh, not on the file format.
Which one should I send to my print shop?
Ask what they use. If they say EPS or PostScript, send the EPS. If they say any image will do, send the PNG. If they can't say, send both.
Why is the EPS bigger?
It stores the pixels as plain text, uncompressed, while the PNG is compressed. That is normal for this kind of EPS and doesn't affect the film.
Both files from one click
Upload artwork, pick your mesh, tick Also export EPS, and download the films as PNG and EPS in one ZIP. Free while in beta.
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