Trade only ◆ Sign, wrap & print shops
Convert a JPG to vector — redrawn by hand, not auto-traced
The customer has a JPG. You need an AI, EPS or SVG that cuts clean and scales to the side of a building. Send the file you have and a designer rebuilds it as proper vector art. Firm quote first, files back in 24–48 hours.
- $15
- Starting price
- 24–48 hr
- Turnaround
- Free
- Redo if wrong
The problem
Why “convert to vector” is not a button
Every raster image — JPG, PNG, a screenshot — is a grid of colored pixels. A vector file is a set of shapes described by math. There is no conversion between the two; there is only a rebuild. Software that promises to “convert JPG to vector” is tracing pixel edges, and a JPG’s edges are soft, noisy and compressed. The trace faithfully reproduces all of that.
On screen it looks acceptable. On a plotter the blade chatters through hundreds of tiny direction changes. On a 4×8 sheet the wobble is visible from the parking lot. On a screen it separates into colors that were never meant to exist. That is the file your production people send back to the front desk.
What a hand redraw does differently
- Straight edges are straight. Circles are circles. Corners are corners.
- Type is re-set in the actual font, or redrawn letter by letter when the font cannot be matched.
- Colors are flat, named spot swatches — not the 40 near-identical shades a trace produces.
- The fewest anchor points that hold the shape, so the file cuts and edits cleanly.
- Layers named for the production floor, not for the designer.
What we accept
Any raster file, any quality
JPG, PNG, GIF, BMP, TIFF, a flattened PDF, a screenshot, a photo of a business card or a truck door. Low resolution is the normal case. If something is unreadable we ask you rather than guess, and if a PDF turns out to already contain live vector art we tell you so you do not pay for work you do not need.
What comes back
- AI · EPS · SVG · PDF — fonts outlined, plus the live-type version
- Transparent PNG at 4000 px and a JPG for proofs
- Spot swatches for every solid color; Pantone on request
- Black and reversed one-color versions, every job
Pricing
Three flat rates. You get the exact number before you pay.
Simple Graphic
One- or two-color marks, wordmarks, and simple shapes. Clean edges, no effects. The majority of what walks into a sign shop.
- Up to 2 flat colors
- Text redrawn or font-matched
- All formats, one revision round
Most ordered
Standard Graphic
Multi-color flat artwork with more detail — badges, icons with text, layered shapes, small type.
- Up to 6 flat / spot colors
- Detail rebuilt, not simplified away
- All formats, two revision rounds
Complex Graphic
Gradients, shading, illustration, mascots, distressed or hand-drawn marks, crest-style badges.
- Gradient and mesh rebuild
- Print separations on request
- All formats, two revision rounds
FAQ
Questions about JPG to vector conversion
Can you convert a JPG to vector automatically?
Software can trace it, but a trace is not a redraw. Auto-trace follows pixel edges, so every bit of JPG compression noise becomes a bump in the path. For anything that will be cut, routed or printed large, a designer needs to rebuild the shapes. That is what we do.
What resolution does the JPG need to be?
Any. Most of what we get is under 500 pixels wide, pulled off a website or a social media page. If a letter or detail is unreadable, we will ask you what it is supposed to say rather than guess.
Can you vectorize a PNG, PDF or screenshot too?
Yes. JPG, PNG, GIF, BMP, PDF, a screenshot, a photo of a sign or a business card — any raster image. If the PDF already has live vector art inside it we will tell you and you may not need us.
What if the logo has a font I cannot identify?
We identify it where possible and re-set the text in the matching font. When the font cannot be matched, the letters are redrawn by hand to match the original.
Which tier is a typical JPG logo?
Most are Simple ($15) or Standard ($30). Gradients, shading, mascots and photo-style elements are Complex ($45). The quote tells you — you do not have to pick.
Got artwork sitting on a sold job?
Send it now. Quote first, files in 24–48 hours.
Send your graphic