User Guide

Academic Courseware: Chapter 1
Joyce Ryan
4
The finished design created with vectors.
Unlike vector images, bitmaps cannot always be easily resized without
loss of quality.
Note what happens to the letters when they are blown up. It is all right
to reduce a bitmap, but it is almost never acceptable to enlarge one.
Understanding vectors
A vector is a mathematical description of a location in space; as such, it
has no actual size. Images described by vectors are resolution-
independent. They can be rendered at any size and maintain their image
quality. The image file only contains a list of vectors and display
properties, making vector-based (object-oriented) files very small
compared to bitmaps. Eventually, the file has to be converted to a
bitmap output. When it is sent to a printer, the raster image processor
Bitmaps are resolution-
dependent. If you blow up pixels, they
just look more obvious.