Guide · 5 min read · Updated
SVG vs PNG: Which File Should You Use?
SVG files are made of shapes and PNG files are made of pixels. That one difference decides which file you cut with, which you print and which you post online. Here is how to choose in a few seconds.
Cut with the SVG, print with the PNG. That covers most of the SVG vs PNG question. If a Cricut, Silhouette, Brother ScanNCut or laser is going to cut the design out of vinyl, cardstock or iron-on, start from the SVG. For stickers and Print Then Cut, or for cards and documents, use a PNG made at 300 DPI for the size you’ll print.
Websites sit in between. Logos and simple graphics such as icons work best as SVG, while anything photographic should be WebP or PNG. Photos and email attachments go out as JPG.
Every design page on this site gives you the SVG files. The editor turns them into PNG, JPG or WebP (or DXF, PDF or EPS) at the size you choose, right in your browser.
What an SVG file is
SVG stands for Scalable Vector Graphics. Instead of pixels, an SVG holds instructions along the lines of “draw a shape with these points and fill it with this color,” and your software follows them every time it shows the file. Because the shapes get redrawn at whatever size you ask for, the edges stay crisp. A snowflake half an inch wide on a gift tag and one two feet wide on a window come from exactly the same file.
Cutting machines can follow those stored outlines directly. That’s why Cricut Design Space, Silhouette Studio (Designer Edition and up), Glowforge and most laser software ask for SVG. Each color is its own group of shapes, so a color SVG lands in your cutting software as layers you can cut from different materials.
Underneath, an SVG is plain text. That keeps the files small (ours run 1 to 40 KB) and makes recoloring easy: open one in a text editor and you’ll find the colors written as codes such as fill="#c8102e".
What a PNG file is
PNG stands for Portable Network Graphics, and it’s a grid of colored pixels, like a photo. It can have a see-through background, so it works well for stickers and overlays, or anything you place on top of something else.
The weak spot is the fixed pixel count. Stretch a 500-pixel-wide PNG across an 8-inch shirt and every pixel turns into a visible square. A PNG also has no idea where one shape ends and the next begins. Cutting software has to guess the cut line by tracing the image, and it usually loses fine detail and inner holes along the way.
SVG vs PNG side by side
| SVG | PNG | |
|---|---|---|
| Made of | Shapes and outlines (vector) | Pixels (raster) |
| Resizing | Sharp at any size | Blurs when enlarged |
| Transparent background | Yes | Yes |
| Typical size for one design | 1 to 40 KB | 100 KB to 5 MB |
| Change colors later | Easy, per layer | Hard; needs photo editing |
| Cutting machines | Read the cut lines directly | Need tracing; inner details are often lost |
| Printing | Fine in most apps | Excellent at the right pixel size |
| Opens in | Design Space, Silhouette Designer Edition, Canva, Inkscape, Illustrator, browsers | Everything |
When to use the SVG
Use it for any cut project. A vinyl decal, iron-on shirt, cardstock ornament, felt piece or stencil needs the clean outlines and inner cut-outs an SVG keeps, and so does wood or acrylic on a laser.
It’s also the file for layered designs. Our color files keep each color on its own layer, so each one cuts on its own mat.
Pick it whenever you expect to resize. Make the design 2 inches for a tag today and 12 inches for a door sign next week from one file. On websites, an SVG logo or icon stays sharp on high-resolution screens and is usually smaller than the PNG version.
When to use the PNG
- Print Then Cut and stickers, where you print the image and the machine cuts around it (see the Print Then Cut guide)
- Cards, documents or slides made in apps that don’t handle SVG well
- Social media and messaging apps, which won’t accept SVG uploads
- Sending a design to someone who only needs to look at it, since everyone can open a PNG
What about JPG and WebP?
JPG is a pixel format with no transparency. It compresses photos very well, but it softens sharp edges slightly and always has a solid background, so keep it to photos and email, not cut files or stickers.
WebP is a newer pixel format. It supports transparency like PNG and is usually much smaller at the same quality, so it’s the best choice for images on websites and online shop listings. Some older desktop apps still can’t open it, which is why PNG remains the safer pick for printing.
Choosing the right PNG size
A printed PNG needs about 300 pixels for every inch. Multiply the print width in inches by 300:
| What you are printing | Print width | PNG width at 300 DPI |
|---|---|---|
| Gift tag | 2 in | 600 px |
| Sticker | 3 in | 900 px |
| Cupcake topper | 2.5 in | 750 px |
| Card front | 4 in | 1,200 px |
| Adult shirt (sublimation or printable vinyl) | 10 in | 3,000 px |
On our site you can skip the math. In the editor, choose PNG, type the print size in inches or centimeters and pick 300 DPI. The editor works out the pixels and writes the DPI into the file, so your print software places it at the right size.
Screen-only images need far less. For a quick post or preview, 800 to 1,600 pixels wide is plenty.
Can you turn a PNG into an SVG?
Sometimes. Cricut Design Space, Silhouette Studio and Inkscape can all trace a PNG into cut lines. Tracing does well with bold, high-contrast shapes but struggles with thin lines or small text, and soft edges trace poorly too. No trace ever brings back separate color layers, either.
So if an SVG of the design exists, start there. Every design on this site comes as an SVG, which means you’ll never have to trace one of ours.
Other files you might see: DXF, EPS and PDF
All three are vector formats. You’ll want DXF in Silhouette Studio’s free Basic Edition and many laser and CNC programs. EPS is an older print-industry format that Illustrator and print shops still use, and PDF is best for printing or sharing a finished layout. The SVG vs EPS vs DXF guide covers when each makes sense.
