Vector and Bitmap

Vector

An image generated from mathematical descriptions that determine the position, length, and direction in which lines are dawn. A vector shape is a mathematical description of a geometric shape that includes the thickness of the line, the fill color, and additional features of the line can be expressed mathematically.

Bitmap
An image composed of grids of pixels or dots. A defines a bitmap image as a colored square pixels, and save the color for each pixel in the image. Bitmap are made up of pixels in a grid. Pixels are picture elements; tiny dots of individual color that make up what you see on your screen. All these tiny dots of color come together to form the images you see. Most computer monitors display approximately 70 to 100 pixels per inch - the actual number depends on your monitor and screen settings.

(vector vs bitmap)

Vector vs Bitmap
Where ever possible, the figures should be vector art. Vector art recognized by the lines clear and sharp and the "cartoon" look. This has the advantage that can be scaled to any dimension without losing the sharpness and quality. Never suffer from pixelation when the stretch is too big and the file size to vector image is usually small.

Bitmap art on the other hand, should only be provided for the photos if possible and even then, the image must be at the highest resolution. It is important to retain as much information as possible the original bitmap (so no down sampling), and remember that the computer screen at 72dpi for Macs, and printers can print up to 1200dpi for black and white and 600dpi for color. This means that a photograph, which does not have high enough resolution will look pixelated when printed even look good on screen. Use a lossless file format for images such as bitmaps or TIFF although this will result in large file sizes. Saving as JPEG - even with the best quality - may be requested artifacts and degradation to appear in the printed numbers.