Saving EPS Files - Best Practice and Recommendations

Before saving your vector 

Hidden objects or unexpanded elements are often one of the causes that may increase file sizes. Below are the steps we recommend to help reduce the file size of vectors, making it easier for our customers to work with.

1. Remove unused swatch patterns, brushes, and/or symbols

When you create a new file in Adobe Illustrator there are a number of default swatches, brushes, and symbols contained within the file. These default values can add unnecessary ‘weight’ to the overall file size of your vector. Consider manually deleting these from their respective windows.

2. Delete excess points

Elaborate or complex vector files with multiple paths and points will increase the size of the vector and EPS file you export. Using the “Simplify” command is one way to potentially reduce the amount of paths while maintaining the curves of the vector. This works best with more geometric straight-line shapes.

In Adobe Illustrator: Object>Path>Simplify brings up the following dialogue box showing that the vector point volume was reduced from over 15553 to 5530:

3. Use symbols

When creating a complex vector with repeated elements (e.g. a pattern), creating a vector symbol of the object can reduce the file size significantly.

First, create the vector grouping needed to create the pattern.

Then, save the symbol through the Symbols palette (Window>Symbols>New Symbol)

This is an efficient way to reduce file sizewith groupings of large or complex vector designs.

4. Lower the number of steps in object blends

Although more steps in a blend may result in a smooth color conversion, using too many can increase file size without much benefit to the color blend. To reduce the number of steps, go to Object>Blend>Blend Options. Choose the number of blends from the blend tool dialogue box and scale down until you are happy with the result.

Preferred Method for Saving EPS Files 

You may already have your preferences when it comes to saving your work. But if you need a starting point or are having trouble with large files, we propose the following settings in Adobe Illustrator (Note: you can ignore the Transparency setting if it is grayed out):

You will find the settings above in the Save As>EPS dialogue box in Adobe Illustrator. Note: if your file is free of  transparencies, you do not need to worry about the Transparency setting above.

For vectors containing transparencies, set the Raster/Vector Balance to 0 and the Resolution settings to 72 ppi in order to dramatically reduce your file size. These settings will not affect any customers who plan to use Adobe Illustrator to access the EPS file.

Appending metadata to EPS files

You can use Adobe Illustrator or Adobe Bridge to append a description and keywords to your EPS files.

To append metadata directly to your EPS file in Adobe Illustrator, go to File>File Info and enter your description and keywords in the following fields:

Note: in order for the metadata entered in Adobe Illustrator to be exported, you must save your file as Adobe Illustrator 10 EPS. An Adobe Illustrator 8 EPS file will not include any metadata saved as above.

Adobe Bridge can also be used to append metadata to EPS files. To do so, open the file and fill in the description and keywords in the right-hand toolbar:

Note: descriptions and keywords added through Adobe Bridge will be appended successfully only to Adobe Illustrator 10 EPS files.

Adding the metadata directly to your EPS file means that when you upload your files to Vecteezy, the Vecteezy Content Manager tool will automatically map your Title, Description (Caption) and Keywords to the corresponding fields in our system. 

If you have any additional questions about preparing your artwork for submission to Vecteezy, please contact us.