What "print-ready" actually means
A print shop wants a file that stays sharp at any size: on a business card and on a two-metre banner. A PNG is made of pixels, so it blurs when it's scaled up. A vector file describes shapes as curves, so the printer can scale it without losing quality.
For most logos, a good vector has three things: smooth edges, the exact brand colours and as few separate shapes as possible.
Start from the best PNG you have
The tracer can only follow edges it can see. Before you convert, find the largest, sharpest version of the logo: the original from your designer, a high-resolution email signature or the version in your website's source. Avoid screenshots and photos of printed material.
Convert with the Logo preset
Drop the PNG into SVG Harbor and keep the Logo preset. It picks the main colours, snaps them to real pixels from your file and traces each one separately.
or · paste with ⌘ V
Check your brand colours
Look at the colour swatches in the settings panel. Each one shows the exact hex value used in the SVG. If your brand guide lists a colour, click the pencil next to the swatch and pick it.
Clean up the result
Three settings fix most logos:
- Stray specks: raise Remove specks until the dots disappear.
- A shade too many: two near-identical colours? Remove one swatch and its pixels merge into the nearest colour.
- Wobbly curves: raise Simplify curves a little, or lower Round corners to keep corners crisp.
Send it to your printer
Most print shops accept SVG today. If yours asks for PDF or EPS, open the SVG in the free Inkscape and use Save As.
- Download the SVG from the Export panel.
- Name it clearly:
fernhill-logo-fullcolour.svg. - Send the colour values from your brand guide with it.