What's the difference between a 'Raster' and a 'Vector' graphic?

Raster images (sometimes referred to as bitmap images) are made up of tiny blocks of colour or tones (pixels). Zooming in on a raster image will reveal the pixels in detail.

Vector graphics are often referred to as 'scalable vector graphics' (SVGs), and use mathematics to describe the image. We call them scalable, because if we shrink or enlarge a design, clever mathematics re-draws the artwork, so that it's appearance doesn't change. Our machinery here at the Window Film Factory, works directly from vector graphic files.