SVG vs PNG: which pattern export to use

Two export formats, two jobs. Here is how to choose.

JUMI PatternMaker exports your seamless pattern in two formats: SVG and PNG. Both are free at every size, and neither is better than the other in the abstract. The right choice depends on where the pattern is going, how large it needs to be, and whether you want to keep editing it later.

SVG is vector

SVG stores your pattern as mathematical shapes rather than pixels, so it scales to any size with no quality loss. A pattern exported as SVG stays razor sharp whether it is a phone icon or a wall covering, and the individual shapes remain editable in vector software.

• Infinite scaling with no blur or jagged edges.
• Editable in design tools, so you can recolour or tweak shapes later.
• Small file size for geometric patterns built from shapes and paths.
• Best for print, large format, and any workflow that runs through a vector tool.

PatternMaker exports flat vector geometry, and that detail matters more than it sounds. Some pattern tools export an SVG that leans on nested definitions or clipping to fake the repeat, which certain design applications refuse to interpret, so the file opens as an empty box. A flat export writes every shape out as a plain path, which is why the artwork arrives intact and editable in Illustrator, Affinity Designer and similar tools.

PNG is raster

PNG is a grid of pixels at a fixed resolution. PatternMaker tiles your pattern across a high-resolution canvas and saves it as a ready to use image at 1000, 2000, 4000 or 8000 pixels. It is the drop it straight in option when a project just wants an image file, and it never needs the receiving app to understand anything about vectors.

• Universally supported by every app, browser and device.
• Fixed resolution, so pick a size large enough for its final use before you export.
• Transparency is preserved, so you can export the motifs with no background and lay the pattern over a colour or photo of your own.
• Best for web backgrounds, mockups, social posts and tools that only accept images.

Which PNG size should you export?

The four sizes are not just bigger and smaller versions of the same thing. Each one suits a different kind of job, and picking the largest every time only leaves you with slow, heavy files.

• 1000 pixels is right for a repeating web or app background, where the browser tiles a small image across the screen. Small file, fast page.
• 2000 pixels covers social posts, presentation backgrounds and digital mockups comfortably.
• 4000 pixels is a sensible default for most print work, including stationery, packaging and smaller fabric pieces.
• 8000 pixels is for large format: wallpaper, upholstery, banners, anything viewed close up at scale.

A useful rule of thumb for print is to aim for around 300 pixels per inch of finished size. If a panel needs to be roughly 13 inches across, 4000 pixels gets you there with a little to spare.

Three things people get wrong

• "SVG is always smaller." Usually, but not always. A simple geometric tile makes a tiny SVG, while a tile packed with hundreds of intricate motifs can produce an SVG larger than the equivalent PNG, because every single shape has to be described individually.
• "PNG means lower quality." Not at its own size. PNG is lossless, so a 4000 pixel tile is pixel perfect at 4000 pixels. The limitation is only what happens when you enlarge it past that.
• "I can convert the PNG back to vector later." Auto tracing will approximate the shapes, but it will not give you back your original editable artwork, and it usually softens the crisp edges. If you think you might want the vector, export the SVG at the same time. It costs nothing.

Where each format falls down

SVG runs into trouble when a workflow simply does not accept it. Plenty of print on demand services, social platforms and photo editors want a raster image and nothing else, and some older software renders SVG inconsistently. It is also the wrong tool for anything with photographic texture.

PNG runs into trouble the moment you need it bigger than you exported it. Enlarging a raster tile past its native size softens the edges, and no amount of sharpening truly recovers them. It is also harder to recolour: you are editing pixels rather than selecting a shape and changing its fill.

Quick comparison

Make one now: open the editor, or read how seamless patterns work and using patterns in design tools.