When is PNG better than PS?
PNG images are smaller than PS images, which mostly remain uncompressed. They are larger, information-rich, uncompressed vector-based files. PNGs are ideal for creating smaller online logos and graphics with better web performance and increased user experience.
Read more on PNG files to understand the solid colors and sharp edges the file format supports and how it supports lossless compression and transparency to offer visually impressive images or graphics.
When is PS better than PNG?
PS images are uncompressed, portable, scalable, precise, and accurate, while PNG images are detailed and editable but become distinct, grainy, or blurry when scaled up or down. As a result, PS images are ideal for specialized printing jobs such as commercial printing, technical documentation, and graphic design.
The pros of PS images include their ability to be scaled up or down without losing resolution levels, making them displayable accurately and optimally on different screen sizes; and their integration of multiple image icons at varying sizes and color depths.
PS versus PNG Table Comparison
| Element | PS | PNG |
| Transparency | Does not transparency | Supports alpha channel transparency |
| File Size | Larger files than PNG files. | Smaller files than PS files. |
| Image Quality | High-quality images than PNG images. | High-quality images, but low quality than PS images. |
| Performance | Increased file loading times than PNG. | Decreased file loading times than PS. |
| Structure | Vector graphics with a header, color mode data, image data, mask, and layer information. | Raster graphics with an 8-byte signature header and various other chunks with several interior fields. |
| Animation | Does not support animation. | Does not support animation. |
| Storage | Requires more storage space than PNG. | Requires less storage space than PS. |
| Compression | No compression method/Uncompressed files. | Supports lossless compression. |
| Browser Support | Limited browser support. | Widely supported by all browsers |
Differences and similarities between PNG and PS images
PNG and PS file formats share similarities in lack of support for animation and high-quality images. Conversely, notable differences in these file formats are in web performance, file size, compression, structure, transparency support, browser support, and storage space requirements.
Transparency
PostScript files do not natively support alpha transparency for vector graphics. However, partially transparent images can be processed to render as either fully opaque or fully transparent pixels. In PostScript, 'masks' define areas where painting can occur or protect regions from being painted, but they do not support true alpha transparency.
On the other hand, PNG files allow a transparent background by supporting the alpha channel. Through the alpha channel, all PNG file pixels are set to transparency levels between 0, representing completely transparent, and 255, denoting completely opaque.
As a result, when support for transparency is a factor to consider between PNG and PS, PNG is the best option. It has an edge over PS files, as it supports alpha channel transparency, which is impossible with PS files.
File Size
PS files are smaller than PNG files. However, PS files mostly store uncompressed data, making them larger than compressed PNG files. No PS file can exceed 4GB, regardless of available storage space. On the other hand, a PNG file format has no definite size limit. It can be 140 GB or even more. Yet, the maximum file dimension is 2G x 2G pixels.
Compared to raster graphics PNG files, PS files can be scaled up or down to suit varying screen sizes optimally. Still, while scalability might be possible for PS and not PNG files or images, multiple PS files are heavier than PNG files.
Image Quality
PNG and PS files have low—and high-resolution levels and higher bit depths, allowing them to generate highly detailed images. PNG files retain transparency data, color information, and additional image details with lossless compression. PNG’s bit depth in RBG (TrueColor) is 24 and 48 bits per pixel.
A PNG file can support 256 colors using the quantized palette. The TrueColor PNG file can support up to 16 million colors. It supports full color non-palette based RGBA or RGB images, grayscale images, and palette based images with 32-bit RGBA or 24-bit RGB colors, making it an info-rich file format.
PS files allows printing resolutions of 300 or 600 pixels per inch, making it a high-resolution file format. The PS's high resolution makes its images more detailed and sharp during and after printing. PS contains high-quality images, although it uses varying data representations than PNG.
Performance
PS files can be larger than PNG files, especially when they include complex vector graphics or embedded high-resolution raster images. While PNG files technically have no fixed size limit and can be very large depending on the image resolution and content, practical file sizes rarely approach extreme sizes like 140GB. PS files can vary widely in size, and while they can be large, especially when containing detailed graphics, a single PS file being 4GB is uncommon. Combining multiple large PS files can result in a substantial total file size. Given the smaller nature of PNG files, they load faster than PS files. As a result, the PS file format is inferior to PNG format as regards website performance.
Structure
The PS file format is a vector-based format used for printing and graphic design, capable of describing text, images, and graphics through vector instructions and can also include raster images. PNG is a raster-based format that stores images as grids of pixels.
The PS image data contains the actual file or image data in either a vector or raster graphics format. It specifies images using geometry information such as commands instead of individual pixels. PS allows geometrical specifications to be printed at the maximum number of details possible.
In contrast, a PNG file format begins with an 8-byte magic identification signature, closely followed by three or more chunks containing uniform syntax. The multiple IDAT chunks contained in it compactly hold the compressed image information. Each PNG chunk conforms to the particularly defined structure.
PNG chunks are identified consistent with their inner format and read serially from the start to the end of the data stream. A PNG file has critical chunks that each PNG file writer and reader must support. Due to the different structural designs of the file formats, it is challenging to compare PNG and PS formats.
Animation
Both PNG and PS files do not support animation. PS is designed for still content and lacks interactivity and multimedia capabilities that support animated images or files used to create lively contents. PS files are intended for printing, making them unsuitable for screen-based content.
In contrast, while PNG hardly supports animation, its file specifications are extended in APNG, which innately supports animation by introducing the animation control chunk. Hence, while PNG is not the best file format for animation, it surpasses the precincts of files that do not support animation like PS.
Storage
PNGs are smaller than PS files. Thus compared to the comparatively smaller PNGs, the PS file format requires more storage space than compressed PNG files. PS files are larger because they store uncompressed data as programmed texts, graphics, and layouts.
The storage period for PS and PNGs depends on the handling process, conditions, and storage medium used, such as hard drives, content delivery networks (CDN), sub-directory programs, folders, or files, file systems, Base64 encoding, and cloud, Choose PNG over PS when considering storage space.
Compression
PS files are uncompressed while PNG use lossless compression with Huffman coding and LZ77 algorithms. The compressed PNG images are smaller than the info-rich but uncompressed PS images. Thus, when considering compression efficiency, PNGs are better than the PS file format.
Browser Support
The PS file format has limited browser support compared PNG files. Most browsers, such as Apple Safari, do not support PS files. Web browsers do not directly support PS. Nonetheless, users can add PostScript Compiler and Viewer to their browsers to open PS files in Google Chrome.
It is not supported by modern and older browsers, such as Brave, Discord, Opera, Edge, Vivaldi, Firefox, Safari, and IE. Conversely, PNG enjoys universal web browser support than PS. Chrome, Brave, Opera, Safari, Edge, Vivaldi, IE, and Discord support it. Choose PNG over PS for extensive browser support.
Converting PNG to PS or PS to PNG
Convert PNG to PS for easy scaling, high-quality images, and device-independent, high-quality files that can be displayed optimally without losing quality. Convert PS files using convertjack to get files ideal for creating documents requiring printing and scaling at extremely high resolutions and high-quality levels.
Use a PS to PNG converter called Convertjack to readily get PNG files that support volumes of color, smaller, losslessly compressed images, and high-quality images with sharp edges and solid colors while supporting transparency and easy editing.