VectorStock Contributor Guide: EPS, JPG and Vector Metadata
Vector files carry different requirements from photos — EPS versions, embedded fonts, expanded strokes. What to check before uploading illustrations.
# VectorStock Contributor Guide: EPS, JPG and Vector Metadata
Vector submissions get rejected for reasons that never occur to photographers. The artwork can be excellent and the file still fails, because vector review checks structure as much as design.
If you are moving into illustration from photography, this is the part that costs you the first few batches.
## The pre-flight check
Before uploading any vector, run through this list. Nearly all structural rejections come from one of these.
**Convert text to outlines.** If fonts are not outlined, a buyer who does not own that font sees substituted type and the design collapses. This is the most common single rejection reason and the easiest to avoid.
**Expand strokes.** Live strokes scale unpredictably and behave differently across software. Expanding them to filled shapes makes the file behave the same everywhere.
**Remove embedded raster images.** An embedded photograph inside an EPS defeats the purpose of a vector file. Even when the result looks right, it fails the scalability promise buyers are paying for.
**Close open paths.** Open paths render inconsistently and cause fill errors in other applications.
**Clear the pasteboard.** Stray objects outside the artboard — leftovers, test shapes, hidden layers — are a frequent decline. Delete anything not part of the design.
**Save to a compatible EPS version.** Newest is not best here. Buyers open files in a wide range of software, some of it old. A broadly supported version maximises usability.
**Supply an accurate raster preview.** Most agencies require a JPG alongside the vector. It must actually represent the file — a preview that differs from the vector generates rejections and, worse, refunds.
## Keywording illustrations is not keywording photographs
Photographs are searched primarily by subject. Vectors are searched by **subject and visual style together**, because buyers are matching an existing design language rather than depicting reality.
Someone building a brand identity needs "flat isometric office illustration in a limited palette" — the style constraints are as binding as the subject. Metadata that describes only the subject misses that entirely.
Style and technique terms worth covering:
- **Rendering style**: flat, line art, outline, filled, gradient, isometric, 3D, hand-drawn, sketch, watercolour effect
- **Complexity**: minimal, detailed, decorative, geometric
- **Use context**: icon, infographic, background, pattern, badge, illustration set
- **Colour treatment**: monochrome, duotone, pastel, vivid, limited palette
Include the subject terms too, obviously. But a vector tagged only with subject competes badly against one tagged with subject *and* the style a designer is actually filtering for.
Our guide to [writing metadata for stock photos](/blog/how-to-write-metadata-for-stock-photos) covers the base fields; illustration work extends them rather than replacing them.
## Sets outperform singles
Designers rarely need one icon. They need a consistent set — the same style applied across twelve related concepts.
Producing and tagging in sets has two effects. It matches how buyers actually shop, and it means one strong style decision produces a dozen sellable assets instead of one.
Tag sets so they hold together: share a core style and collection descriptor across every file, then differentiate on the individual subject. This is the same core-plus-differentiator principle that works for [tagging video series](/blog/storyblocks-consistent-footage-metadata), and it works for the same reason — buyers who find one asset should find the rest.
## Where vectors sell
Vector and illustration work has a different distribution map from photography. Vecteezy grew from a vector audience and remains strong for it. Freepik is vector-heavy and accepts AI content with labelling. Adobe Stock takes vectors alongside photos. Creative Market serves designers buying complete asset packs.
The agencies where vectors underperform are the photography-first ones, which is worth knowing before you spread a portfolio evenly across every destination.
## Preparing for multiple destinations
Each platform wants slightly different things: file format combinations, preview specifications, keyword limits, category systems. Adobe caps keywords at 49; Shutterstock allows 50 plus fixed categories; Freepik requires an `_ai_generated` flag on generative work.
Preparing each batch by hand for each destination is where illustration contributors lose their time — particularly when working in sets, where the same metadata decisions repeat across a dozen files.
Rastock AI [generates per-agency metadata and delivers over FTP](/features) to 25+ destinations, which keeps set consistency intact across platforms rather than degrading with each manual retype. Plans by upload volume are on the [pricing page](/pricing).
## Summary
Run the structural pre-flight before every upload: outline text, expand strokes, no embedded rasters, closed paths, clean pasteboard, compatible EPS, accurate preview. Then keyword for style as much as subject, and produce in sets rather than singles.
Vector rejections are almost entirely preventable. They are structural, predictable, and unrelated to how good the artwork is — which is frustrating the first time and trivial once the checklist is habit.
This guide is part of our overview of [where to sell stock photos](https://rastock.ai/blog/where-to-sell-stock-photos), which compares every major agency on royalties, review standards and AI policy.
For the full picture, see our guide to the [stock photography workflow](https://rastock.ai/blog/stock-photography-workflow) — every stage from selection through metadata to delivery.
## Related reading
- [Vecteezy Contributor Program: How Free and Pro Downloads Pay](https://rastock.ai/blog/vecteezy-free-pro-search-ai)
- [Footage Metadata Consistency: Tagging Video Series and Collections](https://rastock.ai/blog/storyblocks-consistent-footage-metadata)
- [Pond5 Contributor Guide: Stock Footage Metadata That Sells](https://rastock.ai/blog/pond5-video-metadata-automation)
Frequently asked questions
What EPS version should I use for stock vectors?
Agencies typically want a widely compatible EPS version rather than the newest one, because buyers open files in a range of software and older versions. Saving to a broadly supported version avoids rejections caused purely by compatibility.
Why do vector submissions get rejected?
Most often for file structure rather than design: live text that is not converted to outlines, unexpanded strokes, embedded raster images inside a supposedly vector file, open paths, and stray objects outside the artboard.
Should text be converted to outlines in stock vectors?
Yes. If fonts are not outlined, buyers without that font see substituted type and the design breaks. Converting to outlines is standard practice and a routine rejection reason when skipped.
Do I need to supply a JPG with my vector?
Most agencies require a raster preview alongside the vector file. It should accurately represent the vector — a preview that does not match the actual file causes rejections and buyer complaints.
How should I keyword illustrations differently from photos?
Include style and technique terms that photographs do not need — flat, line art, isometric, gradient, hand-drawn, outline, silhouette — alongside subject. Buyers searching for vectors filter heavily on visual style because they are matching an existing design language.
Can vector files contain raster elements?
Generally no, or only within strict limits. An embedded photo inside an EPS breaks the core promise of a vector file — infinite scalability — and is a common rejection cause even when the design looks correct.