Definition: A catchall term for several types of non-photographic graphic images, the term clip art comes from the books of graphic images (such as those from Dover Arts) once used as a graphics source. Users would cut out or clip the desired artwork from the book to place into layouts. Later, it was common to scan the images from the books.
Today, clip art comes on CD-ROM or can be downloaded from the Web. Clip art comes in many styles and can be used as-is or as a starting point for creating custom illustrations and logos. Some clip art is public domain, meaning there are no copyright restrictions. However, most clip art, even when available free on the Internet, carries some type of copyright that may limit the ways it can be used. Electronic clip art comes in both bitmap and vector formats.
Clip art may be produced using traditional drawing methods or created on the computer. Sometimes photographic images are lumped under the heading of clip art.
Digital stamps used in rubberstamping are a specialized form of digital clip art.
Also Known As: images | graphics | computer graphics
Alternate Spellings: clipart
