Complex vector file clean up

One of the services I provide in addition to raster to vector conversions, is simplifying existing vectors

Sometimes I will receive a vector file from a customer that will print fine on a large format printer but cannot be cut out of vinyl because it is too complex. The image below is a perfect example of this. The original file was a vector pdf. Most likely it was exported out of another program such as Corel and in the conversion process all stroked lines were converted to shapes which resulted in excessive un-needed shapes. When looking at the image normally in filled mode it looks perfectly fine.

However when viewed in an outline mode you can see that there are hundreds of extra lines and shapes that would make this image impossible to cut out of vinyl using a plotter. If you were to import the original pdf into Gerber Omega, Flexisign or any other sign software you would not be able to use it without significant clean up.

For this artwork, there were too many extra shapes to remove, combine, delete and so forth so I chose to redraw the main text from scratch which would be quicker. Here is the final file in outline mode so you can see how this is now suitable for cutting in vinyl. It would also be easier to deal with if you wanted to change colors in Corel or Illustrator since there are fewer extra shapes to deal with.

Below is a zoomed in view showing precise details, clean lines and smooth curves. You can see how my file is now suitable for cut vinyl output and if you were to use this for print output there are fewer shapes should you need to edit further.

Compare this with a zoomed in view of the complex original below.

Angled photos and removing distortion

There are times when taking a straight on photo is not possible. I would prefer that the photo be as straight as possible to avoid distortion and insure accuracy but can make adjustments to the photo in Adobe photoshop to compensate. I will attempt to simulate a straight on shot using the crop tool.

Below is a photo provided to me by a customer. As you can see this was shot at an odd angle and tracing it as is is not the best solution. These steps are done in Photoshop CS3 to prepare the file for tracing in Adobe Illustrator.

Distorted photo

Here are the steps to fix this issue…

Drag the crop tool to include all of the desired graphic. Note: make sure that you have clicked/checked on the perspective button to “enable perspective cropping”

Adjust the corner handles to the corners of the area. In this case the 4 corners of the red section of the logo.

Once you are satisfied that the corners are lined up properly just hit enter on your keyboard and then you will have a new image that is now straight in appearance and can be traced properly.

Note: Even though this is now a straight image and better suited for tracing, this is only an approximation. This method now makes all of the sides parallel and perpendicular but does not mean it will be 100% true to the original. There are issues with foreshortening that the filter will not compensate for. This method works when a new photo is not possible. Ideally the artwork to be traced should be photographed straight on for more accuracy

Here is the final result. This is a jpeg preview of the resulting vector file. I stretched it a bit to try to compensate a bit more. It will be up to the customer to measure the space provided to size properly

Jpeg preview of vector

The perfect email composition

Almost daily I receive emails with artwork to trace as a vector with little or no description. This is not a problem as long as the file you send and it’s current appearance are how you want the vector to appear. If you want any changes to the art from it’s original format then you need to be as specific as possible. If you send me a 1 color logo with all shapes joined but expect the file to be broken up into separate shapes for layering, coloring or any other edits, then I need to know this from the beginning. It can be a significant amount of work to edit a file after it has been converted and result in additional charges. I cannot predict how you will be outputting your files.

Below is the actual email from the customer and I would like to highlight a few points.

• Customer specified how much of the graphic needs done in 2 separate entries
• Changes to the art were specified such as line thickness
• The original art was not ideal so the customer asked for details to be cleaned up and made more professional and consistent
• Font information and changes were called out

Hi, I have a project for you. Attached is a scan (pdf) of the original artwork. There are several things we want done to this.

Vectorization of the entire design.

Thicken the outermost circle, you will see that this line is thinner than all others in the design. Perhaps 2x thicker.

As you will see the components which make up the outer portion of the design are essentially copies of one another and the artist has indicated that he would like them to be consistent. I was thinking if one was re-drawn it could be cloned and used for each one, creating the desired consistency.

For the text: it was copied from a font (sorry, I don’t know what it is but something very close should be fine). And make more space between the text and outer circle of the design, just bump it up on the top and down on the bottom, I’d say at least a quarter inch. As you will see it needs a little room, not a ton, but some.

Center of the design: Smoothing lines, circles, consistency with gaps and distances. Most of the anomalies are simply due to the hand drawn nature of the design. In some areas it’s obvious that there is supposed to be a bit of an off set, whereas other areas the pen just filled in a bit too much.

No need for the pencil lines “sacred journey” or the artists signature. Sorry the file being sent is not rotated to upright, but that should be pretty obvious.

Keep in mind that in some cases your conversion may only cost $6-10. My business is entirely time based. If I have to send 3 or more emails asking questions on a job under $10, then my profit is $0 or ends up costing me valuable time. Unlike your project that may be worth $100-5000, I don’t have the liberty to ask that many questions and keep my prices low. The profit margin is very low on any conversions under $10.

All changes to your art are billable and added to original cost, unless they are obviously my fault. Why not get the art you want the first time to save yourself money and ensure your project is completed on time and within your budget?

Please check this page at my website for other points to keep in mind. Many of my blog entries are here to remind you of how many ways art can be created that work for one customer and not another. A print file may not work well for cutting vinyl and by the same token a cut vinyl file is not ideal for printing or for when changes are needed.

You may get charged extra if I have to send out multiple emails to clarify what you want done.

Vinyl ready vs layered print file

I often ask this question from my customers and sometimes they understand, while others are puzzled and need further explanation. I will attempt to do that here in this blog entry to clear up the difference between the two file setups and the advantages of one over the other.

A vinyl ready file means that the file will have no overcuts or overlapping shapes. Shown below is a sample of artwork with shapes that touch and overlap. Notice how the sun graphic cuts out the underlying shape so that when you lay down the sun it will not show any overlaps. This is especially important with semi transparent (translucent) vinyls that show the underlying colors. The 2nd version goes one step further and cuts out the orange part of the sun. The term used for this is a “knockout”

There are 2 disadvantages to a vinyl ready file. One is that as the vinyl shrinks it results in a bit of white space showing up between colors. The second problem is that if certain parts of the artwork change then all touching elements will have to be edited. So in this case, if the sun graphic is changed, then those notches cut out of the blue will no longer line up with the new graphic.

The next image shows the same file but with overlaps. I will sometimes refer to this as a print file. Notice how the various shapes all overlap one another. The advantage here is that if you want to edit or move any of the shapes, it will not affect any underlying parts of the image. The sun does not “knockout” the blue panel below. The disadvantage is if you are overlapping translucent vinyl or printing with transparent inks then it will change the appearance of the top color. You will see a ghost of the image below where the 2 colors overlap. Or in the case of solid colored vinyl, you can see an outline of the underlying shapes as bumps in the vinyl.

NOTE: Even if you are cutting vinyl, you may prefer the print version of the artwork because it gives you many more options to make changes or edits to the file in the future. As mentioned before, let’s assume you want to remove the sun graphic from this. All you do is simply delete and replace with the new shape. There is no reason to edit the shape below since it is independent of the others. On the vinyl ready file from image 1, you would have to go back and remove those notches and rebuild the shape.

I find that the majority of my customers prefer the print ready file so that they can easily make changes to the artwork as needed.

Vinyl ready advantages: no overcuts, no color changes with translucent inks/vinyls, no bumps in the vinyl

Vinyl ready disadvantages: hard to edit, does not allow for simple changes. It can result in dozens of very small shapes when dealing with very detailed images.

Print ready advantages: easy to edit and make changes

Print ready disadvantages: overcuts, underlying colors show through the top colors on translucents, requires knowledge of software to make it “vinyl ready”

Vectors are not just for cut vinyl

Several months ago I sent out an email to many previous customers to find out why they had not ordered a vector conversion in a long time. The number one reason was the economy making their business slow, but I was surprised at the second reason. “I am printing more and cutting vinyl less frequently.”

If you are printing business cards and letterhead where imperfect art is acceptable due to small sizes, then this makes perfect sense. However, even a print file will reveal poor quality and only gets worse the larger you try to print it. Here  are some common misconceptions about vector art and how it compares to raster art (pixels).

“I only use photoshop and have no use for vectors” You can import a vector into photoshop and automatically chose the size and resolution you want to use. Keep the vector on file and the next time a customer wants that logo printed larger you do not have to resample, just open the vector again and change the size and resolution.

import vector into photoshop

“Vectors are only for cut vinyl” If you want to resize your graphic or logo infinitely with no loss in quality you need a vector file. A vector file will allow you to edit size, colors, and positions of one or more elements in the graphic.

“I can print a logo that I copied from a webpage” If you only plan on printing the logo at that size or smaller, then yes this is probably true. However, blowing up this graphic will surely look horrible. Your customer will likely be unhappy with the final results. Another problem you run into is the “white box” syndrome. If you place this graphic on a colored background or photograph, the logo will often have a white box surrounding the image. Many logos on websites are not transparent, so the white box will show up when placed on anything other than a white background. With a vector, there is no background. White elements on a logo can be white or clear.

low res image showing the white box

Quick tips for better service

To ensure that you get the best possible vector conversion, here are some quick tips and reminders.

> Please specify if you need a vinyl ready file. A print file will likely have overlaps, overcuts, stroked lines, gradients, and many other features that are not vinyl friendly. In a future blog I will go into this in more detail

> Crop out unwanted items that you don’t want traced. Why pay for something you don’t need? Or mention in your email what to ignore.

> When sending photos of artwork, make sure your image is in focus and as straight as possible and avoid using a flash if it hides details

> Mention font names if you know them. You may get charged for the time it takes me to ID a font.

> Scan at a resolution that will reveal as much detail as possible. Use the scaling feature in your scanner software

My vector file format

The software I use to produce all of my vector files is Adobe Illustrator. I am currently using version CS3. I prefer to skip upgrades so will likely upgrade to CS5 whenever that comes out. I do not own or use Corel, Flexi or Omega but that should not be a problem.

When I save my vector files I always save down to version 3 or version 8. The reason I do this is so that I can insure that all of my customers can open or import my vector files. Some customers have older versions of Illustrator or they use Coreldraw. While others use Flexisign, Gerber Omega and other sign design software. They may not own the latest version of their software and in some cases, the aforementioned software will not import newer ai or eps files properly.

If you use Illustrator, you can simply open my files directly. Any other graphic program will likely require that you use the IMPORT command. Consult your owner’s manual or online help files to be sure. If you are unsure of compatibility, please visit my website vectordoctor and click on the eps and ai links on the right hand column. The file should look just like the image below. If yes, then you will have no problem with the vector files that I provide.

For those of you that don’t own vector compatible software, you can also request that I provide a pdf file in addition to your vector. Some of you simply forward the vectors to your sign shop or print provider. Having a pdf will allow you to preview the vector for accuracy before sending the vectors off blindly to someone. Any potential errors will show up and it allows you to always have a reference file on hand for future use. My pdf file is also a vector file and can be opened up directly in Illustrator if you choose.

Note: Illustrator allows me to save as either an ai or eps. Both OPEN the same way in Illustrator. Apparently other programs are limited in which format they can IMPORT. My preference is an ai file but will happily save as an eps if you prefer.

Thank you to all of my loyal customers

As the year comes to a close, I just want to reach out to all of my customers to once again say thank you for your loyalty. I appreciate every one of you. I strive to provide the best possible service to everyone regardless of how often you order from me. It seems that every month, there is another business starting up similar to mine that provides vector conversion services. Keeping my current customers is my number one priority. I will do whatever I can to keep your business.

I hope that in 2010 you will continue to trust me with all of your vector conversions. Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year to all.

Sincerely,
Eric G. Schmid, The Vector Doctor

ASAP – what does it mean to you?

As Soon As Possible – That is a very vague answer to “When do you need it completed?” This can mean different things to different businesses. One sign shop interprets ASAP to mean 1-2 hours because their customer will come back later that day. Another less hectic shop considers this to be 1-2 days.

So why is it important to be more specific? A couple of reasons. One is rush charges. Anything done in a short time span will usually result in a rush charge. Why pay for a rush charge, when your interpretation of ASAP really meant 6-24 hours and you did not need it that quickly?

The other reason is uncertainty. What if I interpret ASAP to mean later that same day and you really did want it done in 1 hour? Now you’re in a bind because that vector file is not in your inbox when you thought it would be.

Solution: Please be more specific in the number of hours or days before you want your vector file completed. It could save you some money.

White or clear backgrounds

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Both images above appear to be exactly the same but they are in fact different. The image on the left  [figure 1a] has a white background while the one on the right [figure 1b] has a clear center or “knockout” to allow any underlying shapes to show through. You would never notice the difference unless you placed both logos on a colored background or photo. As a vector file, it is very easy to change the artwork from one to the other. In  Adobe Illustrator, the compound tool [compound path > make] is used to remove the white oval inside of the blue oval. Think of the letter O and A and how the inside is transparent. In typographic terms, this is called the counter of the letter. Conversely, if you want the opposite you would use the same tool from the Illustrator menu [compound path > release]. After doing so, both shapes would now be blue so you will have to select the inner blue oval and assign it a white fill.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In figures 2a and 2b the same images are placed on top of a patterned background to show how they are different. If you were cutting vinyl or printing, the white in this image would be considered another color

When you place your order with me, if you do not know how to change your artwork to match either of the above images just let me know beforehand so that your file is set up correctly