Beginner – cut-ready files (please help)

[Robert Lambie]

you need fonts & graphics in Vector format to be able to cut anything.
i dont know anything about your software but it should at least be able to "import" graphics in a cut file format.

[Tim Tomblin]

Robert, thanks for the quick reply, your thoughts are mine exactly, i have imported files in a vector file also but it makes me feel they are not high enough quality and need redrawing, do you think this could be the case??

Im downloading a trial of signlab as we speak and im hoping that may help the situation somehow.

Thanks
Tim

[Robert Lambie]

1inch high or 100ft high a vector file will not loose its quality.
however, you maybe trying to use a poor quality vector, or you are importing in, in the wrong vector format that may make curves look like a 50p

Signlab is a great vector program, this is what i use and have done for many years. but lots of alternatives software these days.

[Mike Grant]

You cannot change a bitmap file into a vector file format for cutting. you will have to redraw it with the vector program, they are like chalk and cheese.

[Martin Pearson]

I’m not trying to be disrespectful but if you are a printer I would have thought you already knew about file formats. I’m not a printer so don’t really know it’s just that the printers I deal with when I need something doing all seem to understand.

As for software, what are you using just now for the printing business. Programs like Corel and illustrator can and are used by signmakers for cutting graphics. You just need the right plug in to drive the plotter. Might save you some money but more importantly save you having to learn another design program.

[Tim Tomblin]

Thanks guys, makes more sense now so I will have a think about what my next step is and take your advice into consideration,

Martin I appreciate your comment but I’m not a designer I just print direct from eps files and tiffs etc, these days I’m using a xerox machine which everything is processed by PDF so I have no knowledge of layer and alteration to file types, I would like to learn this type of thing and may even see if I can get on a course to learn this or pay an old collegue to teach me.

I’ve got illistrator, inkscape and signblazer set up on my computer and am teaching myself on the settings and how I can redraw files

Thanks again
Tim

[Peter Dee]

Tim, have a look here http://vectormagic.com/home
This superb program converts Bitmaps in to Vectors.
You can have a play with it online.
Signlab has a similar thing built in but nowhere near as good.
This might help you understand what is involved.

[Tim Tomblin]

Thankyou very much Peter

I will have a look now 😀

Tim

[Tim Lucas]

Tim,

you have illustrator… use the trace function to turn your bitmap into an vector… as long as you bitmap is of reasonable good enough quality you’ll get a good quality vector representation of the artwork to cut.

Timmy