File Format Conversion Help needed

skullerello · 5th December 2006, 05:50 PM

A customer is working on a large professionally-done sign for our tattoo shop. We need to email them the graphic for them to cut the vinyl, but they can only work from an .eps or an .ai or a line art format.
So, my question is: Where do I get these formats? How do I convert the file to send them?
Once again, friendly fellow Forumites, I ask your help. I know someone'll come thru.
Muchos muchos gracias!!!

_Q_ · 5th December 2006, 06:02 PM

Originally Posted by skullerello

A customer is working on a large professionally-done sign for our tattoo shop. We need to email them the graphic for them to cut the vinyl, but they can only work from an .eps or an .ai or a line art format.
So, my question is: Where do I get these formats? How do I convert the file to send them?
Once again, friendly fellow Forumites, I ask your help. I know someone'll come thru.
Muchos muchos gracias!!!

Do you already have the graphic of interest in some file format? If so, what format is it?

Raphael · 5th December 2006, 07:21 PM

Sounds like they want a vector format so that they are able to scale it up without pixellation. If you don't have an application that saves or exports to .eps or .ai try to save it as a PDF.
If you scanned in your artwork you may have resolution issues when they scale it for the sign. Scan with a really high resolution to start with. Don't save as a Jpeg as it employs a lossy compression scheme. If it starts out as a bitmap file, save as a TIFF.
If it's a line art bitmap, Illustrator has a decent trace program that can convert it to vector. Someone at the sign company who is efficient with AI should be able to do it (also depends how intricate it is).

skullerello · 5th December 2006, 07:32 PM

Originally Posted by _Q_

Do you already have the graphic of interest in some file format? If so, what format is it?

We origionally made it in Printshop, took it over to Adobe, so it's a jpeg.

kevin · 5th December 2006, 08:37 PM

Photoshop should be able to export to both EPS and AI. The AI extension is for Adobe Illustrator, Adobe's vector based drawing program. Note that when saving a raster image as an EPS or AI it will remain a raster and may still have pixilation issues mentioned earlier.

EPS is for Encapsulated PostScript.

Earthborn · 5th December 2006, 09:32 PM

Originally Posted by skullerello

We origionally made it in Printshop, took it over to Adobe, so it's a jpeg.

Get Inkscape (Open Source and free). Load file (if not too large), select it. Choose Paths->Trace Bitmap. You'll probably have to fiddle with settings, depending on whether it is a colour picture or just a two colour logo. The preview is fairly useless, so you'll have just to try a few times. That's where it is useful to use a small picture instead of a high resolution one; tracing can be slow... but it gets you a very sharp picture, even with a low resolution original.

If you are happy with how it traced the picture, delete the original from the background, and save as EPS.

Paul C. Anagnostopoulos · 7th December 2006, 05:34 AM

There is not much difference between an .eps file and an .ai file, since Adobe Illustrator saves illustrations as PostScript programs anyway.

I agree with the above folks that you should convert to line art if at all possible.

~~ Paul

5th December 2006, 05:50 PM	#1
skullerello a force for cool Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 652	File Format Conversion Help needed A customer is working on a large professionally-done sign for our tattoo shop. We need to email them the graphic for them to cut the vinyl, but they can only work from an .eps or an .ai or a line art format. So, my question is: Where do I get these formats? How do I convert the file to send them? Once again, friendly fellow Forumites, I ask your help. I know someone'll come thru. Muchos muchos gracias!!!

5th December 2006, 07:21 PM	#3
Raphael disheveled cell cluster Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: London, Ontario Posts: 1,786	Sounds like they want a vector format so that they are able to scale it up without pixellation. If you don't have an application that saves or exports to .eps or .ai try to save it as a PDF. If you scanned in your artwork you may have resolution issues when they scale it for the sign. Scan with a really high resolution to start with. Don't save as a Jpeg as it employs a lossy compression scheme. If it starts out as a bitmap file, save as a TIFF. If it's a line art bitmap, Illustrator has a decent trace program that can convert it to vector. Someone at the sign company who is efficient with AI should be able to do it (also depends how intricate it is).
	__________________

5th December 2006, 08:37 PM	#5
kevin Graduate Poster Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 1,666	Photoshop should be able to export to both EPS and AI. The AI extension is for Adobe Illustrator, Adobe's vector based drawing program. Note that when saving a raster image as an EPS or AI it will remain a raster and may still have pixilation issues mentioned earlier. EPS is for Encapsulated PostScript.
kevin Graduate Poster Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 1,666	__________________ Long story short, if you wanna get famous, it helps if you're taking a dump. -- RealityBites

5th December 2006, 09:32 PM	#6
Earthborn Terrestrial Intelligence Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Terra Firma Posts: 5,648	Originally Posted by skullerello We origionally made it in Printshop, took it over to Adobe, so it's a jpeg. Get Inkscape (Open Source and free). Load file (if not too large), select it. Choose Paths->Trace Bitmap. You'll probably have to fiddle with settings, depending on whether it is a colour picture or just a two colour logo. The preview is fairly useless, so you'll have just to try a few times. That's where it is useful to use a small picture instead of a high resolution one; tracing can be slow... but it gets you a very sharp picture, even with a low resolution original. If you are happy with how it traced the picture, delete the original from the background, and save as EPS.
	__________________ Perhaps nothing is entirely true; and not even that! Multatuli

7th December 2006, 05:34 AM	#7
Paul C. Anagnostopoulos Nap, interrupted. Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: a little toolshed Posts: 18,592	There is not much difference between an .eps file and an .ai file, since Adobe Illustrator saves illustrations as PostScript programs anyway. I agree with the above folks that you should convert to line art if at all possible. ~~ Paul
	__________________ Millions long for immortality who do not know what to do with themselves on a rainy Sunday afternoon. ---Susan Ertz RIP Mr. Skinny

5th December 2006, 06:02 PM	#2
_Q_ Critical Thinker Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Florida Big Bend region Posts: 276	Originally Posted by skullerello A customer is working on a large professionally-done sign for our tattoo shop. We need to email them the graphic for them to cut the vinyl, but they can only work from an .eps or an .ai or a line art format. So, my question is: Where do I get these formats? How do I convert the file to send them? Once again, friendly fellow Forumites, I ask your help. I know someone'll come thru. Muchos muchos gracias!!! Do you already have the graphic of interest in some file format? If so, what format is it?

5th December 2006, 07:32 PM	#4
skullerello a force for cool Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 652	Originally Posted by _Q_ Do you already have the graphic of interest in some file format? If so, what format is it? We origionally made it in Printshop, took it over to Adobe, so it's a jpeg.