jfoerch

Need help with photoshop image for vinyl cutting

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Hey all.  New to this forum and new to this topic in general.  I have a file where I took someone's handwriting and converted it via photoshop into a .bmp or .jpg or whatever file.  Now I'm trying to get that file set up for cutting on a vinyl cutter.  I learned that the file is a raster file rather than a vector file so I downloaded inkscape in order to convert it.  But, I really have no idea what I'm doing.  I'm really hoping someone can point me in the right direction.

 

I imported the file into Inkscape, right clicked on it and selected trace.  After messing with a few things, I seem to have gotten a results that appears to be correct.  If I click on the "edit paths by node" button, all of the nodes and vectors show up.  So I saved the file as various file types and tried to load them into the vinyl cutter and I just get a blank box.  The cutter is a Faber and the software it is running is called Gemini CP.

 

Can someone help me figure out what I'm doing wrong?  I exported the file as a png and am attaching it for reference.  I tried to attach the actual inkscape file but it was too large.  I also saved it as a .fxg, .svg, .wmf and .xaml which I can attach if needed but all the files seem to be too large.

 

Thanks in advance.

post-95128-0-06352800-1443458640_thumb.p

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For cutting, i always saved inkscape vectors as an .eps file.

Just be sure to remove the original .bmp ,.jpg (or whatever file) you used for the auto-trace because the traced vector will be created right on top of it, which may be part of the problem your having.

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Another option might be to select- Control+C the Vector  (EPS) file  in Inkscape, and open your Software window, and then Control+V into your Gemini page.

 

This has worked sometimes when a vector file wont open that is from inkscape. Some software may not like the .EPS file from Inskape.

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You are actually better off not trying to save it as outlined text. The vector process will then try to outline the outlines. Better to have the original writing and vectorize that then if you want the final product to look like the pic you uploaded you would make that happen via an offset of the original writing and punch out the inner from the offset. 

 

I'm not a guru with Inscape but I think you import your jpg then use the Path>Trace Bitmap and a pop up option box will appear and let you manipulte the settings and then once you like it you push the OK button and it will perform a trace. At that point I think in Inkscape you would discard the original picture and it will leave you the trace results which will be vector. I recommend dragging the original pic to the side a little to be sure you are discarding the pic only and not the trace too. 

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Sounds like you're on the right pat, I'm not sure why it is not working. You didn't mention deleting the original image before saving the vector file. Most vector files are rather small so if your saved image is to big to post I'm suspecting the raster image is still imbedded in the file. Try deleting that and then open the file in your cutting software. The file size should be quite a bit smaller now as well, if it is still not working try posting it here and we'll take a look at it.

 

Thank you for trying and not simply asking someone to do it for you.

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Thanks to all for the help, you guys are super great!!!  I did find that I never deleted the old image from the file, so now that's done.  But then I took that file and the one provided by SkareKrow and tried to import the eps file into the Gemini CP program for the cutter.  That didn't work, I get a dialog box that asks if I want to load all the items as editable object or something like that.  So, then I tried to export the file as a png and when I open that in Gemini, I just get a small empty box (both with my file that had the original image removed and the file from Skarekrow).  So, then I took the file from SkareKrow and saved it as multiple different file types that Gemini says it can import.  Only one of those file types worked, the .emf file.  When I open that in the Gemini program, I finally see the text, it's just very small.  So, I scaled it to make it bigger and it looks OK, but really choppy like the image resolution got way worse.  Any other thoughts?  If I take the file above from SkareKrow in inkscape, what should be my steps from there?  I'm usually really good at this stuff, I just can't figure out if I'm missing a step or something. 

 

Thanks again!

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A .emf file is a raster image, which is what you started with. I do not know the Gemini CP program, but from what I'm finding online it should be able to imply open a vector file, no need to import it. Did you try to open the eps rather than import it?

 

When you did try the import, did you click yes on the dialog box, and what happened after that?

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