SteveGSI 1 Posted June 19, 2012 hey guys im new to all this, bought a cutter and some vinyl, so i could make myo wn stickers for my race car and my dads race car and my road car. got a few questions i can find laods of stickers online i want to make, is there a program i can use to kinda copy and trace them iinto a format that signblazer can cut out, because it keeps saying bitmaps all the time. for example id like to cut these out is there something that can convert this to be a format signblazer can cut? this one i know will be a bit harder as its not black, i literall want a thing over line, like a boreder, then the works and the little marks inside to be cut out ( hope that makes sence) i also have a pen and a pad (electronic one) is therea program i can draw freehand in and be able to save it into a file signblazer can cut. also just wonderd is there anywhere you could downalod images already in the formate for cutting? thanks very much in advance guys Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
vinylmotivations 143 Posted June 19, 2012 Download inkscape and start learning to use it- It will be your friend. There are MANY good tutorials on YouTube... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
slice&dice 2,450 Posted June 19, 2012 Welcome & Howdy. Your little bull can be imported right into SB, and vectorized within the program. Do the following procedure: 1. FILE menu -- IMPORT 2. SELECT the item -- IMAGE menu -- Mode - MONOCHROME (50% is default, usually OK to leave that) 3. IMAGE menu again, now VECTORISE (British spelling of Vectorize) -- make sure it's using Setup #2 4. Move away the B/W image (Original) and Delete it, leaving the Blue vector graphic behind. 5. Resize to required dimensions. 6. Cut. As for the LandRover decal, same process, but you will be placing your own oval around the outside of it, and cutting that in WHITE (or whatever color approximates the original decal) and then cutting the green inside and layering it over. Good luck, and enjoy your new endeavor, By the way, there is a ton of cut-ready clipart out there, which you don't have to convert. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SteveGSI 1 Posted June 19, 2012 Cheers guys both for the fast replys, yes I have Inkscape and I'm just starting to learn. Cheers il try YouTube. And thanks mate I will try that when I get home. Looks like I'll be having alot of fun if that works well! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
OWJones 1,981 Posted June 19, 2012 Also, with regards to things like the Land Rover logo, putting aside the whole "it's copyrighted and you shouldn't be cutting it even for personal use" issue, a LOT of brand name logos can be found in vector format at www.brandsoftheworld.com, but you should still download and learn to use Inkscape as it's a great program and has an excellent bitmap-to-vector tracer. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SteveGSI 1 Posted June 19, 2012 Cheers buddy thanks for the info I'll try that site:) and yes defo going to get used to Inkscape. How should I save from Inkscape into a format sign blazer can cut? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mb20music 760 Posted June 19, 2012 Just save it as an .eps, then you import the file it into Signblazer 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SteveGSI 1 Posted June 21, 2012 Hey guys, that vectorising worked great, only thing is that some of the edges arm very smooth on it. Is there a way to smooth them our a bit more? Make it a bit sharper? Also in sign blazer, bin running it on my laptop for months no problems. Installed it on mycomp and every so often it says something like unexpected error and asks to save before it reboots it's self, anyone know why this could be?! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
slice&dice 2,450 Posted June 21, 2012 "Unexpected errors" are usually the result of internal conflicts within the operating system of a computer, in relation to an application, and can be caused by many things. What exactly were you doing when the program crashed? What task? As for vectorizing (we Americans like the Z) -- think of it this way: The outline of any pixel file graphic will contain tiny little irregular blocks, because that's the way it is. (you can easily see them, for instance, in the nose of your bull) When you try to convert, those squigglies will be translated and re-created in the final result. The only way to eliminate them is to get down-and-dirty with NODE EDITING. Not for the faint-hearted. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SteveGSI 1 Posted June 21, 2012 itsh apend when ive had the item selected then go to vectorise or gone to monochrome and just other simple things. ahh i see ok, so just need to get pictures than people have already vectorised and done a good job on then or ill have to do it myself hahah Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mabscotthandyman 1,410 Posted June 21, 2012 itsh apend when ive had the item selected then go to vectorise or gone to monochrome and just other simple things. ahh i see ok, so just need to get pictures than people have already vectorised and done a good job on then or ill have to do it myself hahah That would work too lol learn to node edit which is straightening those wiggels you see there should be some videos on here or utube Also welcome to the forum Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SteveGSI 1 Posted June 22, 2012 Cheers bus I'll ave a look. Cheers dude Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
