Flexi question - jagged lines

[gdl357]

I just lost a contract for 15 24"x18" coroplast signs because I was not able to get the logo that had to be placed at the bottom of the sign to print clean.

The customer only had a jpeg of the logo and I tried converting it to .bmp then copy/paste to flexi window and then tracing it with autotrace in flexi.

I managed to print it 6"x6" but the lines were jagged. It looked bad.

Its a line art logo of a lion's head.

I did not have the time to try corel draw x3 autotrace.

What is the problem with what I did?

 

[Mike Paul]

Low res bitmaps will have stepping in the pixels at the edges. You need a better image or will have to hand vectorize it. What Auto trace settings did you use?

 

[jayhawksigns]

Probably nothing, without some time, there usually isn't anything you can do with a low quality image file that most customers bring in.

The only tip I can give that might of helped here is use the Bezier vectorize option, it works a lot better.

Also, if you are printing it, why did you bother trying to vectorize it??

 

[Bobby H]

Maybe the customer's JPEG logo was too low in resolution.

If the job wasn't worth very much money at all, I would not sweat losing the deal. A sign maker should not have to work for nothing trying to fix someone else's unprofessional trash artwork.

I realize one has to do all sorts of things to accomodate customers in order to close the deal on sales. However, one shouldn't dig a big hole for the art department in the process, especially if the job is a cheap one.

I'd give the customer a choice. #1: They could pay a decent amount of money to have that artwork hand digitized into clean, acceptable looking vector based artwork. #2: They can accept the compromised auto-tracing results based on the bad quality artwork they're supplying. #3: They can search harder to come up with better quality artwork for the job. #4: They can take their job down the road to a sign guy willing to lose money trying to deal with their trashy artwork.

Sure, that isn't a great position for the customer. But then customers should be more careful about who is working on developing their logos and how they're going about doing it. At some point someone has to stick up for some standards of professionalism.

 

[gdl357]

Also, if you are printing it, why did you bother trying to vectorize it??

I need to cut it on a vinyl cutter not print it. Sorry made a mistake.

Thx for all the info peeps!

BTW: I quoted him $50.00 US each for an order for 15. the signmakers 2005 book quotes that price for 350-500 sq Inches.


He laughed as he said I wasn't in his budget at all. His ideal price was $5 - $6. haha what a joke. The coroplast cost $1, the Vinyl and mask cost $3. That meens he is nuts!

 

[Techman]

you can remove some jaggies in photopaint or photoshop. by maskign and reducing by a couple of negative pixels..

 

[Pro Signs & Graphix]

He was trying to get screen-print pricing from a vinyl shop. Believe me, no loss, because there was never a chance.

Vectorizing takes a very long time to learn, regardless. There is no "easy way". Low res images CAN be impossible, not hard, but impossible.

For future ref., look at the Vector Doctor...............

 

[Bobby H]

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He laughed as he said I wasn't in his budget at all. His ideal price was $5 - $6. haha what a joke. The coroplast cost $1, the Vinyl and mask cost $3. That meens he is nuts!

If some customer told me he wanted to pay only $5 - $6, I would chase him off our premises with a baseball bat...or far worse. That kind of insult demands a beating.

 

[EndlessOptions]

I had someone ask me for a estimate a couple months ago he said he orders 2000 at a time one color one side and is currently paying less that $1.85 per. Just last week a home builder wanted 200 one color one side Grimco can do them for $2.78 so I quoted him $5.00 per and he also said that they pay less than $2.00 per I don't know where the screen printers are that make money at those prices but I guess they are out there.
It brings to mind the thread on low balling, in Columbus that seems to be the larger sign shops and not the home based ones.

 

[Techman]

They may pay less that that,, but they also pay shipping. I used to have a sample with the name of a CO that does coro like that. Lost it from katrina.. But i do know there are companies around that do these coro yard signs.. If i remember right it was 1.99 for 100 and a little less for more.. plus shipping. and the delay was about a week.

 

[Pro Signs & Graphix]

Century Graphics is very big at the screen printed game, as well as M&S Signs. Both in Orlando. No way to touch them with vinyl.

This also does not take into account all of the newbie screen printers that try the $150 per 100 coros, 1 color. They figure that they have/had $50 into it, so $100 profit is good (so they are taught).

 

[Outline Graphics]

Lowballers...

No matter how you break up that word... it's negative LOL

 

[RiXaX]

Apart from the pricing issue, I think I'd put a piece of paper or tracing paper over it and with a dark felt pen I'd re draw it and scan it and vectorize it and do whatever clean up is needed. I would not work straight from the poor jpeg.