Imagaro Z Help Please!

[Dale's Signs]

Hello all, To begin with thank you all for the welcome and thanks in advance to whoever can help. I am new to computer stuff. I can't get files put into imagaro, to vectorize them. I have tried copy & paste, export from Lxi to imagaro, from imagaro import file from Lxi. What am I doing wrong.

 

[Fred Weiss]

Sounds like you are confusing bitmaps and vectors. LXI is private label version of FlexiSign which is primarily a vector creation, vector editing, design, layout and print or cut production program. One would not create a bitmap (or raster image) in FlexiSign/LXI ... one would import one into it.

What you want to do is to open or import any of the many bitmap image types into Imagaro Z to then trace it into a vector. You would then save the vector as EPS and open or import that into LXI. Various bitmap image types have extensions like: JPG, TIF, BMP, PNG or GIF.

What version of LXI are you using? The better (higher) versions have some of the best autotracing on the planet along with great tools for locking an image as a template and hand tracing it with the Bezier Pen tool.

 

[bob]

You're probably mixing apples and oranges. Just what, exactly, are you trying to accomplish? Print or plot?

Imagaro is a bitmap tracing engine, no? LXi, nee Flexi, is a vector application with some rudimentary bitmap capabilities, yes?

So then, just what are you trying to import into your trace application? Bitmap or vector? If it's something that you whomped up in LXi then most likely it already is a vector image.

Bitmap image: A collection of values for each and every pixel in an inherently rectangular image. A bitmap is not scalable without losing or gaining information through inference.

Vector image: A collection of simple polynomials, text, and fill information, sufficient to draw all of the lines in an image. A vector image is infinitely scalable without any loss of information.

Plotters plot vector images.

Printers print, ultimately, bitmap images. At least those that are usually dealt with here in these waters.

You can send a vector image to a printer and it will be conveniently converted to a bitmap image en passant by the attendant software. Usually.

You cannot send a bitmap image to a plotter. A plotter moves a single tool in X and Y, information that does not exist and cannot be inferred from a bitmap.

 

[Dale's Signs]

I am using 7.5.v.4 Lxi master +. I had scanned image that I wanted to make a vecter image, but ended up tracing it with belzer tool. I am running into this quite often, where customer does not have file formats in eps or AI. They will send me files I can open but can't work with, bonded box. Not sure what it is called.

 

[Fred Weiss]

I am using 7.5.v.4 Lxi master +. I had scanned image that I wanted to make a vecter image, but ended up tracing it with belzer tool. I am running into this quite often, where customer does not have file formats in eps or AI. They will send me files I can open but can't work with, bonded box. Not sure what it is called.

Welcome to professional signmaking where the customer wants the creative control, doesn't want to pay for setups, often exhibits bad taste and expects that all you do is push buttons.

Your autotrace tool in LXI is a world-class autotracer. You should check in your user manual or the help files to locate it and learn to use it. Even world-class autotracing applications can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. So while you are there, read up on the Bezier Pen tool and the many vector editing tools that are part of LXI Master.

 

[Dale's Signs]

Yes. there are alot of tools with this program I have not used yet, because not sure what they do and are used for or how they are used. Like locking an image, but I am getting braver, trying new things and accidently doing something that I was trying to last week. Then backed up to see what it was that did it, a learning experience. I don't like the hard way, but I guess sometimes that will have to do. I have read and reread manual, then wow there it is answered. Thanks for the input!

 

[Dale's Signs]

Yes, I have used it a lot, but I thought it would make a cleaner image than it does so, I wouldn't have to do more clean up work. My customers are very pleased with the work I have done for them and are telling other people about me. I just want to be more efficient. Thanks Fred & Bob