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Importing non-vector images to cut in Corel

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Si Allen

New Member
Maybe Doug didn't make it plain enough for you, but YOU CANNOT CUT FROM PHOTOSHOP!

Learn Corel is what you have to do!
 

iSign

New Member
kilerb said:
If you think that's being helpful, all the power to you.

...there are nicer ways of doing it. Not using words like clueless and trying to belittle people that are looking for help.

...I do think that if you review our thread here though, you'll see you were quite aggressive and mean about with your dialogue towards me.

I agree again, I am a jerk!

not always, & not with premeditated malice... but there is no doubt I can be a jerk, & you are absolutely right that there are nicer ways to give advice. I did, in my defense, try the nicer way 2 weeks ago.

This time I was aggressive and mean. I'm not saying that is right, but I guess your particular situation & your way of handling it didn't foster the sympathy & generosity you hoped.

Don't quit trying on account of me, as you said " 5 or so other people have been very helpful " ...so if you want to react to this post, I hope you react by becoming more self sufficient in your quest for knowledge & look here for the icing on the cake... not the easybake oven approach to DIY signmaking.
 

Cadmn

New Member
kilerb said:
I know it's been stated more than once, but if there was a way to use photoshop I thought life would be a lot easier since I've been using it for ten years and would rather import to corel rather than learn it. Sorry for looking for more options.

Thanks for the symbol suggestion, but it's mostly basic ones like astericks and such. I need the male symbol, the female symbol and some others that photoshop has. Didn't want to try and draw them.

**EDIT** Actually I found them, but I don't know what I"m doing with them after playing with the drop down menus. I'll play with it and try to corel it up.
after finding in drop down easily drag & drop. Sorry if I sounded rude you can import just about any graphic file into corel & yes convert to ILL then export to ai then into corel dont really remember but think corel might import .PSD's see photoshop was first . but I went Corel because they did what I needed for screenprinting in 1980. I went with Corel V.1 for my purpose & money & been with it ever since. not seeing a big reason to invest bunches into photoshop. Ps. YOU DO REALISE THATBRINGING SOMETHING INTO COREL DOESN'T AUTOMATICALLY mean it will cut If It ain't a vector it ain't a vector in corel. so now you have enough rope. Learn corel before you hang yourself
 
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GAC05

Quit buggin' me
Kilerb,
post up a small sample of one of the photoshop'd symbols you want to cut but can't reproduce in Draw.

There is very little that can't be done in Corel or Illustrator once you get the hang of working with vectors.
When (not if) you see that it can be done it will be up to you to learn to do it for yourself.

wayne k
guam usa

To get Draw's layers to show up you need to go to the
"Window" tab then down to "Dockers" then check "Object Manager"
Layers will be in the pop out tray on the right side of the workview.

good luck
 

OldPaint

New Member
KILLER-B-DUMB, DER BE DA PROBLEM...that ebonics...for you people of non color.
not much for me to say that aint been aleardy said....since forest gump wants to find a short cut to cutting from PHOTOSHOP...go for it my man......and when you(of tender years)FINNALLY figures out US(of ancient roots, SI, DOUG, CURT, SIGN MANIAC)try to enlighten you with our 100 or better YEARS OF EXPERIANCE...but you want what you want...SO MOTE IT BE!!!!!!! leave him to the wolfes......
and whilst we bid you adu for a short time...thake this message with you LEARN A DAMN VECTOR BASED PROGRAM!!!!!!!!!!! thewn come back and we will welcome you with open arms........otay but-wheat?
 

Cadmn

New Member
wow OP well stated wife just stated If you want apples you got to get an apple tree , vectors=corel or illustrator........ duh ifin ya wanna play in photoshop then go play in kindergarten & dont get upset when yaz don't get spoon fed I think ifin I remember right you stated you just wanted to make text t-shirts so nows yas wanna do more but the origional purpose for a cutter has changed & you were told to buy a different one as you would need it later now you axin the same people questions that you didn't listen to ta starts with hmmm, & why should they help ifin you cantz bother ta lisen.
 

Bobby H

Arial Sucks.
Kilerb,

(Provided you're still reading this thread) you should not quote the entire post of others. That really bloats a thread to an unreasonable degree.

Next, others (myself included) have given you the answer regarding Photoshop and its NON-ABILITY to cut from a plotter. You lack a very basic understanding on the differences between bitmap artwork from Photoshop and the vector-based artwork that is absolutely required by any vinyl cutter. This information was given before Doug got into the fray.

Until you realize you absolutely must learn to use a vector-based graphics application for vinyl cutting you are going to get nowhere. Photoshop absolutely will not work for that purpose. Give up on that approach.

Doug Allan can be pretty rude, but he is correct in the respect of being curt with you. Sign making is A PROFESSION. This isn't some sort of hobby open to just anyone.

Why? You are charging other people money for EXPERTISE. If you don't know anymore than someone else off the street, how can you justify charging them money for something they could have done themselves with equal results?

Anyone doing computer graphics work for a sign company should have both talent and a demonstrable level of competence in vector and bitmap based applications. The talent part of things is more important. Talent is God-given. Anyone can learn an application.

We just went through a hiring process for a specialized position in our graphics department. I interviewed quite a few people, one even passed the Adobe Photoshop certification course. But that person didn't get the job. I chose the one with the strongest portfolio of work. That fellow also happens to be finishing up a four year graphic design degree in May. He's serious. His work reflects that. Knowledge of Photoshop and Illustator is a mere footnote in that regard.

It has become increasingly difficult for truly talented graphic designers to earn a respectable living in this profession. That especially goes for the folks who cared enough to invest in formal training and earn a degree. So many non-talented amateurs, Star-trekkie computer programmers and geeks from all sorts of walks of life have screwed up the graphics profession by coming in and claiming that because they "know" how to use one certain program they are as good as professional artists who command a higher price.

The quality of graphic design in the United States continues to sag to new lows over the problem of NO STANDARDS. Countries like Norway and Sweden as well as other areas of Europe are making our average level of graphic design look laughably crude by comparison. Over there, you can't just wake up in the morning and say, "hey, I'm going to download PhotoshopCS2 off BitTorrent and become a graphic designer!" Over there, you must prove yourself in various ways to gain entrance into that field. In the United States the only apparent qualification required is the ability to hit the power button on the computer.

Sorry for the extra bloat in this thread.
 

Steve C.

New Member
SignManiac said:
If you plan to do a lot of cut vinyl work it may be in your best interest to learn Corel draw or Illustrator so you can work with vector files. They will be cleaner and easier to manipulate.

kilerb, ignor everything else in this thread. Read this and beleive it.
 

iSign

New Member
Bobby H said:
...others (myself included) have given you the answer regarding Photoshop and its NON-ABILITY to cut from a plotter. You lack a very basic understanding on the differences between bitmap artwork from Photoshop and the vector-based artwork that is absolutely required by any vinyl cutter. This information was given before Doug got into the fray.

...just for the sake of respecting the facts, on the day kilerb joined this forum, 2 weeks ago on April 2, his very first post he asked about cutting from photoshop & I politely informed him of a few things before any "fray" existed.

http://www.signs101.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7291

Doug Allan said:
No!

all plotters cut from "vector" files. Photoshop is not a vector based program. While it may have remote similarities in the use of paths... Photoshop is a pixel based program & will most likely never be suitable for outputting graphics to any vinyl cutting device.

Illustrator is an excellent program that interfaces well with photoshop, & one you would find easier to learn if you already know Photoshop. There is at least one program that works with Illustrator to output Illustrator files to a cutter. Magi-Sign is one, & I think Sign-Post may be another. There is also a program that works to drive Gerber Edge print & cut technology from Illustrator.

As for the Designtech... I have no idea, but if you search out Howard Kieper, he is a member here & also a representative from Graphtec. He would have the facts straight.

I have a entry level graphtec & it has been a real workhorse for 8 years. It still runs like new. When it did have a sensor go out, I just called Howard & got another one sent out for $40. I'd think the extra money would be well worthwhile if you get a different machine. Most things in life, you get what you pay for... but if a Designtech is the same thing with a different sticker.. then I would have to look at that too.

Good luck!

oh yeah... I found Howards profile for you:
http://www.signs101.com/forums/member.php?userid=2751

like they say... you can lead a horse to water... & then you can be rude to it! :cool:
 

sullosau

New Member
I agree, the lustre and appeal of earning money from this is very appealing,
I had the software and the equipment to do so myself and if you look at some of the dumb posts Ive written you can maybe see my learning curve.
If your really serious and Im sure you are, really spend the time to go thru posts here and then ask some questions, I was cutting vinyl 7 years ago on an old Roland STX-7 and made my old employer quite wealthy from it, for a while there thats all I did all day and learnt a lot about graphics handling, Unfortualtly Ive forgotten more then I rememeber and threw out all my old notes and manuals (stupid me)
It really does pay to learn it, even go get the idiots guide and go thru lessons.
I hated it, it pissed me off no end , but now Im glad I did.
Having said that I still get into trouble like I am now with chrome effects which Ive not used before so its something new but after a few hours of playing with it I think Ive created what I need.
The guys on here I affectionatly call "the elders" (and prolly cos' their older than me! ) are seasonsed professionals and craftsmen/women in their fields of expertise.
If someone has a go at you really look into the why, not the "they had a go at me" , Technology has made it simple for anyone to go buy a machine and computer and start out into something they really have no concept of.
I myself have had businesses before but quit due to personal cuircumstance and sold it on(divorce etc list goes on but you get the picture)
Dont take too much personally, reason - if you cant take it in here, imagine what its going to be like when a customer complains in your face, Ive only had that once but they realised halfway thru totally berating me infront of her own staff that she screwed up, it didnt feel nice still.
If someone has a go at me in here I know its for reasons and I take it on the chin and learn from it.
So please, learn to crawl before you can run, read learn listen then do....

I think I had a point in this...

Steve
the super newbie
 

njsigns

New Member
Sorry to say it but if you read the post right below Doug's in the same thread:

http://www.signs101.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7291

I told you one tried and true method to successfully do what you are asking to do. Design in Photoshop at actual size to be cut or larger (in 600 dpi), save as a bitmap, and import into Dr. Stika Plus. I agree that this is not even close to being the right way to do things. I am now shooting myself in the foot now from designs I did in like this a few years ago, and am now re-creating them in Illustrator and Corel Draw.

Although I'm not confident the Roland Stika can cut through Thermoflex, the Roland CX, GX etc can, and Dr. Stika Plus can work with those Roland machines as well.

Since you purchased a machine already, and it appears you have access to some useful programs, you might want to check out:

Master CorelDRAW

or

Adobe Illustrator Tutorials

I agree vector based is really the only way to go, you might consider though, importing raster images into either Illustrator or Corel and tracing them with the pen tools, bezier tool, etc. It will sure help you develop some skills along the way. Just my .02

Gene
 
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kilerb

New Member
Wow guys... I've used many forums in the past and this by far has some of the rudest people in it that i've seen. Not all, but many of the people here are just salivating, hoping and praying that someone asks the same question twice so they can jump down your throat and have an excuse to be a jerk. Sad situation.

I'm not as young or naive as you're making me out to be (Someone made a comment above.) I am very aware of what vector based images are, and I'm also very aware that Illustrator and Corel Draw are used for designing these images... BUT, maybe some of you are unaware that Photoshop CS and CS2 also uses some vector based image processing too. The symbols I was referring to in photoshop are ALL VECTOR BASED. Yet you have to tell me I'm clueless between vector and .bmp??? I know there are no registration points surrounding a bitmap file. The fonts and symbols I'm using in PS are vector based, which is why I asked if I could save a psd file, import it into illustrator and then save it to corel. I did not ask that until someone on this thread said you can use ILLUSTRATOR files in COREL DRAW. I never asked that exact question before. It's not that over the top that it might work and I need to be attacked for asking that?

Doug, like I said earlier, I understand 2 weeks ago I asked if the plotters could cut from Photoshop. However, in my opinion, asking if anyone is aware of a patch or way around to make it work in photoshop ORRR ILLUSTRATOR isn't the same question annnnd it's not such a big deal or forum crime that should make you lose your patience and have to go on the attack. I was not rude, I was not attacking anyone. It seems that you're the type of person that causes conflict. Why? Because you think if you have a reason YOU SHOULD. You love a situation and causing an argument. That's more than obvious from this lame discussion we're having.

My final thing is this... You are all protecting your precious signmaking industry and repeatedly saying that customers won't appreciate sending them non vector file, and sign making should be professional and exact... I noticed doug finished one of his last posts with the words "sign making" Maybe you guys did not read.. I make T-shirts. I'm not going to piss off anyone by passing on a design to them. I'm not going to be passing anything on to anyone. I'm not going to be making signs. I'm making shirts... If you need my entire history to prevent future attacks, check this out... I make photo tees. I also sell photo tshirt transfer paper on our website. I bought this plotter so we can start making custom text tees. 1 at a time. Rather than buying 100 from a screenprinter that might not sell. Sooooo, no Doug, I'm not going to spend 1700 dollars on a top of the line cutter so i can cut out "Mrs. Depp" on a 3 inch piece of the thinnest vinyl around. I put what I was doing in that thread and I'm sorry everyone here is so brainwashed that they don't read the use of the machine and the first thing they do is pump up their favorite 2 thousand dollar plotter for anyone, even someone that is doing something so basic as what I'm doing. I understand not getting a $400 POS, but the plotter I got was a graphtech with designtech skin and it's perfect and probably STILL overboard for what we're doing. A small 15" cutter would have actually probably done this, but I got this BECAUSE of the advice on that board. Yet you attacked me also for not listening to the people suggesting the really expensive ones. If you really read my usage for the thing, my guess is you would not have jumped on me for really investigating further and seeing if one of those big machines was necessary. WRONG.

Now we've been making photo tees in photoshop for years. I know the program. Text and symbols in photoshop ARE VECTOR. I asked for a work around because for the limited amount of things we'll be doing, I really did not want to learn a whole new program. So why not ask? Why not ask later if there's a work around or patch? Not to mention the 2nd time I asked I put "OR ILLUSTRATOR" in there.

Just because you're proud of the fact that you can be a jerk when you want to be, doesn't mean you have to be. I can be a jerk too, believe me, but I like to explain things to people in a civil matter that won't cause a 3 page argument. I don't need anymore drama in my life, maybe you do. Either way, it was unnecessary and you should really apologize for starting with me the way you did. Right or wrong, you could've handled it in a civil manner rather than going on the attack. Just because there are other people out there that agree with some of your points, still does not give you the right to attack people like that. If you don't agree, lets just end this right here, because we're obviously on 2 totally different wave lengths when it comes to social interactions.
 

Bigdawg

Just Me
Hadn't really followed this thread too closely and after all of the back and forth I see what it is you are asking - yes there is a way to do it.

Draw your shape as a path in Photoshop with the custom shape tool, go to the paths palette - name it and save it. Then (with the path selected in the path palette) go to export under the file menu and export path to Illustrator. It will save an ai file you can import into Corel - or at least I could in V9.

Edited to add: I did notice that it imported 2 grouped outlines on top of each other - just make sure you ungroup and check for that.
 
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kilerb

New Member
Thanks a lot Stacy, that works great... Someone had just PM'd me with those same instructions. I was wondering if it would work on a .psd file with multiple layers though? So far I've gotten it to work with a single shape, but not with multiple shapes with text. Thanks again, I really appreciate it.
 

iSign

New Member
Doug Allan said:
go away & learn some basics on your own & then come back with intelligent questions.

...You are simply too high maintenance to be worth helping in my opinion.

OK, OK... I retract the part about coming back.

If you actually own legal versions of Photoshop CS2 & Illustrator CS2, then you will have the training CD's as well. Throw them in the computer & sit back & enjoy hours of polite instruction catering to the legitimately clueless new users of the program. Cluelessness is not an insult or a mental deficiency, it is curable.

Even though Photoshop CS2 has the new "smart objects" feature allowing you to place Adobe illustrator graphics & preserve the editability of the vector data... the only point in bring vector data into photoshop is to merge it with rastor data. If the end result is cutting to your designtec, & you own illustrator.... eliminate the use of photoshop entirely.

I don't owe you an apology & I am not required to skip your posts... I gave good advice & even tracked down Howard's profile so you could email or PM him. I don't know if you did, or he found your post on his own, but even with the decision you made I suggested in your other thread that you buy the illustrator plug-in from him for $200.

My short "rude" post of slicing a little reality to serve you was no justification for endless crying & moaning from you. That was all your own decision, & of course your right. When you are done crying though, do your vector work in Illustrator, then open in Corel, or buy the plug-in from Howard if it still works in the cheaper no-name brand plotter that graphtec makes.

Be aware that your concerns & your wishes for how to circumvent them have been posted about throughout the last decade. If it was a brand new idea, maybe there would be more patience while we all hold your hand & put down our own work to look for some great solution for you.
 

kilerb

New Member
Thanks again Stacy... I got it down... I appreciate you explaining this to me rather than learning how to do everything from scratch in CD. I already sent it to the plotter and it cut perfectly. Again, thanks for the help!
 

Cadmn

New Member
Killerb I think if you had paid attention to the replies you got earlier & not Kept trying to use unsuitable programs & acting like everyone here was ignorant you might not have been attacked but those that work in corel know the symbols are there & are easily used but then U insisted to use photoshop when u refuse to use info provided you will get blasted in here I told U* that corel will import a .psd Now from there it is your place to see if it fits your needs that way. I My program enough to explain what it had & what it would do! u chose to not try it & continue in your but I Need it to Blah Blah Blah.
 
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