Converting file type.

[Quinsfan]

A plotter will only cut to a line. In signlab there should be a setting to view in outline. This will show you what will be cut.


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[webtrekker]

Yes, it's crucial that you understand from the very beginning the difference between Bitmap (or Raster) images and Vector images in order to be able to use your cutter/plotter effectively.

Bitmaps images are an array of pixels, something like the dots you see in newspaper and magazine print that make up an image. An image such as this means nothing to your cutter software, it cannot determine cut outlines from such data.

Vector images, on the other hand, aren't made up of pixels or dots, they are made up of lines drawn between nodes. Imagine drawing a circle by plotting dots at intervals and joining them up with straight lines, that's all a vector image is, a series of data points which your cutter connects with lines.

The real beauty of vectors is that they can be scaled up or down to any size and still produce a sharp, smooth image, unlike bitmaps which become blocky and pixellated when enlarged.

If you have a bitmap image that you wish to cut then you must first convert it into vector format by using tracing software that will trace the outlines of all the parts of the image to produce vector nodes and lines which the cutter will understand. Auto-tracing software often needs tweaking as it doesn't always give the best results 'out-of-the-box.' What you want to end up with is a nice smooth outline that accurately traces the parts of your image with as few nodes as possible. As I've mentioned above, VectorMagic is my go-to software for this job, but you may have luck with others.

[Quinsfan]

As webtrekker says but it will be no good for photos. Yet if someone sends you a logo as a jpeg, I often get that or even if they say it is a PDF it is normally a jpeg just saved as a PDF this is where the trace function can help you out.


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[logobear]

Corel draw will handle all these file types, - and has a very good trace / vectorisation feature - so you can actually cut out the shapes that form your raster image.
It is popular on this forum for its power and value for money ..... its not free, but a lot cheaper than the so called industry standard illustrator ....

[mr-gobby]

We use coraldraw too, perfect for hat you need though it will be a learning curve there are YouTube videos to help, you sometimes find it available secondhand or via less legitimate ways or can pay monthly with coraldraw directly for the latest version which is what we did for a little while.

[Quinsfan]

We use coraldraw too, perfect for hat you need though it will be a learning curve there are YouTube videos to help, you sometimes find it available secondhand or via less legitimate ways or can pay monthly with coraldraw directly for the latest version which is what we did for a little while.

When you say that you "paid monthly for a little while" and then stop paying do you keep the version you have but it no longer updates or did you have to get another copy from alternative sources ?


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[mr-gobby]

No pay no play on subscription , we bought a second user version which was available to us at the time,