[[email protected]]

We have been in business for 4 years....however, we have never invested in an art program. We have managed quite well up to this point...either with art we had in inventory (from previous owner) or from outsourcing. We now desperately need ability to create our own art. We are in a "pickle" right now. Yes, we are ignorant as to an art program. We have even used Microsoft Word for various art. We have 2 customers at this moment that we need to have art "cleaned up". We outsourced to one company who did the cleanup on 1 file...they sent the file to us as a PDF file, however, we cannot get a "clean" copy. It seems, you guessed it....we do not have an art program to open it with. I take that back, we do have freehand but neither one of us has learned how to use it. IS THERE ANY WAY TO OPEN THE PDF FILE AND PRINT A CLEAN COPY UNTIL WE CAN GET EDUCATED IN ART/ART PROGRAMS? I have seen/heard that Adobe Illustrator is widely used.?.
Anyone out there that can offer suggestions or help us will be sooooo much appreciated. thanks, kat & bee

 

[jdr8271]

Adobe illustrator is a vector program. You can use it to trace raster images. After you have traced an image in illustrator, you can make it as big or small as you desire, with no loss of quality. There is no magic button that you cn hit to fix an image. It takes alot of practice with the pen tool to do it properly. Freehand is a vector program also, so you can do the same things in it that you can do in illustrator. Illustrator and corel are more widely used though. You should definitely learn how to use illustrator. You could buy a book, take a course, or teach yourself. Whatever works for you.

 

[Jasonda]

I am not really sure what you mean by a "clean" copy, but you shouldn't need any art program to open a PDF. You just have to download Adobe Reader, whici is available for free at the Adobe website:

http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html

As for art programs, two that are usually highly recommended are Adobe Illustrator and CorelDraw. They are both pretty much equal in terms of features, it is really up to the individual's preferences. There have been a lot of posts about them in the forums so keep looking and I am sure you will find a lot more detailed opinions.

I hope that info is of some help to you. Oh, and welcome to the forums!

 

[[email protected]]

Jasonda, Thanks so much for the quick response. If a company traced the "scratchy" art I had and cleaned it up...sent it via pdf file. When I open the file through Adobe Reader it still looks the same as when I sent it to them. I just thought maybe I was doing something wrong. It has jagged lines, the design, as is, will not print well on hats. thanks, bee

 

[Jasonda]

Have you tried talking to the people at the tracing company? Perhaps they sent you the wrong file by accident.

 

[memreezinaflash]

hey there
i have found that i can open my problem files with corel paint shop pro.
it works really well and you can get it fairly cheap if you like it.
hope it works for you. have a good day.
memreez in a flash

 

[Fluid]

Corel will open a PDF like Illustrator will. The company that is sending you the file is saving as a pdf for ease of transfer. The art inside is more than likely vector but acrobat wil print it probably at their (artist) specified 150dpi printing.

You really need to get an illustration program. Corel and Illy are the top in the industry. Corel will be easier and faster to learn.
just my .02

 

[kenfuji]

i use adobe illustrator, but corel draw is also a great vector program. if your in the graphics business you should invest in one or the other. seems like corel draw is the industry standard, but i personally like illustrator since i've been using it for the past 6 years

 

[Tshirtcrib]

If the art is saved in vector format the best program with the optimal resolution, and editing capabilities is Adobe Photoshot and Adobe illustrator. From both programs you can fix the vectors and increase the dpi resolution if needed.