View Full Version : printing vector images
Buntu Bunny
March 1st, 2014, 12:25 PM
I have a vector image (logo) that I designed with Inkscape for print. I used the same image for both black and white and color prints. The curious thing is that the color (glossy) version is perfect, but the B&W version is a bit raggedy looking. I need to use this logo for another project and am wondering what I can do about this. Any ideas?
Edited to add images of what I'm talking about. See post #5 (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2208597&p=12943652#post12943652) below.
23dornot23d
March 1st, 2014, 12:49 PM
Is the printer set at the same or different dpi for B/W compared to the colour settings on your printer possibly 1600 dpi for photos.
Its not really a subject I deal with but seems if its coming out ok in colour and not in B/W then it could be down to the printer settings
just a thought.
Buntu Bunny
March 1st, 2014, 02:41 PM
23dornot23d, thank you for responding. This was done by a professional printer (a book through Amazon's CreateSpace), so I cannot specifically answer your question. I did have to submit both B&W and color images at 300 dpi. I don't know that much about Inkscape or vector images to know whether the problem was caused by something I did or something else. Perhaps I should ask at the CS forum as well (although most folks there use Adobe products). Maybe the Inkscape forum too (I'm assuming they have a forum).
tgalati4
March 1st, 2014, 03:55 PM
Many times black&white images are "screened" using a half-toning filter to give various shades of grey. This is so they print OK in newspapers and books, otherwise you get a very contrasty image that is barely recognizable. There are some controls that you can use to vary this half-toning process, but at 300 dpi, you may not have much luck. You would need to go higher (600 or 1200 dpi) to get a smoother image. So it is specific to the printer and the settings used for that specific printer.
Buntu Bunny
March 1st, 2014, 04:19 PM
There are some controls that you can use to vary this half-toning process, but at 300 dpi, you may not have much luck. You would need to go higher (600 or 1200 dpi) to get a smoother image. So it is specific to the printer and the settings used for that specific printer.
I'm not using shades of grey but this may be useful information. Attached are the images in question. (The softness of the color image is due to my camera. The actual print version is crisp).
tgalati4
March 1st, 2014, 06:49 PM
These forums severely limit file sizes. I can't see the differences in the images that you posted. Perhaps attach the inkscape file (if it fits) so I can load it into inkscape and play with it.
By the way, what is the logo supposed to represent?
Buntu Bunny
March 1st, 2014, 07:26 PM
These forums severely limit file sizes. I can't see the differences in the images that you posted. Perhaps attach the inkscape file (if it fits) so I can load it into inkscape and play with it.
Attached. It looks fine to me but, like I say, the B&W print has rough edges. I'll be curious is you figure something out! I confess this was my Inkscape learning project.
By the way, what is the logo supposed to represent?
My self-publishing identity. (http://kikobian.com/)
tgalati4
March 2nd, 2014, 05:40 AM
Oh, it's a goat! That's a cool website.
The logo looks fine in inkscape. Did you try exporting to a bitmap? In the file menu, export to the correct size but use 300 dpi for the density. Then print the resulting png and see how that looks. The default dpi is 90 and that may account for the ragged edges. Good luck with your book!
Buntu Bunny
March 2nd, 2014, 11:21 AM
Thank you! For both the compliment and for taking a look at the logo. I left it as a vector image because I had trouble with the pngs and needed the transparent background. Scribus doesn't seem to have a way to check DPI for vectors so I either need to learn how to do that, or I need to work with the bitmaps. Everything was a huge learning curve this first go-round. Hopefully I can hone my skills now and perfect technique. :)
tgalati4
March 2nd, 2014, 10:31 PM
You keep the vector image for various purposes, but when you go to make a print for a vinyl wrap on your van or business cards or a billboard, you convert to a bitmap. You normally don't work with the bitmap version unless you are merging with a photo or applying text and then flattening the image. The vector image is the base clay, how you mold it for a specific purpose--an ash tray, a coffee mug, a flower vase, that is up to you. But you always have the base clay to go back to.
Buntu Bunny
March 2nd, 2014, 10:43 PM
tgalati4, you've given me a lot of good and useful information. I sincerely appreciate that. I will be working with this image and seeing if I can't get it better the next time around. Will report back how it goes.
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