stickerart.com.au makes Vinyl Cut Decals. We do not print decals, so
there are some limits to what we can do. Depending on the application,
Vinyl Cut Decals are more visually appealing and have a much longer outdoor
life than printed stickers. Vinyl Cut Decals have no background giving
a professional look. We can make multiple coloured decals using separate
vinyl colours. To produce Vinyl Cut Decals, artwork needs to be in a Vector
format which is very different to pictures to find on the internet or
take with a digital camera.
Artwork
Before we can make decals, the artwork needs to be converted into a Vector
format. Vector images consist of lines and points, unlike the images that
you find on the internet or take with your digital cameras.
Here is an example of what a Vector image
looks like,
as you can see with the grey points and red lines in between,
the image is constructed mathematically.
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Below are images and the Vinyl Cutter cutting
the Vector image as shown above,
click on a picture to open it in a new window.
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True Type Fonts are Vector based, this is why when you use a word
processor like Microsoft Word or in your email client, you can make
the fonts to any size without the font distorting. If you pasted an
image to Microsoft Word and made it bigger, it will start distorting.
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If using Microsoft Windows, you can usually find your Fonts folder
by going to the Control Panel and then clicking on Fonts. If you need
to send us a font, copy the font file to another location on your
computer (e.g. Desktop or My Documents) and then attach it to the
email you will send us.
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Vinyl Cutters use the lines that the Vector images are made up of,
the blade on the cutter follows the lines of the Vector artwork to
cut the vinyl exactly as is shown on the computer. If the lines of
curves are not smooth, this will show on the decal, the bigger the
decal, the more it will stand out.
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Converting Bitmap images (Pixel based images like .JPG, .GIF, .PNG)
to Vector format can be a time consuming process, especially if it
is a complex image. The image has to be traced like you would with
tracing paper, except it is done on computer.
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Vector artwork can be using for anything from Printing, Vinyl Cutting
(What I do), CNC Routing, Embroidery, Web Graphics and lots of other
uses. It can also be exported to various other file formats.
Submitting your own Artwork
If you are creating your own Vector Artwork to send me for a Vinyl Cut
Decal, then there a few things that you should be aware of:
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Make sure that all paths are closed.
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All Text is converted to outlines or send the font file to me with
your artwork file.
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Paths do not overlap.
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Optimize your image and make all paths and curves smooth with as
few points as possible.
Resources
If you are interested in creating your artwork in Vector format, here
are a few website's with tutorials for Adobe Illustrator:
http://www.vecpix.com/tutorials/illustrator/
http://www.tutorialfind.com/tutorials/adobe/illustrator/
http://www.sketchpad.net/illustrator.htm
http://www.adobe.com/products/tips/illustrator.html
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. |
