Graphic Designers - Business Card Help

**encore** · 06-02-2008, 11:34 AM

I designed a business card in AutoCAD and printed it to a PDF.

The printer says I need to do the following:

"...I would need an Indesign or Quark file, either native, or saved as a highres pdf, which fonts and graphic files imbedded."

When you look at the PDF file at 6400% zoomed there seems to be some line and hatch marks through the text.

I need some help cleaning up and converting this file. I have a gray shaded area that I would like to turn to a light olive green such as a "Pantone 366 CS, R:199, G:224, B:143" I still need to review the hard copy of the Pantone chart for final color.

I'm assuming this won't take long. Can someone help me out?

**agentorange** · 06-02-2008, 11:48 AM

Not claiming to be a graphic designer, but what kind of schmancy text do you have going on? What happens if you change in the plot config > custom properties > advanced > document properties > advanced > true type font (change from 'substitute device font' to 'download softfont')? If that doesn't work then I dunno.

**encore** · 06-02-2008, 12:00 PM

Originally Posted by agentorange

Not claiming to be a graphic designer, but what kind of schmancy text do you have going on? What happens if you change in the plot config > custom properties > advanced > document properties > advanced > true type font (change from 'substitute device font' to 'download softfont')? If that doesn't work then I dunno.

It's Arial and Swis721 BlkEx BT.

In either case, I still need the file converted to a InDesign or Quark file, and I need the color added.

Edit: Where is "plot config" in AutoCAD?

**encore** · 06-02-2008, 01:18 PM

Help me out here fellas.

I've given skis away free to maggots, did a wall section for Inspector Gadget free of charge, hooked up maggots with free places to crash, given away free beer!

Pay it forward!

advres · 06-02-2008, 01:28 PM

Originally Posted by encore

I've given skis away free to maggots, did a wall section for Inspector Gadget free of charge, hooked up maggots with free places to crash, given away free beer!

Why don't you ask the people you've helped out?

In all seriousness, I don't have either so I can't really help. If you needed a psd or ai file I could've helped.

**encore** · 06-02-2008, 01:36 PM

Originally Posted by advres

If you needed a psd or ai file I could've helped.

the printer just told me that an Adobe Illustrotor file would work.

**scarlet begonias** · 06-02-2008, 01:37 PM

I don't use Autocad, but I use In Design here at work, and I am not sure you can convert autocad files to In Design. Just build it in In Design in you can. Or see if you have the option to export the file from AC to another format i.e. In Design. Can you convert it to a PDF and then print? Quirk I don't know shit about so I can't help you there.
If you have access to In Design I can help...Until then sorry.

**encore** · 06-02-2008, 01:39 PM

Originally Posted by bumpskier

I don't use Autocad, but I use In Design here at work, and I am not sure you can convert autocad files to In Design. Just build it in In Design in you can. Or see if you have the option to export the file from AC to another format i.e. In Design. Can you convert it to a PDF and then print? Quirk I don't know shit about so I can't help you there.
If you have access to In Design I can help...Until then sorry.

It is in a PDF format. I just printed straight to PDF format from AutoCAD. I would build it in InDesign if I had the program and knew how to use it. I have the card complete, so I don't want to pay someone to re-draw it in another program, when I think only a file conversion and the additional color is needed.

You can bring a PDF into InDesign correct?

**Patches** · 06-02-2008, 01:41 PM

You created by printing to PDF?

Sounds like it bitmapped the file.

Instead of printing to PDF, you need to save the autocad file as an illustrator file. They are both vector formats so have no jagginess.

I have not used autocad but if saving as illustrator is not native, you should be able to save the file as some kind of vector format, then use a 3rd party converter to convert it to one of the accepted file types.

**encore** · 06-02-2008, 01:48 PM

Originally Posted by Patches

You created by printing to PDF?

Sounds like it bitmapped the file.

Instead of printing to PDF, you need to save the autocad file as an illustrator file. They are both vector formats so have no jagginess.

I have not used autocad but if saving as illustrator is not native, you should be able to save the file as some kind of vector format, then use a 3rd party converter to convert it to one of the accepted file types.

Thanks. I'll look into that now. I'll see if I can save as an illustrator file or some sort of vector format.

I'll still need the file converted to Adobe Illustrator, Quark, or InDesign.

**scarlet begonias** · 06-02-2008, 01:48 PM

Originally Posted by encore

You can bring a PDF into InDesign correct?

Yes but I don't think you can edit it. You have to open it in Illustrator to be able to edit the file. Sorry I don't have clear answers for you. I use In Design to create in and then export to PDF's to send the stuff out/print. And I am a self taught In Design user. I learn something new everytime I use that program...then they update the version and I have to learn more new shit.

**agentorange** · 06-02-2008, 01:50 PM

In Cad did you try 'publish to web' with the .jpg or .png format? Then bring it in to whatever adobe program you have?

**encore** · 06-02-2008, 01:58 PM

I don't see anywhere in AutoCAD where I can save or export as an Adobe Illustrator file. I can export as an EPS file or a bitmap. Does that do me any good? Bitmaps aren't that clear though right?

**encore** · 06-02-2008, 01:59 PM

Originally Posted by agentorange

In Cad did you try 'publish to web' with the .jpg or .png format? Then bring it in to whatever adobe program you have?

Yeah, I just saw "Publish to Web", but I seem to be missing a template file and it won't open!

**scarlet begonias** · 06-02-2008, 02:01 PM

Originally Posted by encore

I don't see anywhere in AutoCAD where I can save or export as an Adobe Illustrator file. I can export as an EPS file or a bitmap. Does that do me any good? Bitmaps aren't that clear though right?

Have you tried to just creat it in Microsoft word? The business card paper you are using (if you are using one) should have a template you can open in word and make the card in that...

**Adolf Allerbush** · 06-02-2008, 02:04 PM

PM sent. I'm not a graphics designer but I work with CAD, Adobe CS3 and GIS a shit ton. I'll try bro.

**hemas** · 06-02-2008, 02:06 PM

Encore, at least my Illustrator CS 3 can open AutoCad DWGs straight up (no coversion needed)... EPS should also work...

**encore** · 06-02-2008, 02:09 PM

Originally Posted by hemas

Encore, at least my Illustrator CS 3 can open AutoCad DWGs straight up (no coversion needed)... EPS should also work...

Thanks. I can export as an EPS file in AutoCAD

**encore** · 06-02-2008, 02:10 PM

Originally Posted by bumpskier

Have you tried to just creat it in Microsoft word? The business card paper you are using (if you are using one) should have a template you can open in word and make the card in that...

I'm not printing them on my own printer. I'm using a print shop. I want them on good quality, thicker paper. I want them to really look sharp!

**hemas** · 06-02-2008, 02:11 PM

Originally Posted by encore

Thanks. I can export as an EPS file in AutoCAD

Id first try the native Autocad format (DWG) and see what that looks like, before trying different export formats.

**timvwcom** · 06-02-2008, 02:12 PM

Originally Posted by encore

Thanks. I can export as an EPS file in AutoCAD

If you do this, select export text as curves... unless who ever you send it to has the EXACT same text fonts as you do.

advres · 06-02-2008, 02:12 PM

The EPS file is the way you want to export it for sure

**Woodlandclown** · 06-02-2008, 03:01 PM

I have illustrator and can try to help you if you can make an .eps file. I have tried converting cad to an .eps or .ai without luck in the past so if you can figure it out lemme know. pdf wont work, cant alter the file. good luck, it may have been easier to ask someone to design it for you from scratch.

**encore** · 06-02-2008, 03:04 PM

Originally Posted by Woodlandclown

good luck, it may have been easier to ask someone to design it for you from scratch.

You can export an AutoCAD drawing to an EPS file. I'm not sure how good of a quality you get though.

Yeah, probably would of been easier, but would of cost money. I'm either going to say screw it and go with what I got and see what happends, or design the card in Photoshop.

Thanks everyone for their time and helpful hints!

advres · 06-02-2008, 03:10 PM

Originally Posted by Woodlandclown

I have illustrator and can try to help you if you can make an .eps file. I have tried converting cad to an .eps or .ai without luck in the past so if you can figure it out lemme know. pdf wont work, cant alter the file. good luck, it may have been easier to ask someone to design it for you from scratch.

He gave me the pdf file and I opened it in Illustrator. The fonts were weird. They were coming up as multiple weirdly shaped splines instead of a single one for each letter. a "t" for example was broke into 3 different splines for no reason! That was where the "line" was coming from. The splines didn't connect to each other so was not completing the object. It must have been through the conversion or something, because I don't see why a font would work like that?!?