I realize I’m talking to a small audience here, but just in case others in the Googlesphere encounter the same challenge, I’ll post a tip here.
I have a vector file of a logo in Freehand. I want to import the logo into Appleworks’ word processor in a format such that when I print the resulting document, the logo is printed at a high resolution.
The key here is to export from Freehand as a “Macintosh EPS” file. Then simply drag-and-drop the file into Appleworks, resize as required, and print.
The result is dramatically better than exporting from Freehand as a large bitmap file and importing and resizing in Appleworks (which results in a fuzzy and jagged logo).
Comments
Peter, your audience is so much larger than you realize! So many people use the .jpg format for any “graphic” with little consideration to how the final product will look. Then they are shocked when their printed material has a bad case of the “jaggies”. You hit the nail on the head with the vector vs. raster file formats. A good rule of thumb is “if it’s a photograph; use a raster graphic (ie. .jpg, or even better .tif), if it is a logo or some other form of drawing use vector graphics (ie. .ai, or in most cases .eps). It is actually quite complicated with so many differing formats, dependancies on the final output size vs. file size, etc. but the rule of thumb above should help.
Peter —
I’m grateful for your posting and offer you an additional conundrum:
I am laying out a book in appleworks and wish to include illustrations.
I wish to use MANY illustrations, and primarily use freehand to create them. With your hint about the mac eps format I can now get them into appleworks… but in order to do rather advanced layouts I need to change the text run-around on the objects. Appleworks seems to by default use rectilinear run-arounds. Many of my imported graphics are curvilinear, and getting clean run-arounds has been an issue. I will create drawing frames in the wp document and attempt to get the vector art in there. Perhaps then the “object” around which the run-around is imposed will be the actual art, rather than the drawing frame.
Wish me luck, and / or, suggest an alternate path.
Gratefully,
Mo Lohaus
I must be missing something. I’ve created a vector logo and saved as an Macintosh EPS. When I ‘insert’ or drag-n-drop it on an Appleworks draw document it is jaggy. When I print it is jaggy. Is it my export options for Freehand and EPS? Any further help would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Chris.