Page 1 of 1
pdf file to scal?
Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2010 6:35 am
by susiecm3
If i have a file in adobe/pdf format what can i save it in so i can trace in scal?? It is not locked
Thanks
Re: pdf file to scal?
Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2010 7:43 am
by Piglet
Open inkscape
Import pdf
If pdf is muliple pages - inkscape will ask what page you want imported
view, display, outline
ungroup
save as svg
you may have to ungroup to get the graphic that you want.
The last few pdf that I have imported, came in as a trace graphic.
Piglet
Re: pdf file to scal?
Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2010 10:02 am
by firstcut
If the pdf has vector content you can do a "print to svg." Instructions are here on my blog
http://cleversomeday.wordpress.com/2010 ... -cutfiles/
Keep in mind that some vector files are not suitable for cutting, but for those that are this is a great way to extract the vectors from a PDF with no added nodes or loss of quality from tracing.
If the pdf has raster(bitmap) content then you can take a screen shot and save it to jpg and then import it into SCAL2 to trace. If you don't know how to take and save a screen shot there are instructions here
http://graphicssoft.about.com/od/screen ... s_Tips.htm
The best way to tell if a pdf is a vector or a raster is to zoom in, say 300% and if the lines are jaggy it is a raster. If they are smooth it is a vector.
Both of the above techniques are great to know because they allow you to convert so many things to a SCAL-ready file.