What software

[Ronan]

Back again with another question. What software do you use when manipulating images, making them larger or smaller, on the computer before printing them off as templates or transfers ?

I tried the transfer system earlier, i have a Samsung 2026W laser printer, i printed off a few simple pictures, and tried to transfer them to a piece of polished, degreased steel. It worked perfectly.

However the printing options are minimal, you get a choice of sizes of print, rather than being able to pick exactly what you want.

 

[Roger B]

I generally use Corel Draw for vector images. When I lost my original copy of the software and, being cheap, I downloaded Inkscape but simply couldn't work it so I went and bought the latest copy of Draw - truth being told the first copy I had may not have been compatible with Win 10, at least that's what I keep telling myself.

Roger

 

[monk]

coreldraw is my fave. there's a free one or two. i think inkscape may be FREE ONE

 

[Roger B]

Inkscape is free. Others have previously commented favourably on it but I just couldn't do basic things so opted to go back to Draw.

 

[monk]

Inkscape is free. Others have previously commented favourably on it but I just couldn't do basic things so opted to go back to Draw.[/QUOTE
same with me. i began fiddling with it and soon gave up on it. i will say it's better than nothing at all. esp in view of the fact it's free.

 

[southern_lights]

Inkscape is vector based imaging software, (lines and shapes are stored as mathmatical formula) so when the scale/size of the drawing is changed the lines are still crisp and do not become blurry at the edges. Spirals can also be generated within inkscape with some fiddling which can be good for drawing a back-bone for a scroll design.
Gimp is a raster based image editing program. It's also free. images/drawings can be edited on different 'layers'. It is also usefull for changing image file formats and file sizes etc. Personally, i think there is no substitute for the pencil, but these programs can be fun to use.

 

[Archie Woodworth]

For a one time payment of $50.00 you can download Affinity Photo...every bit as capable as Adobe Photoshop and no recurring monthly subscription cost.
https://affinity.serif.com/en-us/photo/

Additionally, Affinity Designer is available for vector drawing/designing.
https://affinity.serif.com/en-us/designer/

 

[tdelewis]

Go on Amazon and look for copies of Corel. Some places are selling off older copies that are inexpensive and work well. I Don't know if the same is true for Adobi Illus. But I'd check it out.

 

[jerrywh]

I use an old Adobe photo shop 4.0. Works perfect for me. Better than the newer versions and les complicated.

 

[Steve L S]

Like others have said, I tried the freebies when this computer crashed and I lost Coreldraw but found them too clunky so purchased the latest ( at the time 2 yrs ago ) version of Coreldraw.

However when using Corel I kept getting messages that I was using an illegal copy. I contacted them with proof of purchase from one of their approved outlets but they took it right off my computer. I eventually got it back with a workaround to clear a cache but it happened two more times and now they do not answer my emails.

I will eventually go with Archie's advise and purchase affinity.

 

[spank7357]

The bulk of my drawing consists of scrolls and backbones, so do I choose adobe, coreldraw or inkspace (FREE)?

 

[Archie Woodworth]

Inkscape actually has a scroll generator that with a little messing with it is possible to generate beautiful scrolls. The last time I use Inkscape is was a little "buggy" . It is a free program and they are still working out some issues.
You might consider doing a search here on this site for Affinity Photo and Affinity Designer...great products for the money.

 

[Dean]

Roger B, I use Corel 11, in Windows 10 you should be able to tell it to open your old version of Corel in a later version example Win 7 I believe

 

[Archie Woodworth]

Just got an email from Affinity their products are now 20% off.
https://affinity.serif.com/en-us/ph...mail&utm_campaign=Spring_Sale_19&mc=SPRING19O

 

[Julia]

For manipulating images, making them larger or smaller, on the computer before printing them off as templates or transfers a good solution will be a vector drawing app, which does not degenerate image when scaling. The lines stay perfectly clean, no matter how much you resize.

If you're using a Mac, the great app for this purpose is Amadine:
https://amadine.com

The app has a free trial for you to try and see how the engraving looks before printing/transferring it. And the cost is merely a month of Adobe Illustrator subscription, but once and for life.

 

[sam]

For manipulating images, making them larger or smaller, on the computer before printing them off as templates or transfers a good solution will be a vector drawing app, which does not degenerate image when scaling. The lines stay perfectly clean, no matter how much you resize.

If you're using a Mac, the great app for this purpose is Amadine:
https://amadine.com

The app has a free trial for you to try and see how the engraving looks before printing/transferring it. And the cost is merely a month of Adobe Illustrator subscription, but once and for life.

Their into video sure makes it look good. And the price...fantastic.

 

[monk]

Roger B, I use Corel 11, in Windows 10 you should be able to tell it to open your old version of Corel in a later version example Win 7 I believe

i have the latest corel version. it works with all former corel versions, as well as a truckload of different file extensions, a significant one for me is the use of .plt files. allows me to drive a vinyl plotter, a cnc engraving machine, as well as my trusty laser machine. doing a drawing by hand, scanning into corel, then outputting to all these devices earns a good deal of money. not as enjoyable as hand engraving, but keeps me off the streets.

 

[AllenClapp]

If your software won't let you print it out at the size that you need, AND your printer is multifunction and can act as a copier, try printing it out and then using the copy function to scale it. Most copiers can scale up or down by in 1% increments. Some of them have some preset functions to scale up or down by a couple of preset percentages and that is what you immediately see as a choice, so you may have to click a button or two to find the menu that allows you to scale in 1% increments.

 

[monk]

Their into video sure makes it look good. And the price...fantastic.

i just downloaded this. seems a bargain at $19.95 will give it a whack later this pm.

 

[Grayson]

Inkscape actually has a scroll generator that with a little messing with it is possible to generate beautiful scrolls. The last time I use Inkscape is was a little "buggy" . It is a free program and they are still working out some issues.
You might consider doing a search here on this site for Affinity Photo and Affinity Designer...great products for the money.

I have been using Adobe Photoshop for photographs for many years. It's excellent for sizing, retouching, labeling and manipulating tonal values (gamma). However it's not vector based and can not originate a scroll or smooth one. I found "Inkscape for engraving scrollwork layout" on YouTube. It looks REALLY good to me, so I will try it out. Thanks, Archie!