we will be getting a "color cam" for a week in december for a hands on school project type thing. we can make all sorts of decals, etched glasses, and t'shirts. what i was wondering is...does anyone know a website(s) where i can get "Vector" images. the computer cannot print jpg, bmp, or any other images besides vector. i am wanting to make some kickin decals like you'd find on websites. any info would be greatly appreciated!

 

Have you done a Google search for Vector Images?

 

i know i did last year, ill try it again now. i've found some images, but nothing like i wanted. i want to try to make a couple "pee-on" ones.

 

Try the Roland website (www.rolanddga.com). They sell vector art at $1 each/min. of 5. They have more of the profesional type vector art. If you want cheap, cool designs, logos, ect. check e-bay. I bought a set of "swap meet art" vectors for $10, with 1000's of images. Make sure you know what format the plotter software uses, .ai or .eps I use an old version of signmate and it usually only takes .ai vector files. You can convert .bmp (must be black/white format) to vector with the plotter software, depending on what you are using. In case you can't tell I use vector files alot, I have a vinyl graphics/lettering shop. If you need more help, just holler.

 

alright...thanx alot triton.

 

No problem. I forgot to mention, if you have a scanner you can scan in your favorite picture/drawing (simple line drawings work best for decals) and the plotter software will convert it to a vector file (again, it depends on what software you have)

 

i looked on ebay and found what i want. its like 260,000 vector images/decals for $15 or something like that. might order a cd after my dad looks at it. (dads the teacher supervising the cam)

 

Yea, that sounds like the one I bought. Just be aware that some of the images are duplicates and they may not all work. But even if only half work, it's still a good deal. Not sure how strict about rules your dad is, but the copyrighted logos on those CD are technicly illegal. As long as you just use them for yourself and don't start mass producing them and selling them, it should be ok. If you need vinyl material, I suggest Ameriban. They sell by the yard or by the roll. MacTac and Oracal are pretty good vinyls to work with, but stay away from the metalic golds and silvers, they can be a pain. Good luck and have fun.

 

thanx there triton. my dads not much of a harda$$...we were downloading illegal music right in front of him one day in comp. programming. we're gettin vinyl from some company in Fargo, ND. should be fun...cant wait to start makin decals. hehehe...

 

You can create any vector images in Illustrator...
I have to do this all the time, when making logos for our movies titles...
If you have something created I might be able to convert it for you

 

So how do you convert them? some kind of program? we had this lab last year...somebody tried to find a program to convert them, but couldnt get it to work right.

 

The plotter software should be able to convert your .bmp (black/white only) and anything you scan into the plotter. I use signmate and all you need to do is import the file and then select "scan". This scans the original image and converts it to a vector file, you may need to fix some things by hand depending on the quality of the initial image. There are some batch image converter programs you can tryout too. I got some from download.com, but found them to be too much trouble.