While working on my tracing series, I was reminded just how hard it is to autotrace templates. Wouldn’t it be nice to not have to trace them? I thought, and then it hit me. I went back to a 3 year old post here and found my answer. Here’s a video that shows the process for Windows (Mac solution and alternate Windows process here).
Update: The Ideogram site now generates SVGs (just click the More Options button) so you do not need this technique for that site, but these steps are still applicable for other sites with vector PDF content.
and here are the written steps:
-Install PDF creator (free) if you have not already. Download link here Be sure to decline any optional toolbars, etc.
-Open or generate your printable *vector* content. (see list of suggested sources in this post)
We used Ideogram’s free online template maker for the video
-Press the print button or select print from the file menu
-Choose PDF Creator from the dropdown list of printers and click Print. (don’t worry, it isn’t really going to print)
-Name the file in the top box and click the Save button at the bottom right.
-Choose a location for your for file, choose SVG from the pull down list of file types at the bottom of the window, and click Save.
-Open a new document in SSDE and choose File>Merge, set files of type to SVG or All files then navigate to the SVG file you just saved and click OK.
-If nothing is visible on the mat, click control-A to select all and look for a bounding box. Set the line color to black.
-Select all and set line width to zero (any line widths greater than zero in an SVG will double cut)
-On the Cut Styles Pane click Cut Edge. If no lines turn red, click the ungroup button one or more times and try again.
-In order to dash or separate score lines, ungroup the file and change the lines styles as desired.
This process maintains the proper size for ideogram’s templates (in PC Creator, your default ppi under Options>SVG should be set to 72) but it’s a good idea to verify size for anything that needs to be exact before you cut.
Tip:If the file is too big, try a reduction of 80% as this is another common standard.
Hi Kay, I just wanted to pop in and thank you for all of the wonderful things you share. We all have learned so much and are able to use our Studio software in such wonderful ways. Thanks again for all you do and share. xxx- Debbie
At first: Sorry for my bad English.
Thank you for the tip. I did everything you explained in the video, but I don’t get the score-lines by “merging” the file in the Studio software.
Which mistake do I make?
Martine,
I have not had that happen so I am not sure, but I used Open (I dragged the file icon onto the application icon) instead of Merge in the video so maybe that is it. There is also a different process you can try here http://cleversomeday.wordpress.com/2013/03/10/vectorssdemac/
Thank you for creating this video Kay. Converting pdf and line drawings into Silhouette cut files is much less daunting now!
Excuse my bad english, but I want to thank you for that great tip. I am a beginner in silhouette. This is a fantastic way to transform svg in studio. You helped me so much. I always traced them again…
Ulla
Hi, first of all thank you for the Tracing without tears series and an informative blog. I have learnt alot from the video’s.
I have a query about PDF creator I downloaded it and no matter what file I convert to svg in it, my cameo (DE) 2.7.18d will not open saying the file you are attempting to access could not load. It may be corrupt. I am running on Win XP. I have uninstalled and reinstalled PDF creator. Any ideas where I’m going wrong.
Angela
Hi Angela, The only thing I can think of is to be sure that the files you are trying to open have vector content and an SVG suffix.
Hmmm…I’ve had the very same problem. I wonder if PDF creator has changed a few things. It also would not allow me to download the creator without getting junkware. Had a hard time uninstalling. BUT…on the positive side, I just used Misc2Svg instead, and it worked like a charm!
Thanks so much, Kay; you are amazing!
Fab tutorial. A great resource to refer back to.
Hi, thank you very much for this, it has helped a lot in cutting down my tracing in silhouette!
But i also have a problem with the score lines not showing up in Silhouette. I have followed your video step by step following the 2x2x2 box instructions from ideogram, but i can’t get the score lines to show, only the outside lines show, and can be cut. Also tried using inscape as per the other suggestion, and i cant even get a cut line from that.
I use windows and silhouette designer edition, on google chrome.
Any suggestions as to how to get the score lines showing?
Bev,
Ideogram now has an SVG option so the steps in this video are no longer needed. Click on the more options button at the ideogram boxmaker page to get an SVG version. It will need to be scaled to 125% or 250%, change line thickness to zero and ungroup, then set the lines to cut. Easier and more reliable than the methods in the video, which are still handy for MSWord, Wordle, etc, just not Ideogram.
Would be great if SSDE would’ve added Bezier or similar functionality to newest upgrade. Wasn’t interested in upgrading but my older svg files wont open as DE licence I kicked out now.
Thanks for your and Debbie H’s help with newer version.
Shannon,
SS basic and DE has always had Bezier curve drawing under the curve tool. Also, you just need to reenter your key code to restore DE. You can find it under the My Account section of the Silh web site and if it is used up, email support@silhouetteamerica.com and have them reset it for you.