Can't create a Vector Image in Illustrator! Help!

[BlackReefDesign]

Basically -

Im a Graphic Designer and Im trying to create a Vector image for a client that he can open in Illustrator so he can use it to print on T-shirts.

What is happening is, no matter what format I send the file in, it is always showing up on his PC with a White Background. He just needs the design itself (just a word/text) to show up with no background.

I have sent him the design in .EPS and .AI, but nothing seems to work.

I am also designing the Designs in Photoshop and Paint Shop Pro.

Please help, thanks!

[Eye for Video]

If you created a drawing in Illustrator, and saved the .ai file, it will be a vector graphic. If you "placed" a bitmap, well, it will still be a bitmap.
When he opens the illustration, it will appear to have a white background, but he should be able to scale it as needed to fit the shirt layout and then export it in a transparent form like a .png. Then use the .png for the printing.
That may not be the way everyone else does it but will work.
EfV

[BlackReefDesign]

Thats the thing - I am creating the designs in Photoshop and Paint Shop Pro though, not Illustrator.

[Eye for Video]

OOOhhhhhh.... well that's a different story. When you start a new design, make sure you use "Background Contents : Transparent".
Then be sure to create your designs with "shape layers" clicked on in the shapes menu. As you draw out a rectangle, for example, you should see a fill and a shape over in the layer palette. The rectangle should have a thin black line around the outside edge, which is really the vector path.
You can "Export Path to Illustrator" to crate a vector graphic which can be opened in Illustrator.
But you can not use any bitmaps, jpegs, pngs, tif, etc. and expect to make them into vectors. Thats a much more involved process having to create paths for all the changes in shape or color of the image. You do not want to rasterize your design, that will turn it into a bitmap and you lose the scalability of the vector.
Google how to create vector graphic in photoshop for a more complete explanation.
EfV

[BlackReefDesign]

OOOhhhhhh.... well that's a different story. When you start a new design, make sure you use "Background Contents : Transparent".
Then be sure to create your designs with "shape layers" clicked on in the shapes menu. As you draw out a rectangle, for example, you should see a fill and a shape over in the layer palette. The rectangle should have a thin black line around the outside edge, which is really the vector path.
You can "Export Path to Illustrator" to crate a vector graphic which can be opened in Illustrator.
But you can not use any bitmaps, jpegs, pngs, tif, etc. and expect to make them into vectors. Thats a much more involved process having to create paths for all the changes in shape or color of the image. You do not want to rasterize your design, that will turn it into a bitmap and you lose the scalability of the vector.
Google how to create vector graphic in photoshop for a more complete explanation.
EfV

hmm, ok. So - if I already have some designs made, what would be the best way to convert them to vector format with a transparent background??


Thank you

[Eye for Video]

If your designs include bitmaps (jpg, png, tif, etc) it's very difficult to convert to vector.
If your design is mostly vector, one option would be to create a new blank document with the same dimensions as your design, AND a transparent background, and then open your old document. Menu/Windows/Arrange/Tile... With both documents open, click on the thumbnail in the layers palette, in one of the layers of the old document that you want to include in the new document and drag that thumbnail onto the new document. Only include it if it is a vector...if it's a bitmap...don't bother.
Keep up that process until you have all the parts you need. Then "Export" paths to Illustrator. But even then, it's not like creating it in Illustrator, since you are only exporting the path and not the fill.
PhotoShop is mainly for bitmap manipulation and is not really suited for complex vector design. Others may have more experience in work-arounds, perhaps we'll hear from them.
For a graphic example of the differences between what PhotoShop does and what Illustrator does, see the samples toward the end of this related thread.
http://www.webdeveloper.com/forum/showthread.php?t=202743
EfV

[Mr. E. Cryptic]

Your client most probably needs readable beizer lines, with numbered path points so that the design can be shape-cut on a plotter. your BEST options are to set the design in a vector-editing programme. You can easily download the trial version of Abobe Illustrator, or Corel Draw. Import your bitmap image and use the beizer / pen tool to trace the design. Or, if the word's just a font:
type it, then:
corel: select the word and CTRL + L (or, Arrange->Convert to Curves)
illustrator: select the word and SHIFT + CTRL + O (or, Type->Create Outlines)

There's also a really good free vector editor called inkscape, however if you're working on windows, it contains a bug whereby text-elements can't be changed from the default font - so not much use for text. However, it does otherwise work, so if you just need to trace something, it can be downloaded free and is pretty small file-size-wise. Export your file as a PDF from File->Save As and select PDF via Ciaro(*.pdf) as the file-type.