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Asterixx
Known Participant
June 4, 2024
Answered

Deliver file of an image as objects or as strokes

  • June 4, 2024
  • 2 replies
  • 993 views

Hello everybody,

I am not a experienced graphic designer but just draw illustrations (also without computer) and from time to time I deliver illustrations as PDF, sometimes as AI or PNG or SVG. But my question would probably be about PDF.

 

Until some weeks I only used objects with the blob brush. This was easy as you can see directly how the lines are and don't have to care about anything else. But of course strokes have also advantages :).

 

As I don't have a printer background or anything, I am not sure whether the file of the image is also good for delivery when I use strokes instead of the blob brush (=objects). I saw already in some small tests that the stroke width can change when copied into another program (like Corel) or closed (when it is not closed, but illustrator opens it like it is and Corel as closed).


So with my limited knowledge would it perhaps be a good idea to indeed work with strokes to have more possibilities, but at the end before delivery to convert the stroke to objects? So that there are only objects in the PDF (e.g. PDF/X-1a 2001).

 

And is this perhaps even in the graphics industry somehow "normal" that you export and deliver your AI illustration then as objects and then as PDF? So ist this a real problem?

 

Sorry for this beginner's question, but somehow I was not aware that strokes have more issues in export and import than object (probably).

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer Monika Gause

It depends on the situation. So it's best to ask the other people. That is a professional thing to do. But: if they are not available for talking:

 

If it's a logo, outline the strokes.

If you deliver a project and do not know how it will be used (and also nobody wants to tell you): definitely outline the strokes.

If you deliver it into an Adobe workflow and you know it will only be used in Illustrator by pros and they might need to adjust strokes or have even told you that they want it to be editable. Do not outline strokes.

If you deliver it for a website as an SVG: talk to the developer. It will depend on their needs whether or not to outline strokes. They are even able to change stroke thickness with their code.

 

If you want to make it difficult to edit for some reason (perhaps because they are not willing to talk), outline the strokes.

 

Of course you keep a fully editable copy with live strokes for your own purposes.

2 replies

Mohammad.Harb
Community Expert
Mohammad.HarbCommunity Expert
Community Expert
June 4, 2024


Pdf converts stroke to fill  to maintain the same appearance of the artwok .

 

even if you keep "maximize illustrator editing compatibility " turned on when saving pdf,

This will make the pdf editible only as an illustrator file,

However if you open the pdf file in another software the objects will be expanded 

A
AsterixxAuthor
Known Participant
June 4, 2024

I hope I understand correctly, but I am not sure about the english terminology sometimes.

When I create a new file in Illustrator and just draw one stroke and save as PDF/X-1a and open this in Corel or Affinity (or Illustatror) then the stroke is still there, not an object / fill / shape ?

Monika Gause
Community Expert
Monika GauseCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
Community Expert
June 4, 2024

It depends on the situation. So it's best to ask the other people. That is a professional thing to do. But: if they are not available for talking:

 

If it's a logo, outline the strokes.

If you deliver a project and do not know how it will be used (and also nobody wants to tell you): definitely outline the strokes.

If you deliver it into an Adobe workflow and you know it will only be used in Illustrator by pros and they might need to adjust strokes or have even told you that they want it to be editable. Do not outline strokes.

If you deliver it for a website as an SVG: talk to the developer. It will depend on their needs whether or not to outline strokes. They are even able to change stroke thickness with their code.

 

If you want to make it difficult to edit for some reason (perhaps because they are not willing to talk), outline the strokes.

 

Of course you keep a fully editable copy with live strokes for your own purposes.

    A
    AsterixxAuthor
    Known Participant
    June 4, 2024

    Thank you very much, this was really helpful. To begin with I was really not sure whether this is perhaps somehow not "cool" so do so and if it is made by the professionals also.

    I forgot to mention that indeed most of the time I just don't know how the image will be used as PDF. My customers usually know even less than me about this and are very happy with a PNG file, but they heard anywhere that vector files are existing and so they also want vector data. As they probably only use the PNG then I add a PDF X-1a just to be sure, to deliver the vectors and the correct CMYK colors. Until now only objects, but I begin to work with strokes as the width is better to handle.

    No I know that I will most of the time outline the strokes, and if somebody really needs the strokes (normally I should change them...) I will tell him that I am not sure whether they are correct when he imports them :).

     

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