Sock Factory BMP files conversion

[meredithn31787192]

I would love any insight from anyone who's converted files to BMP for a factory. I design in illustrator and am open to saving into photoshop if that is necessary to convert the files. I need files to be in BMP format. The factory machines make socks that are 144 needles wide. 

Here's what I believe I need:

BMP file that is 144 pixels wide. Height can change depending on height of sock.

Number of colors needs to be below 6-7 colors at the most. 

No anti aliasing

I've been experimenting in saving the illustrator files in photoshop with specific file settings. I've been having trouble getting the settings to be a standard I can always work with. For example, I have not found a way to export the files as BMP at all from illustrator. From photoshop, I am not sure if I can export it and reduce the pixels and colors while i export, because right now they appear anti alised.

I wonder if I can set up a file that is limited by color and pixels and convert designs or copy and paste them into a standard template that will reduce the colors and pixels. So that all designs I do can be converted into BMP with the settings needed. The next level after this is to see if those files work with their factory equipment.

Any insight would be much appreciated!

[Bobby Henderson]

In Adobe Photoshop you could try reducing the image's number of colors by Image>Mode>Indexed Color and then choosing the desired number of colors. If the graphics can have no more than 6-7 colors the elements need to be designed in that manner.

If no anti-aliasing is allowed the vector graphics in Illustrator should be designed in a "pixel perfect" manner. That can be done in a number of different ways, but the general idea is to have as many object edges lining up with the pixel grid as possible. Curving lines and diagonal lines can't do that, but straight horizontal and vertical lines can.