I cannot analyze anything further without seeing what you are referring to as "blurry".  Have you printed the JPG?  What about PDF?  ... View more

When you created the Gradient, did you drag the fill to your Gradient swatch palette?  That should happen automatically, but not sure.  I usually drag the color to the Gradient swatches.  Then, when you open the file, the swatch should still be there.  ... View more

It could be your document raster setting is at 72ppi.  Try exporting as a .tiff @ 300ppi, then open the .tiff in Photoshop and Save As > JPG ( use a suitable resolution, sounds like a print project, so CMYK @ 300ppi ( use a high setting of around 8 ).  I oud advise not using a print vendor asking for a JPG.  Go with someone local instead.  Then, should you have a problem, you can deal with it one-on-one and much quicker than online. ... View more

Use live text instead of outlines.  Then you can use the Text on a Line tool to type directly onto the circle.  When you are done, copy the arched text file and outline that text ( always leave live text intact in case you need to revert back to it ). ... View more

It is more complex than it has to be to change color in a raster image of a logo.  Can you ask for a copy of the original vector artwork?  They are doing you no favors sending you a PNG.  It would require sophisticated selecting and masking.  Then, you would mix a new gradient from what, RGB?  Not a good idea.  Possible? Yes.  But, you approach to vectorizing the PNG gets you headed in the right direction.  Gradients are easy in Illustrator anyway. ... View more

"I had a discussion with someone today who said that wouldn't work."   You are correct.  Have your friend pickup a copy of Adobe's Print Publishing Guide.  A great resource for anyone who is having difficulty understanding.  I would love to hear their argument as to why it "wouldn't work". ... View more

Sound like a cast in the scan(s).  Like already posted, it is difficult to recommend anything without seeing an example.  If it is a very light blue, then it probably appears in each Channel.  There are a few different ways to solve your problem ( Curves, Levels, Color Adjustments, etc. ).  If you are unfamiliar with Photoshop, send the book back to be rescanned ( should not pay for unusable scans anyway ). ... View more

Instead of Export, use "Save As A Copy" > in the dialog choose Adobe PDF > Press Quality.  The default settings are going to give you, in theory, high resolution upon output.  Make sure you embed the fonts.  I did a Save As on an EPS file and checked File Properties.  There was no reference that I could find mentioning resolution.  Tell us where you are seeing that and in what app.  In PDF settings, resolution is setup in the compression fields.  Vector elements remain vector, images and document resolution ( things like gradients ) are set at 300ppi ( Press Quality ). ... View more

Check the file that has the missing Layer; in Layer, check to see if it is Locked and/or if it is set to not print ( double click the Layer to see settings ). ... View more

The resolution you are referring to is image resolution and if you set 300ppi i your settings, then that is what you will get ( upon output ).  Not sure where you are seeing 72, that may be your preview file.  Most direct to plate workflows use 5480dpi / 300ppi for a output halftone screen of around 150lpi.  So, if you set your PDF for "press quality", you should be good to go. ... View more

Just leave them white and they will not print.  The metallic will automatically appear ( if you are printing on a metallic paper ).  To have a white print, you would have to set it up those elements as a spot color on its own Layer ( even when printing on metallic  ).  You could skate before if you were using white paper. ... View more

Stand alone Illustrator using the Eyedropper tool is not a good idea.  I am thinking Photoshop, but either app will require some major time.  There may be a plug-in available out there that has a script that can do what you want.  Keep in mind that a swatch usually consists of one color build.  Almost impossible to create one swatch that consists of all of the colors in whatever image you have to sample from.  Your screen grab shows a file that consists of thousands of swatches. ... View more

When you ultimately get the PDF, are you then pushing it through to the RIP ( when you do, do you see the problems )?  Also, when customers go to your web portal, they download the template and proceed to add their Illustrator or InDesign content?  Do you give customers a live .ai file to work on?  Not sure what file type your template is.  But, it could be the font and typography info is not being saved when they create the final PDF.  So text would, hypothetically, be interpreted. ... View more

Not sure what you mean by "Pixel Art".  Illustrator is a vector based drawing program.  Would love to see what you are attempting to do. ... View more

Best way to design is doing it yourself.  What I do is research the artwork first.  You can use keywords on the internet, but beware you will not be able to use any artwork found in a search without written permission.  However, you can draw your own version in pencil, then scan the pencil design and Place it in Illustrator on a template Layer. I then create a second Layer to draw on using the pencil and/or pen tools.  The most creative part is coming up with your pencil artwork.  You will be the owner of the copyright IF your logo and its artwork are truly your own.  Otherwise, you will be infringing on someone else's copyright if you copy.  Just something to be aware of as you proceed.  Some clip art sources "sell" licenses to use their artwork.  Even if you modify their artwork, it is still considered derivative artwork, so make sure you either buy a license or get permission when using clip art sources.  I mention this because you could use clip art as an assist in coming up with your design. ... View more

Look for the Page tool under the Hand tool in your tool bar. ... View more

"I don't have a 'Show Page' option"...   View > Show Page Tiling;   "why would locking the selection work"...   It gives the output device parameters, where if you had no bounding rectangle, the output device would use only your artwork for parameters.  I was just making a suggestion that may or may not be applicable for your circumstance.  A bounding rectangle works for any document size.  Especially when exporting or converting to PDF.     ... View more

In your Illustrator Preferences, is Antialiased Artwork ( I think it is under the General tab ) selected? ... View more

Have you tried the Page tool?  View > Show Page > align using the Page tool.  On your file, set a holding line to your document using 0% Fill, 0% Stroke > Object > Lock Selection ( while the rectangle you set is selected ).  Save As.  Try printing the piece now.  Let us know if there is still a problem. ... View more

I would caution your customer on the fact that as the artwork gets sized down, the effect becomes somewhat indiscernable.  I did notice a grunge effect in your blur version, sort of a natural brush effect.  But, I wonder what purpose a soft edge would serve?  Logos, in general, are simple.  Further along in their application, they can be modified in a particular use, such as a poster or video.  Why would your client want to make their logo more complex now rather than later?  To answer your initial question, Illustrator can be used and I am thinking of a Blend, but would not recommend it.  There are many grunge type fonts available, as well as your handlettered rendition.  I also wonder why that would not be enough? ... View more

There is no easy way to do this eventhough it seems pretty basic.  You could create a Clipping Path mask in Illustrator.  It is tedious and takes a little time either in Illustrator or Photoshop.  However, I would use Photoshop because it is more accurate and forgiveable than an Illustrator Clipping Mask.  If there is not enough contrast in Phootoshop, you could use the Eraser tool and paint around the breadsticks ( double click the Layer and make it "0", this will create a transparent background, just remember to save as .psd ).  You shoukd see a checkered background as you work erasing.  Once you have a transparent area around the breadsticks and plate, use the Lasso tool to select the entire background and delete it.  If you insist on doing it in Illustrator, you should use the Pen tool to create anchors around the image and then manipulate each one to follow the contours of the breadsticks and plate.  Once you have a solid path created, select Path > make ( or Create ) Clipping Mask. ... View more

Save the file, quit Illustrator, then restart.  It may be related to your cache, perhaps it got max'd out temporally. ... View more