TSB
Computers and Software => Computers and Software - General => Topic started by: 3Deep on February 26, 2013, 04:39:26 PM
-
Any of you get Docx files for art, I,ve been getting them and I can't open them even thought Illy sez it can....what do you guys do if you get a docx file for art files.
Darryl
-
it's a word doc, you can get a converter from windows(for free) to be able to open them in word.
they suck because they will switch fonts and not tell you. You are better off getting a PDF or WMF from word.
-
Thanks Brad, I've tried to tell my custys, but they can't understand why or they don't how to convert to WMF or PDF....
Darryl
-
Open Office will handle them as well. An alternative to the borg.
-
Open Office will handle them as well. An alternative to the borg.
But once again possibly switch fonts
-
Darryl, open it in Word. Then go to "Print" and print to file (pdf) in Windows, or "save as pdf" in the Mac print dialog (bottom left corner, PDF button...). Once you have the pdf, "Place" it in Illy, then go to Flatten Transparency in the Object menu; make sure the "convert fonts to outlines" box is checked. After that, if necessary, "Release from Clipping Mask" and voila, outlined text, that should be in the right place, not reformatted. To test this, just set any old type in Word, and save as a pdf and go forth...
Steve
-
Thanks Steve, but my problem is I,m still on a XP machine and don't have the updated docx word program, didn't think I needed it but now I,m having second thoughts.
Darryl
-
Thanks Steve, but my problem is I,m still on a XL machine and don't have the updated docx word program, didn't think I needed it but now I,m having second thoughts.
Darryl
You don't need to waste your money on Microsoft office, down load OpenOffice for free. Not only does it handle word documents but also excels.
-
Thanks Steve, but my problem is I,m still on a XP machine and don't have the updated docx word program, didn't think I needed it but now I,m having second thoughts.
Darryl
I'm running Office 2004 for Mac, there are updates for users of older versions. The last resort here is to have your customer save it as a pdf for you then...
Steve
you can email it to me and I'll give it a try for you if you like...
-
Just take the X off the end and any version of word should open them....
-
Royster I hope you're just pulling my chain, that would be way easy :o
Darryl
-
there is a free patch for word that will allow it to open docx files.
I used openoffice for a while, it's ok.
-
Openoffice or the docx viewer or anything else mentioned.
At the end of the day, they likely just embedded a low-res jpeg into a word-processing file anyway.
;)
-
and then probably some sweet word-art with drop shadows and poorly arched words.
-
Openoffice or the docx viewer or anything else mentioned.
At the end of the day, they likely just embedded a low-res jpeg into a word-processing file anyway.
;)
However, if they used Office's clipart, if converted to pdf and placed in Illustrator (Corel too maybe?) they are vector. I've found that usually happens after I trash somebody over giving me a damned Word file, only to find out it's OK...
Steve
-
Here is the biggest problem, I deal with some women that do this art in a word file using that clipart in there and fonts from there computer. The first thing I ask then is where did you get this art or the source of the art, that my friends seems to insult them that I ask those kind of questions, and then they ask can't you just print it like I got it on the paper or from what I sent you. Its hard to tell someone there master pc needs to be reworked so it can be printed and those dam word doc artist are testing me in bad way.
Darryl
-
"Hey, who's the printer here?" You need a nice way of telling them what you need. Everyone's a "graphic designer" now, and most of them have no clue at all. This is where they need our kindly guidance... ask her to separate the art for you, and see what she says.
Steve
-
This is where they need our kindly guidance... ask her to separate the art for you, and see what she says.
Steve
Your trying to hard now to be funny LOL, you know you don't ask a woman that, it's already ready just print it for me..the other printers did, so why you here bothering me ??? Thanks guys for all the advice and help...this is why we all need to educate our customers so the next printer won't have to go thru all this :o
Darryl
-
You can certainly have a printed policy stating what types of files you'll accept. To not appear hard nosed, you could also state the types (like docs) which sometimes work and sometimes need a little help.
I find that with these folks, while explaining, using the term "graphics programs" seems to remind them what we're all about. "Well, my graphics programs will open the file just fine but may not recognize the font you used if I don't have the exact same one on my machine, etc..." In the worst instances, I have had them also send me the font folder(s)
Most of these Word people can also make them into pdf's, which often helps.
-
This discussion reminds me why so many of my clients come to me versus a printer......I solve their problems and it sound like many printers just hassle them.....Give me a word, publisher, power point, etc. file that conveys an "idea" of they want and they will get what they want.....
-
This discussion reminds me why so many of my clients come to me versus a printer......I solve their problems and it sound like many printers just hassle them.....Give me a word, publisher, power point, etc. file that conveys an "idea" of they want and they will get what they want.....
That argument holds no water when so many of us (lazy printers) as you are basically saying cannot even be sure a doc, pub, excel, etc file even opened correctly. Do you have some kind of magic that guarantees every single non graphic program opens correctly on your computer? I have opened so many in my time and layouts get shifted, fonts change, embedded graphics disappear, I could name countless issues with trying to work with non graphic files.
If anyone sends me in something like an office document I simply ask that they also provide a jpeg of what it looks like, which is easily done in all these programs.
-
This discussion reminds me why so many of my clients come to me versus a printer......I solve their problems and it sound like many printers just hassle them.....Give me a word, publisher, power point, etc. file that conveys an "idea" of they want and they will get what they want.....
Royster not to bang on you but you are the printer I,m talking about, you might not mind digging and giving away some time, trust me I've done it to, just to stop the back and forth emails, but what happens is the more I work with these people the art gets worse and feel like they can just give me anything and should work and not get charged for it...try working with a 1by1 inch jpeg at 72 crazy.
Darryl
-
As far as asking for a jpeg, I agree this is a good idea.....You are obviously more ambitious than most......A typical reply would be your file will not work rather than any attempt to help the client....In any event, a "proof" usually weeds outs any problems.....And as far as programs, I have most of them anyway....I have been taking "odd" files for decades so I need to be able to open them and make them work....
-
Royster not to bang on you but you are the printer I,m talking about, you might not mind digging and giving away some time, trust me I've done it to, just to stop the back and forth emails, but what happens is the more I work with these people the art gets worse and feel like they can just give me anything and should work and not get charged for it...try working with a 1by1 inch jpeg at 72 crazy.
Darryl
Darryl you may call it giving away time, however, I just work different than you.....I worry about the bottom line and making a sale versus the "line items"...I also spend 1,000s of $s a year on "spec art" and "spec samples" to make sales.....When a client is not ready to order I put something "tangible" in front of them to help the process along.....
-
Royster, I don't disagreed with you at all on getting the work done, 100% customers just want it done and you sound like you can do it, so next time I have a tuff one I,m going to call on you. Yep customers want it simple no fuss and pay and go, it should work that way, but sometimes it don't.
Darry
-
I understand what you are saying Royster but it still does not solve the problem that office files can open incorrectly from computer to computer.
I solve that problem by asking for a jpeg to come along with the office document. Then its a simple compere what the opened document looks like versus the jpeg.
-
This is where they need our kindly guidance... ask her to separate the art for you, and see what she says.
Steve
Your trying to hard now to be funny LOL, you know you don't ask a woman that, it's already ready just print it for me..the other printers did, so why you here bothering me ??? Thanks guys for all the advice and help...this is why we all need to educate our customers so the next printer won't have to go thru all this :o
Darryl
No Darryl, really, I've asked that before, women especially, but nicely. It's an ice breaker. (Of course they don't know how, but it points out that it's not just the click of a button to make custom tees) I do know how to speak to women, one doesn't stay with the same lady for 36 years and not learn that... (it's usually best to not speak until spoken to) I always try to educate my customers so that they know they can trust me. One of my mainstays is to ask them to print out that jpeg, and notice how rough it looks and then they are OK with my request.
Steve
-
I just went through this yesterday, while this thread was going, and after an explanation on the phone, got pdf's which opened fine, and my first jpf's which worked great to double check.
As I said, these were my first jpf's, and they imported without a hitch.