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39mm spot vector graphics (useful for Tina/Anita cards mold?) (3 Viewers)

proggerpete said:
This is spectacularly awesome, I don't suppose I can push my luck and ask if there's any sort of guide on how to edit the template? I've got illustrator but I'm a complete noob with it.
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I don't think the techniques you use are specific to chip design, really, so I'd just google what topics you need to know about
 
This is a great resource, @eightyWon!

Reading the posts about measuring a curve, if using Illustrator, there's a way it will measure the path for you.
Make sure in Preferences, that units is set to display in millimeters.
Select a path:
measure path1.jpg


In the Document info window, in the upper right pull-down menu, choose "Objects"
measure path2.jpg

At the top of the info, it will show you the length of that path in mm:
measure path3.jpg


Note: each path needs to be separated to measure it, so I usually make a copy of a larger path, isolate the path I want, and measure that.
 
Colquhoun said:
This is a great resource, @eightyWon!

Reading the posts about measuring a curve, if using Illustrator, there's a way it will measure the path for you.
Make sure in Preferences, that units is set to display in millimeters.
Select a path:
View attachment 1052184

In the Document info window, in the upper right pull-down menu, choose "Objects"
View attachment 1052186
At the top of the info, it will show you the length of that path in mm:
View attachment 1052187

Note: each path needs to be separated to measure it, so I usually make a copy of a larger path, isolate the path I want, and measure that.
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Wish I knew I this was possible in Illustrator before I finished creating faces and edges for 12 chips for my current Tina purchase!!!! Did it all paper/pen/calculations using the edge length (122.522mm) and dividing it by the number of edge spots... provided the edges were each the exact same distance from each other. Worked really well this way for 90% of the chips.

For example, 3 equally sized and spaced edge spots would all fall 122.522 / 3 = ~40.84mm from each other. Knowing (or creating) the first edge spot X value on the edge would allow me to use the equation to properly place the other two edge spots. This would work no matter how many edge spots there are (2-8 etc).

But what you're telling me is that Illustrator does all the work for me provided I know where to look. Gah I hate and love this forum. o_O
 
I've always used trigonometry.
I've an Excel to calculate the spot widths.
 
Bumping this post for visibility of this awesome resource, but also to ask a question to other designers: I noticed in the Bosco/Aces .ai files (and the ones @eightyWon offered) that the edge spots are all generally large shapes that then get clipped so anything outside the 39mm diameter of a chip isn't visible. This is great for later needing to tweak an edge spot, versus cutting the shapes to fit, which is permanent.

But is it "best practice" to have all these clips? Since I don't have Illustrator, I am saving files either in SVG or PDF, and then I am bringing them into Scribus to convert to CMYK since Inkscape doesn't work in CMYK. I noticed that I lose a lot of clipping when opening SVG in Scribus (PDFs seem not to have this problem as much).

Should I just cut the shapes out once my design is finalized? (It also makes creating the edge stripes much easier for me.) Or is it better to use clipping?

I also heard that Tina (probably others) print the face slightly larger to make sure full coverage of the face, since I don't think bleed is included in most designs. Are designers adding bleed to their chip face designs?
 
I did not add any bleed to my chip face design, and I think it came out great.

I found the clipped outlines to be helpful when I created an edge shape on the face that didn't exist in the Bosco/Aces files... but ultimately I don't think they are necessary if you are already confident your cut shape is adequate to match the face edge shape. Two paths to the same solution depending on how the edges were generated in the first place (in my opinion).
 
MrRossKeys said:
I did not add any bleed to my chip face design, and I think it came out great.

I found the clipped outlines to be helpful when I created an edge shape on the face that didn't exist in the Bosco/Aces files... but ultimately I don't think they are necessary if you are already confident your cut shape is adequate to match the face edge shape. Two paths to the same solution depending on how the edges were generated in the first place (in my opinion).
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Thanks! Yeah I think once I finalize a design I may just cut the shapes rather than keep them clipped to avoid issues with clipping when exporting.
 
Using a clipping mask is generally a better practice, for the reason you described….bleed. I realize that Tina may or may not use the bleed, but I’d rather include it.
The other big reason to have clipping masks is that you don’t need to have each edgespot have an outer curve that matches up with the curves of the base color. You have your base and all your edgespots arranged, and only the one clipping mask makes the 39mm outer edge.
 
I highly recommend Illustrator if you can swing the cost. I’ve been a longtime (since the mid-90s ) user and the learning never stops with this app.
I think it’s even worth downloading the 30-day trial version to do some CMYK conversions if needed, and it’s around $20 per month subscription. Probably not worth getting if you’re only doing this only once-in-a-while, but for anything more than that, it’s just an amazing program.
Also, it’s so seamless to work between Illustrator and Photoshop.
 
Colquhoun said:
I highly recommend Illustrator if you can swing the cost. I’ve been a longtime (since the mid-90s ) user and the learning never stops with this app.
I think it’s even worth downloading the 30-day trial version to do some CMYK conversions if needed, and it’s around $20 per month subscription. Probably not worth getting if you’re only doing this only once-in-a-while, but for anything more than that, it’s just an amazing program.
Also, it’s so seamless to work between Illustrator and Photoshop.
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+1 on this.
 
I am just getting into learning Inkscape. Would someone mind explaining what is meant by clipping and cutting? I’ve been watching all kinds of tutorials at YouTube University. It’s crazy how much these programs can do and how different they all are. I am determined to design chips myself. Thanks in advance.
 
BigSlickTux said:
I am just getting into learning Inkscape. Would someone mind explaining what is meant by clipping and cutting? I’ve been watching all kinds of tutorials at YouTube University. It’s crazy how much these programs can do and how different they all are. I am determined to design chips myself. Thanks in advance.
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Not sure about Inkscape, but a clipping mask or clipping path is a shape that you create over other art that effectively acts as a “window”.
An example is :
D99CFA15-F0DC-421F-B069-F9481342CD03.jpeg

The picture behind could be very large and extend much further, but if you use the puzzle text and make it a clipping path (with a white background), it will make the picture only show through the text.

There’s lots of cool things you can do with this, but for chip design, it’s great for making the faces with edgespots. Say you want to make a blue chip with yellow edgespots. You can draw a large blue shape and then some yellow shapes on top.
If you make a 39mm round clipping path, it will instantly make it a 39mm blue chip with yellow spots.

Think of the clipping path like a large sheet of white paper with a 39mm circle cut in it. Move and arrange the objects underneath it however you like. Very versatile.
 
Colquhoun said:
Not sure about Inkscape, but a clipping mask or clipping path is a shape that you create over other art that effectively acts as a “window”.
An example is :
View attachment 1096219
The picture behind could be very large and extend much further, but if you use the puzzle text and make it a clipping path (with a white background), it will make the picture only show through the text.

There’s lots of cool things you can do with this, but for chip design, it’s great for making the faces with edgespots. Say you want to make a blue chip with yellow edgespots. You can draw a large blue shape and then some yellow shapes on top.
If you make a 39mm round clipping path, it will instantly make it a 39mm blue chip with yellow spots.

Think of the clipping path like a large sheet of white paper with a 39mm circle cut in it. Move and arrange the objects underneath it however you like. Very versatile.
Click to expand...
This explains it very well, thank you. I’m sure it will take much trial and error for me to get it right. I can’t wait.
 
WOW!! Very helpful thread! I've designed a label in PS but needed help with the actual chips, specifically the edge spots. The file looks like it has all the information I need, however it is a pdf file. For editing, it would be much cleaner in a PSD format or AI format. Are those available somewhere? Great work EightyWon.
 
srackcpa said:
For editing, it would be much cleaner in a PSD format or AI format. Are those available somewhere? Great work EightyWon.
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PDFs are native to illustrator and can be edited as vector files when opened there. It's pretty common practice and makes the export file more portable.

If you actually need the ai file for some reason, I can attach it, but you shouldn't.
 
eightyWon said:
PDFs are native to illustrator and can be edited as vector files when opened there. It's pretty common practice and makes the export file more portable.

If you actually need the ai file for some reason, I can attach it, but you shouldn't.
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Thank you!! I did not realize PS handles PDF's that way. I think I have all I need. This will be a great project to keep me busy in retirement. Thanks again for all your work.
 
eightyWon said:
OP updated with latest file.

Biggest addition that folks might find useful is that I've begun creating a giant swatch of the Pantone colors the Alibaba cards mold sellers use based on the attachment from this post. I subscribed to Pantone Connect which allowed me to get the exact Pantone colors used in the swatches. This will allow folks without access to the exact Pantone colors to easily sample from the swatches in this file.

jt0Htab.png


I'm about halfway through all the colors in this latest version of my template file. I'm hoping to finish up the rest in the next week.

Hope someone finds this helpful... enjoy!
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I should note that these pantone colors were provided from Tina to a forum member a few years ago, represented as being the colors they support.

Since then, others have found that either wasn't necessarily accurate or that it's at least no longer accurate.

Anyway, ymmv with these colors and official Tina "support".

There's more info somewhere here on the forum about this, might search for it later when I'm not on mobile.
 

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