SVG files....why?

[Bobby H]

I'm not all that big a fan of SVG files. They can be more convenient to use in sign design projects than the usual dopey JPEG "logo" file, but that's only if the SVG file has usable vector elements and no technical problems.

Some web sites will have usable SVG logo files. Still, if I can't get good vector files from the client I'll go looking for PDF files online that might possibly have a good vector logo that can be extracted. The company usually has to be a larger regional business or national brand. It's not common for small, local businesses to have online PDF documents with good elements that can be harvested.

Nearly all the SVG files I see coming from Canva are just worthless garbage. I usually have better luck telling the customer to export their artwork using Canva's "PDF for Print" export command. But even those PDF files will have issues, but many of them can be repaired using the Vector First Aid plugin for Illustrator.

Just a reminder that SVG relies on RGB. It does not support CMYK so you should be prepared to make adjustments.

Yeah, SVG has no native support for CMYK. It's common for amateurs using Canva or other cheap/free apps that can save SVG files to use RGB colors that are ramped up to maximum intensity. That can lead to some clients getting pissy when they're told their loud teal or bright purple colors won't print. The format doesn't support things like Pantone spot colors either. My only use for SVG files in daily work is running cut-only jobs in Onyx Thrive. Sometimes that's even a pain in the neck. One flavor of SVG will be working until it doesn't. Then it's time to experiment will all sorts of SVG export settings.

 

[WildWestDesigns]

... but that's only if the SVG file has usable vector elements and no technical problems.

Nearly all the SVG files I see coming from Canva are just worthless garbage.

That's a function of the people creating and sending those files, not of the format itself. The format has it's limitations, but what is mentioned here isn't the problem of the format, but of the user creating said file. I have seen garbage come from Ai and Draw users, a lot of the same complaints, technical issues (unusable vectors etc), that isn't the function of the format, that's a function of the user.

Now the downside of cheaper programs is that it attracts a wide range of users with a wide range of baseline knowledge.

Canva does have some problems, the fact that even it's "local" app is just a webview app, which means that it has the browser context with server side backend logic, so it definitely has the isolated issues of the browser context (there are ways around this to still have a good local app, just using the webfront end for the gui, webview could be utilized in such a way, but it isn't here, at least it isn't as heavy as Electron, but I digress).

Yeah, SVG has no native support for CMYK. It's common for amateurs using Canva or other cheap/free apps that can save SVG files to use RGB colors that are ramped up to maximum intensity.

They have no way around it. SVG is a vector spec for the web, the fact that one can open it up in a plain text editor and see the xml markup also contributes to this as a web spec. Because it's plain text, able to target it with JS for web animations, interactivity etc very easily.

If wanting to use SVG for print applications and still wanting to either go the budget way, bring it in to something like Scribus (OSS alternative to Id) as that program does have support for CMYK and Pantone.

Now there was a .gpl pantone spot color palette as well, but that only gets one into the ball park with just using an svg based application. I don't know if Canva supports .gpl palettes, I know Inkscape does. But again, that only gets one into the ballpark.

 

[DL Signs]

Even Illustrator is iffy when it comes to SVG files.

Inkscape is free, and it's default is SVG for vector. You can also open SVG's and export as EPS, PDF, etc, etc... However Inkscape doesn't support CMYK, it's biggest limitation.

Another option is buy a copy of Affinity Designer, it supports SVG, and you can export in all the other formats you would want to for a one time $70, no subscription (they run half price sales a few times a year if you can wait for one). Affinity supports CMYK, so you can convert SVG files for printing, tweak colors, whatever you need before you export in another file format.

 

[Bobby H]

That's a function of the people creating and sending those files, not of the format itself.

I don't agree. I've been forced into experimenting with Canva to troubleshoot problems in customer provided files. Various elements tend to "break" more often when exported from Canva as SVG. The elements tend to hold up better using the PDF for Print export function.

But, yes, many clients don't know what they're doing when they assemble some DIY artwork in Canva. Most do not understand the difference between pixel-based elements and vectors. They don't understand many other graphics related issues either. It's easy for such users to bake all sorts of mistakes into their artwork, ones that merely exporting in SVG or PDF cannot fix.

 

[WildWestDesigns]

I don't agree. I've been forced into experimenting with Canva to troubleshoot problems in customer provided files. Various elements tend to "break" more often when exported from Canva as SVG. The elements tend to hold up better using the PDF for Print export function.

At best, that would be an issue with the program itself and how the exporting is done within said program.

Case in point, if one uses Inkscape and has plugins (either in house or through 3rd party) that stores info that the plugin needs via the svg/xml markup. If one opens that file in Ai and/or Draw (and I would imagine in Affinity) and resave, that info is gone. Now is that the issue of the program or the issue of the format itself? If one only uses Inkscape, that markup that it doesn't understand/know is just ignored and kept.

 

[DL Signs]

Case in point, if one uses Inkscape and has plugins (either in house or through 3rd party) that stores info that the plugin needs via the svg/xml markup. If one opens that file in Ai and/or Draw (and I would imagine in Affinity) and resave, that info is gone. Now is that the issue of the program or the issue of the format itself? If one only uses Inkscape, that markup that it doesn't understand/know is just ignored and kept.

That is a crazy good point.
I rarely ever have to deal with SVG's here, but I'm sure there are features that break when working with them outside the environment/ program they were created in, just like other formats.