Where do I start

[SAR.Summerlin]

So we have a customer who wants us to print the attached map with changes at approximately 4'x4' however here is my dilemma. The file they have provided is a low resolution jpg. The property has changed hands half a dozen times over the last ten years so no one has a better file. I need to get a better file (preferably editable) I don't have the skill set to recreate this even if the customer were to agree to the art charges. I was thinking we could contact county records and find out who the Architect on record was and see if they have the file but this is proving to be harder than we thought. Has anyone ever come across this issue and where should I start or does anyone know someone I could send this to for recreation.

 

[Billct2]

Did you try asking the Vector Doctor?

 

[visual800]

Itmseems this runs rampant for state, county, etc. they all have bad art and make no attempt to get better. When i run across this I inform they need higher resolution art or the printing will be horrible. If they insist make one sign off on it and print it.

I doubt they are going to pay you for recreating thats alot of work there

 

[401Graphics]

Did you try asking the Vector Doctor?

+1 probably your best bet

 

[Fred Weiss]

The first question is does your client have the budget. We did an area map with caption using a book map as the pattern and then traced it all by hand using FlexiSign. It took 16 hours to create the file.

 

[Marlene]

send it to the Vector Doctor to see if he can work with it. he does great work.

 

[heyskull]

This is not worth the effort for one 4x4.
The customer will have to realise the artwork is not good enough.
I reckon 2-3 days work redrawing of the artwork you have been supplied.

SC

 

[SignProPlus-Alex]

Here is something I found maybe it will help.

 

[Gino]

We did something very similar to this about a year ago for a double-sided 4' x 8'.

It took about 4 hours total to re-create it into vector. I don't know how some of these things can take 16 hours to 2 or 3 days ??

We simply re-scanned the picture in and made a few boxes of varying sizes, made trees of various sizes and other uniform shapes and started placing them and connecting the dots. It's how we did it years ago, before there were any computers to make the job really easy. Heck, we even had to put the lines on the parking lots and show handicapped spaces and other meaningless stuff. There's no one in the world who will know if you made one window different from another or a tree slightly larger or smaller than another. You gotta to be realistic about this stuff and give the customer what they want..... or think they want.

We charged an additional $580.00 and the client was very happy, because their connection wanted $1,200.00 to do it..... and couldn't promise it for a week or so.

Personally, I have done many of these things, with and without computers. Some easier and some far more difficult, but it's not impossible to do yourself as some here have pointed out.

The one you have pictured here would take maybe 6 to 8 hours tops. I'd cut it in half and make it a two day project so my eyes didn't bulge out the first night.

 

[The Vector Doctor]

Wow. No i would never take this on. It probably took the original artist(s) a couple of days to draw this initially. No way I could take on a job like this for a reasonable cost

I appreciate the referrals but this one would be way too much time/work

 

[The Vector Doctor]

We did something very similar to this about a year ago for a double-sided 4' x 8'.

It took about 4 hours total to re-create it into vector. I don't know how some of these things can take 16 hours to 2 or 3 days ??

We simply re-scanned the picture in and made a few boxes of varying sizes, made trees of various sizes and other uniform shapes and started placing them and connecting the dots. It's how we did it years ago, before there were any computers to make the job really easy. Heck, we even had to put the lines on the parking lots and show handicapped spaces and other meaningless stuff. There's no one in the world who will know if you made one window different from another or a tree slightly larger or smaller than another. You gotta to be realistic about this stuff and give the customer what they want..... or think they want.

We charged an additional $580.00 and the client was very happy, because their connection wanted $1,200.00 to do it..... and couldn't promise it for a week or so.

Personally, I have done many of these things, with and without computers. Some easier and some far more difficult, but it's not impossible to do yourself as some here have pointed out.

The one you have pictured here would take maybe 6 to 8 hours tops. I'd cut it in half and make it a two day project so my eyes didn't bulge out the first night.

I got a better look at it. I guarantee no one could trace this in 6 hours

 

[GypsyGraphics]

a challenge, but doable.... but 6-8 hours... NO WAY!
that's a pretty nice map... it would take me couple of days

 

[Rick]

a challenge, but doable.... but 6-8 hours... NO WAY!
that's a pretty nice map... it would take me couple of days

I agree, by the way, how's your head?

 

[GypsyGraphics]

I agree, by the way, how's your head?

:ROFLMAO:

ummmm..... thinking of starting a tread titled
"Hard Hats and Safety Cones are NOT Safe"

thanks for asking ya little sh*t (and i still say you pushed me)

 

[Rick]

:ROFLMAO:

ummmm..... thinking of starting a tread titled
"Hard Hats and Safety Cones are NOT Safe"

thanks for asking ya little sh*t (and i still say you pushed me)

Wait, Are we talking about the metal shop incident, the hard hat falling on your nugget, or the rake to the face? And that was just this past week! It's a miracle anything gets done.

Back on topic, Yeah I say 2 days...

 

[GypsyGraphics]

Wait, Are we talking about the metal shop incident, the hard hat falling on your nugget, or the rake to the face? And that was just this past week! It's a miracle anything gets done.

Back on topic, Yeah I say 2 days...

ok then, just to be safe... maybe this week it would take me 3 days.

"SAFE" LOL!!!!!!!!!!!! i kill me!!!!!

 

[Rick]

just to be safe... maybe this week it would take me 3 days.

"SAFE" LOL!!!!!!!!!!!! i kill me!!!!!

>Rick slowly puts on his hard hat (plastic beanie, synthetic sombrero, brain helmet) <

 

[fresh]

You could offer to re-draw in a more simple style. Other than that, ask an architect what they would charge to re-create the rendering.

 

[Gino]

Fine.

If you guys all want a few days, be my guest, if you can get the money to re-do it.

Let's get this straight, though.... I don't trace them. Perhaps the more traditional methods might take 2 days or so as you all said, but there are other ways of skinning a cat.

There are a few of you out there that have the same software as me, so this might make sense to those few.

ANAgraph.

I would simply scan this in, enlarge it maybe 1,000% and start building blocks, squares, rectangles, trees, windows and all the little things and then start placing them about. Later, I would connect sections by welding and save the copy for very last. ANAgraph has some really nice features in it... shadowing, 3D-ing, layers [unlike Illy and all kinds of designing tools] and this thing would take maybe 6 to 8 hours. According to how proficient you are in it, maybe a little longer or a little less time, but it's certainly doable in a day's time.

When doing this sort of thing, we charge out at $145.00 per hour, so if someone had asked me to quote it, I'd say less then $1,300.00.

I've never really traced in Illy or Corel, so maybe that is harder to do and will take longer.


Remember, not every nook & cranny are going to be reproduced at 100%. No one will/would ever notice poetic license being used to make some artisitc changes to an already artistic rendering. There are most likely some varying problems which will be rectified when doing it my way.


Now, don't ask me to prove this, cause I ain't gonna waste time doing something I already have a handle on. Honestly, it can be done. I worked in ANAgraph since 1987. In those years I got pretty good with it. I still use it, just not as much. No one else in the shop uses it. They don't like it. It's too antiquated and all kinds of other excuses. In fact, the kerning features in there are far better than any other program I ever worked with. When I got ANAgraph it was a 20 meg hard-drive with a screaming 10 MHz processor. Before window 3.1 was even around. Everything works off 5.25" floppies. Yep, some things have changed, but then some just got faster.

 

[Fred Weiss]

Fine.

If you guys all want a few days, be my guest, if you can get the money to re-do it.

Let's get this straight, though.... I don't trace them. Perhaps the more traditional methods might take 2 days or so as you all said, but there are other ways of skinning a cat.

There are a few of you out there that have the same software as me, so this might make sense to those few.

ANAgraph.

I would simply scan this in, enlarge it maybe 1,000% and start building blocks, squares, rectangles, trees, windows and all the little things and then start placing them about. Later, I would connect sections by welding and save the copy for very last. ANAgraph has some really nice features in it... shadowing, 3D-ing, layers [unlike Illy and all kinds of designing tools] and this thing would take maybe 6 to 8 hours. According to how proficient you are in it, maybe a little longer or a little less time, but it's certainly doable in a day's time.

When doing this sort of thing, we charge out at $145.00 per hour, so if someone had asked me to quote it, I'd say less then $1,300.00.

I've never really traced in Illy or Corel, so maybe that is harder to do and will take longer.


Remember, not every nook & cranny are going to be reproduced at 100%. No one will/would ever notice poetic license being used to make some artisitc changes to an already artistic rendering. There are most likely some varying problems which will be rectified when doing it my way.


Now, don't ask me to prove this, cause I ain't gonna waste time doing something I already have a handle on. Honestly, it can be done. I worked in ANAgraph since 1987. In those years I got pretty good with it. I still use it, just not as much. No one else in the shop uses it. They don't like it. It's too antiquated and all kinds of other excuses. In fact, the kerning features in there are far better than any other program I ever worked with. When I got ANAgraph it was a 20 meg hard-drive with a screaming 10 MHz processor. Before window 3.1 was even around. Everything works off 5.25" floppies. Yep, some things have changed, but then some just got faster.

Back in 1984, when I was the only guy in town to have a Gerber digitizing tablet, I was handed a thermographed business card and asked to reproduce the Jillsander logo for the front window of a new store going in on Worth Avenue in Palm Beach. I had it blown up and proceeded to do the job and was paid. Six months later, Mr. Jillsander's limo pulled up in front of the store for the first time. As his foot hit the sidewalk the first words out of his mouth were "Dat is not my logo".

It turned out I got it about 5% too bold due to starting with a thermographed image. We were supplied with proper artwork and redid the job along with getting paid again.

On another occasion, I was installing test readings on a dentist's front window and at the point of squaring up the masked readings. From about 30 feet away the dentist asked me to correct the slanted reading as it was too low on one side. I explained that his eye was being fooled by the fact that there readings were masked. He insisted I recheck it and, sure enough, it was .125" off on one side.

I no longer assume that there are shortcuts I can take that the client will never notice.