Inkscape (converting to grayscale)

[Vector01]

Hi All:

 

Taking the suggestions from Messman (widening the bridge areas and connecting some inside cuts)I edited the portrait pattern. I then ran it thru Inkscape to convert it to grayscale. It looked great on screen but when I printed it the bridge areas (eyes, nose, mouth) had been reduced quite a bit by the process.

 

The gray areas were not the problem, the stroke was too thick. It was after some playing around with the software I found you could reduce the width of the stroke. This is done by going into the stroke editing dialogue and editing the stroke width settings. The default was 0.011 pixels. I reduced the setting to where I could still see the stroke which expanded the bridge areas so it would make these areas easier to cut.

 

[attachment=1]headcomp1.jpg[/attachment]

[attachment=0]portweb1.jpg[/attachment]

 

In the first photo I have reduced the stroke width. The second photo shows the original conversion. The difference is more noticeable when the picture is printed. This helped quite a bit.

[Travis]

Great tip, Vector. Unfortunately you can't choose if the stroke is centered on the edge, on the inside of the edge, or the outside of the edge. So when the stroke becomes too thick, it does cause problems. Usually I resize the picture to the exact size I want first, then add the stroke. I think it defaults to 1px. If you add the stroke first and resize it, the stroke resizes accordingly.

 

If you want to change the stroke width, you can go into the stroke settings dialog box like Vector said and change it there. You can also go to the stroke color section in the lower left corner of your screen. You'll notice a number next to the color box. If you right click that, it will pop up a menu where you can choose a pre-defined stroke width. Both work very well and is handy if you need to thin the stroke for easier cutting, or to keep your pattern from bleeding into other lakes.