Still digitizing, huh? Why? If you’re still
digitizing I’m guessing you either enjoy it or feel as if you have no
other choice available to you. I realize there are certain individuals
who get satisfaction from creating or reproducing an image by hand. The
very process of plotting or punching points (also known as nodes) can
be very time consuming and become a tedious job. Once you’ve completed
a complex or intricate piece of artwork, it’s only natural to feel a
sense of pride for a job well done!
I can remember as far back as
1982, when personal computers were just beginning to be introduced into
the Awards & Engraving industry. Digitizing was painful! This was
long before the development of computer aided design (CAD) software.
All drawings had to be created from beginning to end with no mistakes
or you had to start all over from the very beginning. You sure didn’t
want the phone to ring or have a customer come through your door while
in the middle of any drawing!!
A few years later we were blessed
with CAD programs that enabled you to digitize logos and images much
faster. Using software commands to create vectors, curves, ovals, arcs
and numerous other short cut keys, allowing you to improve your work
and in many cases enhancing the original artwork. Certainly one of the
coolest things was being able to stop, save your work and pick up where
you left off at another time. Whether it was later that day, the next
day or sometime the following week. It was nice to not feel “married”
to the system and be able to take a break if needed.
As computers
became more and more popular, hardware and software progressed quite
rapidly. It wasn’t long before people were talking about scanning and
converting their raster files into vector formats. Many individuals
retired their digitizing pads and began the “on screen” clean up
process, believing this was their salvation from the point to point
digitizing, we all thought was so nice in the beginning! Well,
I must say for me it lacked the luster some were boasting of over the
phone. Most all tradeshow demonstrations were what I would refer to as,
“smoke and mirrors”!
Honestly I thought it was more challenging
to scan and clean up my artwork as opposed to simply digitizing it from
scratch. To me it was much easier and faster to continue to use CAD
software and turn out a drawing that was much cleaner, with fewer
points and maintained a much smaller file size. Most digitizers were
(and are) concerned about the overall byte size of the finished logo.
This was greatly due to the limitations of numerous proprietary
systems. Forcing the digitizer to be mindful of their final output and
keeping points to a minimum.
Through the years of now more than
two decades, computers and software as we once knew it, has come a
long, long way. We’ve all seen dozens of “state of the art” programs
and hardware improvements to fill a small garage! Yet many of us still
find ourselves looking for that “perfect” solution that would allow us
to stop fretting over artwork.
Well, my friend … I have a
solution for you. Let me give you an analogy or rather a comparison of
digitizing (or scanning, it’s really all very much the same involved
process), versus mowing your yard. Yep, you read it correctly …
Digitizing vs. Mowing!
Think about it … just because you can mow
your yard, does that mean you should? (Again, I realize some people get
satisfaction and pleasure from mowing, my wife loves to mow our yard).
Much like I stated at the beginning of this article. You may do it for
pleasure or feel as if you’re stuck with it! You may choose to push mow
with your standard hand mower or step up to a riding mower and sit
comfortably within the leather seat. Either way, you’re still “married”
to the task at hand.
Digitizing = Hand Mower (push from point to point)
Scanning = Riding Mower (scan across the land)
You’ve heard
it and read it many times, “your time is money”. Most of us at some
time or another have chosen to hire someone to do our yard work.
Whether it be mowing or simply raking leaves, we’ve shuffled the chore
to another individual or company. So I pose the question to you, “Why
don’t you hire someone else to do your digitizing?” Choose a
respectable service and send your artwork to the professionals for
digitization.
With technology as advanced as it is today, you can
email (or fax) your logo to the pros and have it back within 24 hours
(two business days for some). This creates a win-win situation for all
parties involved in the process. You win by saving time and money
(remember, your time is money), not to mention the mental challenges
that may arise should you continue to do everything “in house”. Your
customer wins as well! They receive a top quality reproduction of their
artwork in a digital format. This could and should open up more avenues
for you to “lock in” their business for life. Giving you the slight
edge over your competitors and versatility to create more quality
products and services for your clients.
Subscribe to this comment's feed