Publication-quality images

Posted 7 Mar 2013 by JC

On Stitch-Maps.com, stitch maps are displayed as PNG images. That’s all fine and dandy for viewing the stitch maps online. But bitmapped image formats like PNG aren’t ideal for publication purposes: They don’t scale well, and they look fuzzy when printed.

Vector graphics to the rescue: They print clearly at any scale, making them ideal for inclusion in print publications – such as knitting patterns.

And now Stitch-Maps.com lets you create vector graphics. Take a peek at the “Actions” pane on each stitch pattern’s detail page. “Export” options let you create PDF, EPS, and SVG images.

Of these formats, PDF is my favorite. You can view PDF files created via Stitch-Maps.com in any PDF viewer, including Adobe Reader and many modern web browsers. You can edit them in Adobe Illustrator. And you can place them within Adobe InDesign documents.

So, my favorite beta testers, have at it! Give the “Export” options a try. (Just like private collections, these options are available to everyone during the beta period, but slated for premium subscribers only at some point in the future.) See what happens when you load these images into your favorite tools. And please let me know if you run into any glitches!

Coming soon: tips for editing stitch maps within Illustrator.