Error Messages....

[LMTCreativeDesigns]

Why am I getting this message when I save to PNG EPS DXF formats?   I have attached a picture of what I get.....

[Lazur]

Because inkscape svg holds the informations to the fullness.
Always have an svg copy of your drawing. If you want to make further adjustments to it in the future.

Png is a raster format, more than that saving as png means a rasterization at a fixed resolution.
Until inkscape decides to launch their vector and raster compare page, check this article.

Eps is the printer's format, not for data exchanging. And as outdated as that spec is, it cannot handle transparency and gradients.

Dxf is a cad format -if you save in that, your paths may turn to segments.
All the gradients, clipping-masking and fancy stuff discarded. It can be useful for some sort of work like a laser cutter or similar cnc, or for further editing in a cad software.


For regular use saving as inkscape svg is fine,
printing is easier outside inkscape if you save as svg, and for web useage usually raster image's are better-for that, you can export parts of your drawing.

Off-Topic: show

By the way you can take screenshots with PrintScreen and crop them in mspaint.

[LMTCreativeDesigns]

Thank you for the quick response.  I would like to be able to use the files to sell to people that use the cutting machines, Cricut and Sillouette.  A friend ask me to make something in the DXF file and I did, but she said she can't open it on her Silhouette machine even though it was the format that the machine uses.   I like using this program, very user friendly and have been learning how to do it.  Is there other software that could save as a DXF.   I also have been told that using the SVG in their machines, they got an error message that said vectors missing. I don't have a cutting machine, at least not yet, so that I could help them out.  I have bought a couple files to use and it looks like they were made in Inkscape also..

[brynn]

From one slightly mature lady to another:  Welcome to the forum!

Yes, I agree!  Always save an SVG version of your file, if you think you might ever want to edit the image in the future.  If you don't save an SVG version, you might not ever be able to edit it, without starting over from the beginning.

When you received that particular error message, what had you been trying to do?  I've only seen that kind of error message a couple of times.  And mostly it's when I've tried to change the format by simply saving the image with a different extension.  So that could be the reason why the DXF didn't work, if you didn't take the proper steps to create it.  If you imported an image, and simply used Save As DXF, that will not create the vector output that you need.  That could be why it didn't work.

If you are converting existing raster images (PNG, JPG, GIF, etc.) to vector (SVG, EPS, DXF, and others) I've written a series of tutorials.  Depending on your particular goals some of these might help:  http://forum.inkscapecommunity.com/index.php?action=articles;cat=6

For help with making files ready for different kinds of cutting machines (I mean the home/craft kind of cutters) you can try this other forum (kind of like our adopted sister forum):  http://www.inkscapecuttingdesign.com/smf/index.php.  Personally, I might not be able to answer your questions there.  The other members there are very knowledgeable and experienced, but don't visit very often.  However, you can search while you're waiting for them.  And I can always take a swing at the question, if it's urgent.

For other kinds of cutters, such as laser cutters or CNC machines (gcode), the only way to get support is through the forum shown on the extension's Help tab.  But it sounds like you're talking about home/craft cutters.

Also, various sites where you might be considering to sell your images, might have specific requirements for the images they will accept.  So you'll always want to read their terms of service and  various license issues.  And if you want to copyright your images, that's a whole other story, which needs some research.

Off-Topic: show

Regarding Lazur's tips on making screenshots, I wrote a tutorial to help people learn how:  http://forum.inkscapecommunity.com/index.php?action=articles;sa=view;article=12  It looks like you've already figured out part of it   

Please feel free to ask for clarification, if you don't understand something 

[LMTCreativeDesigns]

Brynn, 
Thank you soo much for helping me out.  I will be checking out the link that you provided!  I will wait till it is nice and quiet around here so I can concentrate on what I am doing!! Yes that was what I was doing when I got that message. I was just trying to save that image as a DXF.   If I am understanding you there are different things to do the image before you save it in a DXF format. 

[brynn]

Yes, basically how all these cutters work, is they need vector paths to cut on.  If there is no vector path, the machine doesn't have the instructions it needs to cut.

Some vector formats can contain both vector (paths) and raster content.  I think EPS and PDF are the main ones.  DXF can only contain vector paths, as far as I know.  So if the original image is a raster format (PNG, JPG, GIF, etc.) it needs to be "vectorized".  The tutorials I wrote can show you how to convert raster images to vector, depending on your goals.

Where the other forum can help, is that sometimes, even if you have vector paths, certain machines need certain options or other things, to be able to work properly.  For example, I've heard that some machines don't like a lot of nodes.  Some techniques for converting raster images to vector end up with TONS of nodes.

You can see the nodes in Inkscape, by selecting the vector path with the Node tool    .  My tutorials will explain more about that.  And there are also a lot of tutorials in the other forum too.  And they aren't all in the boards labelled as tutorials, so you might try using Search, to find them a ll.  (However, all the tutorials on this forum, are in the Tutorials tab.)

You have a lot to learn!  But we're here to help