[Majination]

Hello, all. I am creating a design for custom ceramic chips, and have a few questions. While I do have Illustrator, I have never used it. To create the preliminary designs below I used Photoshop.

What image size should I be using for optimal graphics quality on the chip?

The color variance of the checkerboard on my "inlay" isn't that great, as I want it to be a subtle effect. I am worried about the checkerboard not being visible at all, though. Do you think this will be a problem? The image on the NJ Bounty's seems to be a little washed out... and while I don't think I will be using NJ (spinners), I am afraid of the squares not being defined well enough.

My plan has been to create a ring of text between the checkerboard and the solid edge color, on top of the solid black ring. I don't have the text set in stone yet, but was thinking about "Lizard Lounge - Cardroom & Grill" repeating to fill the circle. Undecided on whether I should use white or stay with the base color of the chip. Any feedback on the text and color?

I was given the suggestion of putting the text on the other side of the chip as an alternative to writing along the outside of the checkerboard. Since I would have more artwork would I be charged more?

From reading articles and posts I am under the impression that AI files are the preferred format for vendors. Is there a downside to first creating/saving the design with Photoshop, and then opening the PSD file within Illustrator and saving it in the AI format when the design is complete? Creating the circular text is doable in Photoshop, but a pain. I figure I will add the circular text using Illustrator as the last step.

All feedback will be welcomed. Anything I should add, remove, or change?

[Poboy]

Originally Posted by Majination

...From reading articles and posts I am under the impression that AI files are the preferred format for vendors. Is there a downside to first creating/saving the design with Photoshop, and then opening the PSD file within Illustrator and saving it in the AI format when the design is complete? Creating the circular text is doable in Photoshop, but a pain. I figure I will add the circular text using Illustrator as the last step.

All feedback will be welcomed. Anything I should add, remove, or change?

You would have to make paths of all th work in PS, and import them each into Illustrator. Your design isn't really that hard to do in Illustrator, I would just do it in there. Since it's vector art, the size doesn't really matter, but I tend to go with 3"x3" for any designs I do as a matter of convenience.
To do it in Illustrator, open your PS file. Lock the layer, make a new one, and trace the lizard with the pen tool (the pen tool is way better than PS). For the pen tool, you have two colors to choose, the line and the fill. I usually make the fill blank and the line whatever color I want. When I'm done tracing around, I switch them.
Then the circles are a matter of using the ellipse tool. Use the Pathfinder/Align palette to center them. You have to select both circles with the black arrow at the top left of the toolbox (the white one selects only a piece of the circle) For the checkerboard, just make the board (right click, 'Group' to move them or make multiple copies), then make a circle and right click 'make clipping mask.'

For suggestions, I think you might want to either make the lizard bigger, or more contrasty with the bkgrnd

[Majination]

Here is one with the text included. Hmmm. Not sure if I like it better with the text or not. I'll have to come back to it several times.

[atimbol]

Originally Posted by Majination

Here is one with the text included. Hmmm. Not sure if I like it better with the text or not. I'll have to come back to it several times.

Unless you have a printer that prints 4000x4000 dpi or better, you may need to rethink the size of the text surround. On a label roughly 1" in diameter, it is very hard to print that small without losing legibility. I think you may need to go about twice as large as what you currently have in the image to make it legible.

[Majination]

Originally Posted by Poboy

Your design isn't really that hard to do in Illustrator, I would just do it in there. Since it's vector art, the size doesn't really matter, but I tend to go with 3"x3" for any designs I do as a matter of convenience.

I think I'll give it a go in Illustrator after I'm sure of what the final look will be. I appreciate the pointers on how to get me there. For now, because I am somewhat experienced in Photoshop I think I'll knock out the different ideas there. It will save me some time, and definitely some frustration, heh.

Originally Posted by Poboy

For suggestions, I think you might want to either make the lizard bigger, or more contrasty with the bkgrnd

The lizard can't get much larger, so I think that is out. The lizard itself is black but mostly transparent, letting the base chip color come through. I'll try saving several versions with different levels of transparency to see which I like best.

Thanks for all the info!

[Majination]

Originally Posted by atimbol

Unless you have a printer that prints 4000x4000 dpi or better, you may need to rethink the size of the text surround. On a label roughly 1" in diameter, it is very hard to print that small without losing legibility. I think you may need to go about twice as large as what you currently have in the image to make it legible.

Good Point. I'll make them larger. Thanks.

[yster]

Considering the finish that will be put on the ceramics, yeah you'll want to look at the legibility of your text. Above all, remember that these are going to be printed on a non-self-illuminated surface (i.e. not a monitor) so you really want to be careful with what kind of translucent and otherwise effects you're going to adapt for your chip. If all else stumps you, simply print these out on any decent color printer you have available to you and see how they look.

An easy way out in moving stuff from PS -> AI is to save the bitmap as large as you can and use the 'auto trace' tool in Illustrator. That gives a reasonable result, but you usually will want to take out some unnecessary points on the traced path and adjust anchors as necessary.

Good luck, I think these could be great chips.

[Fins]

Originally Posted by Majination

Hello, all. I am creating a design for custom ceramic chips, and have a few questions. While I do have Illustrator, I have never used it. To create the preliminary designs below I used Photoshop.

What image size should I be using for optimal graphics quality on the chip?

First, Great Start! Love the lizard.

Definitely do these in AI and if going Chipco you'll need to use their color palette (search puzzlemonkey's posts for his AI template to get them). Make them to scale in AI (i.e. 39.00mm circle with a 37.05mm circle for the inlay... the unprinteable area is designed in for wear protection). Also, check out Homepokerchips Chip Design FAQ for custom Chipcos if you haven't already.

If you already have the lizard as a work path in PS then you can just select it & copy it directly over to an open AI file. If not then create one in PS which I find easier but I haven't messed with autotrace or livetrace in AI yet so you could also give those a shot. If the image is large enough with good resolution than you can use the magic wand tool to select all the parts and right click to make a work path playing with the setting till your happy with it and tweak from there... or longer route as mentioned trace yourself with the pen tool.

Some random comments...
- I like the lizard's size
- Don't know if I care about the checkered board but think some sort of pattern bkg is good. I think the checkerboard should be the shade of the chip base rather than shade tinted black board if that makes sense.
- I think the text should be larger also.
- Defintely going non-denom?
- Seems like the design needs something but don't have any suggestions right now.

Look forward to your progess... keep us posted

[Fins]

Originally Posted by Majination

The lizard itself is black but mostly transparent, letting the base chip color come through. I'll try saving several versions with different levels of transparency to see which I like best.

Why do this? I'd just make it a work path and color the same a the chip base.

[Majination]

Originally Posted by Fins

If the image is large enough with good resolution than you can use the magic wand tool to select all the parts and right click to make a work path playing with the setting till your happy with it and tweak from there...

Thanks, that made the process MUCH easier than I thought it was going to be. With the tips I have received I will continue to recreate the design in Illustrator as time permits. Something else to learn--Yay! ) I think the entire design process will be fun and educational. I bookmarked the Design FAQ at HomePokerChips and will download PuzzleMonkey's color palette.

Originally Posted by Fins

Defintely going non-denom?

Yeah. I can't afford two sets of chips (cash/tourney), nor can I afford more than 500. At least not for a while. Non-denom seems like my best option. Rolling edges will be a solid color most likely. I am thinking about possibly having a small mark/design spaced far apart... 4 or 5 max.

Originally Posted by Fins

Don't know if I care about the checkered board but think some sort of pattern bkg is good. I think the checkerboard should be the shade of the chip base rather than shade tinted black board if that makes sense.

I felt there was a need for a background, but didn't have many ideas. The "starburst" design behind 2_hotty's Rouvalis chip was subtle yet made a huge impact on the design. I thought about sine waves, thinking that it could give the impression of desert/sand, but don't think it would look very pleasing overall.

I'm not sure what you meant about the checkerboard being a shade of the chip base rather than a shade tinted black? However, I am totally open to ideas and change. Currently the dark squares are black, and the lighter squares are black with some transparency. The effect is that the lighter squares are a darker shade of the base color.

Originally Posted by Fins

Why do this? I'd just make it a work path and color the same a the chip base.

By this do you mean that the lizard should be the same color and shade as the chip base? I was afraid it would make the chip appear to be "too much" of one color.

I chose to work with transparencies for the sake of convenience. I created a layer for each colored chip base. On top of these layers was the layer for the checkerboard and lizard. After creating both of these upper layers I could quickly modify the opacity to change the shades of both the board and lizard, checking to see how it looked against each chip color by hiding the layers that contained the color of chips I didn't want to see.

Originally Posted by Fins

Seems like the design needs something but don't have any suggestions right now.

I feel it is missing something, too. If/when you think of a suggestion don't hesitate to throw it this direction!