Clipping masks in logos

[Liquid Layers]

Will it make my printer angry if I send a logo made with clipping masks? Also, how well do blends print? I'm working with one spot color, and I used blends with lines to imitate an etching, and trimmed the edges with a clipping mask.

I ended up doing design work unintentionally on my summer break, the client basically wants a landscape crammed into a circle, and I'm trying my best to deliver.

[AlexNJ210]

The important thing to do would be to send the native file created in whatever app you used, but create a flattened file where the layers and paths have been merged together so as not to interfere with printing settings and send that too. Flattening is like creating a 1 to 1 copy but without the editing capability and all the extra coding for fancy paths and blends. Blends do print but it depends on what colors and how much color is being blended. Maybe you could post the image and others can discern if you're going to have problems.

[Ned]

Will it make my printer angry if I send a logo made with clipping masks? Also, how well do blends print? I'm working with one spot color, and I used blends with lines to imitate an etching, and trimmed the edges with a clipping mask.

I ended up doing design work unintentionally on my summer break, the client basically wants a landscape crammed into a circle, and I'm trying my best to deliver.

Object => Expand Appearance
Layers Palette => Flatten Artwork
Pathfinder = > Subtract/Divide/whatever

If you're sending unexpanded blends, it should be done in native format, anyways, so I don't see a real problem with clipping masks in that case. However, if you're sending an EPS, expand and flatten it, turning both blends and clipping masks into paths.

[Liquid Layers]

Thanks, your help is appreciated.

Someone told the business manager at a place where I got my summer job that I went to school for design, and they happened to be changing their name, so I ended up doing all of their design work.

Hopefully I'll get some good portfolio material out of it. Right now they've got too many cooks in the kitchen, and its looking like its going to take a long time to get anything done, because nobody is really sure who should have final approval over the logo.

[PrintDriver]

Print wouldn't be an issue but a traditional sign guy will HATE you.

<rant>
We are getting more and more logos built with parts covered up with white blocks, expanded 3D extrusions that are separated into a million sections due to the way Illy handles shading in the Effect when expanded, clipping masks over large piles of Junk, blends, grades, bling, bevels, fuzzy drops, basically very nasty files.

People who design logos should learn about sign making and other industry standards in ANY instance a logo may be used before going off on their merry way to create one. And not just signage. Another example is you can't do grades, fades and blends in embroidery either. How many other ways can a logo be used other than on letterhead or a website banner? Think about that before you begin.

I'm not saying you can't make a bling logo but you may want to create a logo Standard to work off of first. If it's a 1 color logo and you are using screens of that color, it might be helpful to know you should be working at percentages ending in 0 (ie 10,20,30...etc) because Pantone does have a by-10s tint fandeck set, or have a Standard that tells people printing/painting the logo what the 100% PMS color would be that matches the percentage you had in mind. It might be helpful to know that screens of colors are considered additional colors in large format printing, paint, or in signage vinyl. It might be helpful to know that a CNC can't cut a broken up extruded letterform if you ever wanted a can-letter sign.

If you check any well-designed logo, there is usually a Standards manual that goes with it that may include many different logo 'looks' depending on use, paper color, size, orientation, branding options, etc. The manual for Microsoft is almost 2" thick...

</rant>

[Liquid Layers]

Thanks PD, that was exactly the response I needed.

I've been trying to explain to the client(s) repeatedly that the logo needs to be simple. The logo that represents your business should not be a landscape depicting the property in a circle. Discussing signage is the proper route to take with them now, I was trying to explain to them that printers have a margin of error, and that its going to be really hard for me to draw a landscape in a tiny black and white circle that will be easily reproducible.

I'm not trying to make a bling logo, I just want it to work smoothly, but the customer wants complexity, and the cumstomer gets what the customer wants. I have been trying to post the logo up here, but I can't get this machine they've got me working on to export a jpeg due to a memory error.

[PrintDriver]

Welll...you could always just print a complex logo on adhesive vinyl for signage.

Yawn.

And if by 'landscape' you mean image, remember the resolution issues.

[Liquid Layers]

haha, an image in a logo, I guess it really can always get worse.

Im using something similar to the "venetian blind" to try and depict a set of mountains, some hills, and a vernal pond which reflects the mountains. The result isnt so easy to read, but I'm getting better at working with white and black.