How to create vector PDF file of 300DPI for logo?

[amis13064776]

Hi everyone. I am trying to save some money by designing my logo myself. The company who are printing my business cards need me to send the file as a vector PDF, 300DPI. I do not know how to save the file this way. I only have Lightroom and Photoshop on my Mac (I'm a photographer.) Can I save the file as they requested using Photoshop? If so, how?

Thanks in advance!

[Eternal Warrior]

Even if you could just make the logo in Photoshop you REALLY shouldn't... Illustrator is what you should use....

Everyone should always use Illustrator for Logos and Illustrations...

Even InDesign would be better...

Vectors are point based rather than pixel based so for goodness sake if you ignore this comment and do it in Photoshop anyway at least make it using the Pen tools rather than brush etc...

Really sorry I'm not answering in the manner you want... As I want to say you can do it this way...

You can... but you really shouldn't... because Photoshop is a pixel based programme which also means that the company you make the logo for will distort every time they shrink or grow it to print on other thinks.. Resolutions will get weaker and eventually they could end up with something that doesn't look like what it started as.

Sorry

[amis13064776]

No need to apologise, I appreciate the information, I genuinely do not have a clue about this stuff (I only really use Lightroom!)

The logo is for my own branding, not somebody elses. The company need me to send them my logo design so that they can print my business cards for me.

Thanks guys I appreciate your help, I think I will either have to purchase illustrator or find a designer to do it for me! I only want my full name with a small floral design underneath it, so I thought I'd be able to do it myself.

[Eternal Warrior]

Well I'm not sure I've done my good deed for the week so perhaps go ahead and make a pixel version of the logo and write down in a text file all the colours and font sizes, types etc you use and then either I might be nice and vector it (cause hey the world is going to hell anyway) or someone will have an easier time doing it.

Or get illustrator I suppose...

Best regards,

EW

[Eternal Warrior]

Got sidetracked.. My apologies.

Please don't feel like I have discouraged you from using Photoshop > You could always improve the logo in various ways in the future...

I do however stick to my point about keeping a record of how you made the logo even if its only for your own use. It comes in handy when you need to make amendments etc..

[Trevor.Dennis]

Eternal Warrior wrote:

Even if you could just make the logo in Photoshop you REALLY shouldn't... Illustrator is what you should use....

Sorry

You make your point so strongly, I am wondering where it comes from?  Did you have a bad experience with Photoshop. At the very least you have misguided the OP, and possibly put the OP off using Photoshop's very capable (but not quite as capable as Illustrator's) Pen and Shape tools. 

You should also be mindful that the Photography Plan has driven a huge increase in Adobe's customer base.  There are now eight million people with some sort of CC subscription, and I have read that more than half of that number has the $10/month Photography plan, so they will only have Photoshop Lightroom and Bridge.  You are asking them to treble their outlay with Adobe to add Illustrator when they absolutely don't need to.

[Eternal Warrior]

Kindly please don't quote me if you are going to pick and choose...

Particularly as I went on to say how you could use Photoshop and the flaws to be aware of... which D Fosse kindly backed me up on.

No I'm not mad at Photoshop.. I use it literally every day to touch up company/supplied photos and it does some amazing things.

I also regularly use Illustrator and InDesign and Acrobat... With occasional need to use After effects and Premier Pro to make animations and videos.

I'm also acutely aware how many people have the photography plan and I highly recommend it to people starting out... Personally I think Adobe should make a Design plan at the same price > that includes Illustrator and InDesign with Bridge.

That said I'm not going to recommend someone to hit a nail with the butt of a screwdriver when a hammer is more efficient.

I will point out how they can accomplish it in Photoshop and answer the OP's question but that doesn't mean its the best way to do it.

So what exactly are you trying to accomplish here?

I feel like discussion contributors are often afraid to recommend best practices because the question was in a particular forum. It's either that or sometimes you will get an MVP/ACP/Other have a go at you because you question why the OP wants to do something a particular way.

It's a bit like a society where everyone people pleases because they are afraid they will get sued.

Also as an additional point - that's Adobe's fault for asking someone to treble their outlay because they want as good a deal as the photography package but with the best software for their needs.

I also offered to make a true vector logo for the OP for free and not because I care if I get the correct answer..

[D Fosse · Accepted solution]

As pointed out, Illustrator is Adobe's primary vector app. But Photoshop has some vector tools built in. They're mainly there as an aid to making masks and selections, but with a little care you can make finished vector files from Photoshop. As long as you keep it simple. Anything complicated, and you need Illustrator.

The Photoshop tool you need to master for this is the Pen tool. No space for a full pen tool tutorial here, but basically you draw a path over the original, fill and stroke as required - and delete the original pixel layer. You don't want any pixels. Then Export to PDF with the appropriate settings.

[Eternal Warrior]

Should have mentioned that.

Good point.

Keep it simple....

[D Fosse]

Well, to be perfectly honest I'm not entirely sure it really is that simple.

I mean, you can fill/stroke paths in Photoshop, but the fill/stroke acts as pixel content. If you modify the path, the fill doesn't follow, as it would in Illustrator. So you may still, effectively, be left with a pixel file.

I've never really researched this. I always use Illustrator for anything vector, and hardly ever touch the pen tool in Photoshop.

[Trevor.Dennis]

Of course you can use Photoshop to make your logo as a vector object, and of course you can save it out as a high quality print PDF.  Heck, it sounds like the OP doesn't have Illustrator, so it is moot anyway.  The logos below are a tiny percentage of ones I have made using Photoshop, and they are all infinitely scalable vector art that can be saved as PDF with the High Quality Print Preset.

[EDITED] to make it clear who I was referring to

[Eternal Warrior]

Did you use the Pen tool and fills to make all these logos? Otherwise for SVG's an Pixel based elements of your image will look shockingly blurry and exporting as a PDF will still mean that its a pixel based logo even though a PDF won't compress your logo (and it will a loseless save) it wont be "VECTORED".

Using a Pen tool and path based shapes etc may allow you to create a simple logo (in Photoshop) but it won't replace Illustrator otherwise Adobe and others wouldn't bother having it / using it.

[Trevor.Dennis]

Detail of the National Geographic logo, but I have absolutely no idea why I am bothering, because of course it is fully vectored.  Why would I make it any other way? 

[Eternal Warrior]

Also as my point was to help the OP not get in an argument that accomplishes very little...

I kindly advise you show a screen shot that shows all the vector points highlighted rather than image size... (and a very large file size at that)..

OR of course you could have just say yes they are vectored in Photoshop and that you felt I was not encouraging the OP.

For which I would have apologised.

Because I love Photoshop and I want more people to make better images and work generally.

[D Fosse]

All right, calm down everyone

If Trevor says it's workable that's good enough for me. But I thought it was an interesting point - one I hadn't really considered or investigated - namely, whether the fill is vector data or pixel data. We all know the path is certified vector and scalable from here to Alpha Centauri.

What caught my attention was the fact that the fill didn't follow the modified path, but stayed in the area of the old path.

But I suppose it's settled.

[Eternal Warrior]

Sorry - I clearly got a little annoyed that Trevor seemed to think I was so angry and passionate about a moot point and then followed up with the classic "but I have absolutely no idea why I am bothering" speel.

Also, Yes that is interesting.

I want to get along with everyone and I apologise if I came across too passionate for you Trevor.Dennis

[Ascendead]

Well...

Photoshop can obviously make true vectors illustrations. It's just less easier to draw than in Illustrator, mainly because Photoshop's anchor points drawn with Pen tool are hardly editable. So it takes more time, it's less accurate, really boring, but it still gives a true vector objet.

You seem to think that Photoshop's Pen tool can only make pixelated images because you're selecting "Paths" with your Pen tool, instead of "Shapes". With "Paths" pen tool, you can only use "Fill" option. But with "Shapes" option, it works exactly like a Shape in Illustrator, where both fills and strokes are vectors. Which make them fully editable at any moment, exactly like in Illustrator.

Then he will be able to export his vector objects as true EPS, SVG, or PDF with vector contents, and still perfectly editable with Illustrator.

Just keep in mind the OP only wants to make one vector in PS. He would be dumb to buy Illustrator for one single illustration.

[Eternal Warrior]

*Sigh* - I give up...

I'm sorry you have interpreted what I said like this...I don't think pen shapes are the only way or visa versa...

I just said that it wasn't as easy or good as Illustrator...

Yes he would be mad....

Insert reference to hitting nail with the butt of a screwdriver here...

Your comments were helpful to the OP though.

[D Fosse]

OK - that's what I wanted to know. With the pen tool set to shapes instead of paths, the fill is "live" and editable - and without question scalable. I hadn't caught on to that, so that's useful.

Free beer in the bar, gentlemen. Go mingle

[Eternal Warrior]

Also no one said you couldn't use it... Just that you were better not to.

[Nancy OShea]

Original canvas must have sufficient pixels and at least 300 PPI resolution.

Switch Image > Mode to CMYK color.

File > SaveAs > PDF...

At the PDF dialogue, set Adobe PDF Preset to High Quality Print.   Under Options, disable Optimize for Fast Web Preview.  You do not want this optimized for web.  It's a print file.  See screenshot.