5 Replies Latest reply: Nov 4, 2013 7:53 AM by jdanek RSS

    Logo breaking apart when turned into an EPS

    Dalal Nizam Community Member
    Dalal Nizam Oct 28, 2013 4:03 PM

      Hello all

       

      I'm experiencing a problem with a client's logo that is becoming increasingly annoying and making it difficult to reproduce via printing. Each time I turn the logo into an EPS for printing it breaks apart. I've included a dropbox link to show you what I mean. Lines appear throughout the logo, I first thought perhaps it was the PDF glitching but when printed, those lines came through.

       

      I've overcome this problem temporarily by going into photoshop, flattening the logo according to the dimensions I need it in and bringing it back into the document but it doesnt turn out as crisp and clear as it would as an EPS

       

      I'm not sure if there is something in the settings that is causing it to break apart, or I'm doing something wrong or the file is corrupted but I'd really like to know why this is happening.

       

      Here is the link:
      https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/23734571/CRA_LOGO_BREAKING_APART.pdf

       

      Doesn't seem to be breaking apart as horribly as it would in this instance but the screen shot provided on the second page should show you what happens in illustrator and indesign when its introduced as an eps. All other formats are fine.

       

      Any advice anyone can give me would be extremely helpful.

       

      Cheers,

        • 1. Re: Logo breaking apart when turned into an EPS
          jdanek Community Member
          jdanek Oct 28, 2013 6:14 PM (in response to Dalal Nizam)

          That doesn't appear to be the original artwork.  My guess it is a regenerated version of a PDF opened and saved in Illustrator.  When you save it as an EPS, the file is rendered and flattened.  See if you can get your hands on the original file, which could be a layered .ai file.

          • 2. Re: Logo breaking apart when turned into an EPS
            Dalal Nizam Community Member
            Dalal Nizam Oct 28, 2013 7:21 PM (in response to jdanek)

            That would make sense, I'm not sure which is the original file. I only started working with CRA this year and the logo was created 10 years ago from my understanding. Is there any way to find the original without saving them as an EPS and seeing which one doesn't break apart? Is there anything I can do with the existing files that could stop it from breaking apart?

             

            Also, if you don't mind me asking, how did you know that? Has this problem happened with you before?

             

            Thank you so much for your reply, it's really helped shed some light on this issue.

            • 3. Re: Logo breaking apart when turned into an EPS
              jdanek Community Member
              jdanek Oct 29, 2013 9:15 AM (in response to Dalal Nizam)

              No.  Typically I never see that type of "rendering" or re-interpretation.  It's my guess as to what is going on with the artwork you are working with.  Rarely I will get a second generation vector file that has some type of gradient mesh applied to it and the original file was never "Expanded".  When re-opened, Illustrator redraws the gradients using multiple paths.  The danger i doing it that way is Illustrator might be using the Preview data to interpret the artwork because the original artwork is not available.  And, somewhere along the way a PDF was produced from the original artwork and now is being redrawn.  This is all my hunch.  It could also be the riginal was created on a PC and is now reinterpreted on a Mac or vice versa.  Take a look at the Layers of all of the files you have.  Check, too, if there are any missing bitmap links.  You are now an official forensic software investigator.

              • 4. Re: Logo breaking apart when turned into an EPS
                Dalal Nizam Community Member
                Dalal Nizam Nov 3, 2013 7:45 PM (in response to jdanek)

                Hey!

                 

                Ha, I've upgraded from Graphic designer to forensic software investigator, I'm okay with this!


                I didn't realise second generation vector files could do this but in saying that, I found the original which was an EPS vector. However, the emblem-like graphic (the circular graphic, not sure what to call it) is half vector, half photoshop. The green DNA-looking structure was made in Illustrator. The shadow that embodies the circle was created in photoshop. The 2 have been combined and brought into an illustrator file but the emblem-like graphic has been linked in from photoshop.

                 

                Either way, the logo still breaks apart even with the original files.

                 

                Any further advice or are you as stumped as me?

                • 5. Re: Logo breaking apart when turned into an EPS
                  jdanek Community Member
                  jdanek Nov 4, 2013 7:53 AM (in response to Dalal Nizam)

                  Do you have the original layered file?  My guess is the logo was not created properly.  There should be no need to use a Photoshop shadow file.  I would try to simplify each layer using some of the Pathfinder tools like Merge, Intersect, etc. All of the sectioning is happening in the Flattening process when you do the Save As > EPS.  You may have to rebuild the file ( i.e., Photoshop shadow ) and, in the process, simplify the parts.  It is going to take some experimentation to get a clean version of the logo.  I am not "stumped", but would proceed as I've indicated here. You could post in the Illustrator Forum and see what others have to say about it.  As far as logos go, it is not an ideal piece of art.  Vendors should not have any problems putting a logo into production.  But, this is a clear case of an overly complicated application of what is supposed to be a simple graphic.