What makes an export to pdf different between Designer and Adobe Illustrator?

[obeydesign]

I'm using an application for the Cameo Silhouette paper cutter. The application reads, amongst other things, a pdf file and sends cutting data to the machine. The pdfs can have layer information, which is also read by the Silhouette software, and layers can be turned on and off depending on cutting needs. However, pdfs made with Designer do not basically work, all the layers are combined. I've saved out to different kinds of pdf files from Designer, with the same results. I've tested old pdfs made with Illustrator, and they work correctly.

So, how do the two applications save out pdfs, and is there a way to save out from Designer like from Illustrator?

[walt.farrell]

You can tell Designer to include Layers in the PDF, by clicking on the More button in the PDF Export dialog and choosing the option. But you will also need to use the menu option Layer > New Layer (or the icon at the bottom of the Layers panel) to create these special container layers, which will show up as (Layer) in the Layers panel. And you will need to organize your objects into the Layers you need them to be in.

Then, if you are lucky, your other application will handle them as you want it to.

[Dan C]

Hi @obeydesign,

As well as the above, depending on the settings used to create these Curves in Affinity, they may require 'rasterisation' when exporting which would combine all unsupported curve layers into one pixel layer.

Can you please provide a screenshot of your Layers Studio, before exporting the document?

Many thanks in advance

[v_kyr]

Quote

Silhouette Studio® Designer Edition allows for all the above file types as well as the ability to import SVG files and PDF files. If importing PDF, you can select to Import as Image, which will not include cut lines, or Import as Vector, which will perform an automatic trace creating cut lines.

See further:

• How to Use PDF Files in Silhouette Studio (Youtube video)

• Import SVG and PDF files (Designer Edition Feature) - video

• https://www.cinoradesign.ch/welches-ist-das-richtige-dateiformat-zum-plotten/

[obeydesign]

7 hours ago, Dan C said:

Hi @obeydesign,

As well as the above, depending on the settings used to create these Curves in Affinity, they may require 'rasterisation' when exporting which would combine all unsupported curve layers into one pixel layer.

Can you please provide a screenshot of your Layers Studio, before exporting the document?

Many thanks in advance

I have everything in layers, as shown in the screenshot.

[obeydesign]

24 minutes ago, obeydesign said:

I have everything in layers, as shown in the screenshot.

[obeydesign]

10 hours ago, walt.farrell said:

You can tell Designer to include Layers in the PDF, by clicking on the More button in the PDF Export dialog and choosing the option. But you will also need to use the menu option Layer > New Layer (or the icon at the bottom of the Layers panel) to create these special container layers, which will show up as (Layer) in the Layers panel. And you will need to organize your objects into the Layers you need them to be in.

Then, if you are lucky, your other application will handle them as you want it to.

Thank you for your insightful response. I believe I've organized my Designer file as you specified. Here's a screenshot.

[walt.farrell]

Thanks for the screenshots.

I'm not sure what your Silhouette software requires, so I can't say much more. But it looks like you still have 4 groupings (e.g., Art, Bleeds, and one or two others) that are not in Layer layers.

[obeydesign]

These are not the correct kinds of Layers?

[v_kyr]

The question is if the Silhouette software can deal with groups of layers and groups at all? - Further I would start with a simpler just a few layers only AD example, exporting that as PDF and then trying to import that correctly usable into the Silhouette software. If that works then enhancing the AD example accordingly, so all in all trying out small steps first before going over to make bigger steps here.

[obeydesign]

6 minutes ago, v_kyr said:

The question is if the Silhouette software can deal with groups of layers and groups at all? - Further I would start with a simpler just a few layers only AD example, exporting that as PDF and then trying to import that correctly usable into the Silhouette software. If that works then enhancing the AD example accordingly, so all in all trying out small steps first before going over to make bigger steps here.

Thanks. I tried simply creating a new document with three squares on it, each in a different layer, but that didn't give me three layers in Studio, either.

[MikeW]

I believe what you have are Named Groups, not Layers.

I've attached a PDF--try it, please. There should be 3 layers in Silhouette Studio, plus a grouped object not on a layer.

I've also attached the AD file so you can review.

untitled.afdesign Untitled.pdf

[walt.farrell]

1 hour ago, obeydesign said:

These are not the correct kinds of Layers?

They should be labeled (Layer) in the Layers panel, which is what you get from the menu Layer > New Layer that I suggested earlier. You have several of those; I think you may need more.

[obeydesign]

Well, I'm some kind of idiot. The layers worked, but the group in your document was layered with another layered, as shown in the screenshot. 

When I copy your layers to my original document (second and third screenshots), I'm back to a single layer in Studio.

I must have some basic misunderstanding of how AD works.

[v_kyr]

1 hour ago, obeydesign said:

I tried simply creating a new document with three squares on it, each in a different layer, but that didn't give me three layers in Studio, either.

Each Square is a layer on it's own here! - Aka every (Curve) is already a layer and every (Rectangle) too!

 

[MikeW]

That, the group outside of the layer structure was to replicate what you did with the expected results. 

Walt's first post tells you how to create Layers. As well, there's an icon at the bottom of the Layer panel you can use to create Layers. 

Once you create your Layers, name them as per your groups. Then move the group into the named Layer.

Affinity applications use the name "layer" to refer to objects. The Layers you will create are what AI is using. 

[v_kyr]

Just start with two rectangle layers and nothing more here first! - Aka ...

• layer_test.afdesign
• layer_test.pdf

 

 

 

[R C-R]

@obeydesign, in case it still is not clear to you, note that in Affinity the capital L type of Layer (like is shown in parentheses in the Layers panel) is a particular kind of container layer, similar to but not the same as a group layer (like those shown in the Layers panel with the word "Group" enclosed in parentheses).

[obeydesign]

Here's a file with everything on its own layer?

earrings-EXP-6.afdesign

[v_kyr]

2 minutes ago, obeydesign said:

Here's a file with everything on its own layer?

earrings-EXP-6.afdesign 10.29 kB · 0 downloads

Yes!

[obeydesign]

Okay, I moved all the curves and rectangles out of their layer groups, but don't get separate layers in Studio. 

Here's a file with everything on its own layer?

earrings-EXP-6.afdesign

[obeydesign]

2 minutes ago, v_kyr said:

Yes!

In Studio, everything is on a single layer. Therefore, the issue must be in the export to pdf settings?

[MikeW]

No. There are simply objects.

[obeydesign]

6 minutes ago, R C-R said:

@obeydesign, in case it still is not clear to you, note that in Affinity the capital L type of Layer (like is shown in parentheses in the Layers panel) is a particular kind of container layer, similar to but not the same as a group layer (like those shown in the Layers panel with the word "Group" enclosed in parentheses).

So, I've moved one of the curves to a Layer. Is that correct?

[MikeW]

Here's a simplified version.

earrings-EXP-6-2.afdesign