RE: [flasher] Urgent: F5 print files TOO BIG!

[Paul Willoughby]

Rick Lee wrote on 19 February 2001


> 

> This is an urgent problem. My client needs it fixed by Wednesday.

> 

>   I've programmed Flash 5 to act as a layout app to print stylized 

> letters in arbitrary strings. It's Korean Leather Brush Art 

> to be used 

> as souvenirs at  SeaWorld in San Diego. (See www.brush-art.com)

> 

>   The letter files were done in Illustrator and saved as .swf files. 

> They are strung together by using loadMovie() repeatedly. It 

> all works 

> fine. But apparently Illustrator can only save them as bitmaps.


eh? are they saved as SWF's or bitmaps? Or are they converted to bitmaps

then saved as SWF's? Anyway, the point is Illustrator has loads of export

options which can help optimize the file size. If the files are original

vector drawings, you can copy and paste the artwork directly into Flash or

import the .ai file. I've found in the past that if you're working with

really complex vector images it can reduce the file size if you can convert

them to gifs, although that way you'd lose a bit of clarity and the ability

to scale them.


Or do you mean they can only be printed as bitmaps? Flash's 'printAsBitmap'

preserves transparency effects, but is going to produce larger postscript

files (although I've no idea how they get to being 200 mb - it must be very

complex artwork!). The only way to avoid using printAsBitmap *and* maintain

transparency effects is to convert all the images to gifs and use the simple

'print' command. 



hth


paul