Create a copy of image w/ultra thin black lines, no fill

[DGehman]

Executive summary of need: turn a color, line-and-fill Xara image into a very thin black line, no fills, no other colors.

I'm reproducing a 1930s - 1940s decal from a toy crib that we're restoring and repainting. The original decal on the headboard is deteriorated and flaking off, so I decided to reproduce it on clear inkjet waterslide decal paper. (White paper wouldn't work because of the open area between background ovals and the figure itself; here's the reproduced decal image - imagine everything not in color to be a clear area: )


However, since inkjet printing doesn't include opaque white, I need to manually paint white on the decal sheet behind the ovals and the figure to make the colors pop and to prevent the pink-painted crib background from showing through. I'd like to take the Xara image, copy it, then turn the copy into a very light black or gray line with no fills. This becomes guidelines for hand-painting

I'll print the black line version first on the decal sheet, paint white on it, then print the color version over top.

How do I transform a copy of the original into my guidelines?

[DGehman]

Um, never mind.

Selected everything, copy, new document, paste -- while everything is selected, make it no fill, change lines to 0.5 and shift-click on gray to make them all gray.

[mwenz]

I would simply draw the outline. You will get a crisp black line that way. Only takes a minute.

Mike

[mwenz]

2 minutes.

Mike

[DGehman]

Thanks, yes, I see what you've done. All I'd have to do is add the internal lines representing where the outside ovals and in interior yellow oval end (the spaces between needs to remain clear), another minute or so at most.

[mwenz]

Thanks, yes, I see what you've done. All I'd have to do is add the internal lines representing where the outside ovals and in interior yellow oval end (the spaces between needs to remain clear), another minute or so at most.

By the way...don't know if something like this works for you. First hit in a Google search:

http://www.decalpaper.com/

They have white water slide decal paper for both inkjets and laser printers.

Mike

[DGehman]

Thanks, yes, my first decision was for the clear, since the areas between the ovals and the bunny should remain clear. I didn't want the new-fangled clear plastic film type... wanted to keep the vintage look.

[Christine Farrelly]

You could also try - fill all shapes with white and give a black line to them - this will create a black and white version - create a bitmap copy - remove white from bitmap and export as png.

Christine

[DGehman]

That's an elegant solution. (Actually, I don't need the printout to be clear -- just need the outlines for laying down a hand-painted opaque white area on the decal paper.)