I have our logo scanned and saved as a PDF and need it as a vector for signage and a small print run. Can a scanned PDF like that be converted into scalable vector artwork?
Yes, if the scan is reasonably sharp and high contrast. I’d open the PDF in Inkscape or Illustrator, trace the logo, then clean up the nodes and lettering by hand before saving as SVG, EPS or PDF. Auto-tracing can get you started, but I always check it closely for signage, especially around curves and small text.
I had this issue when getting signs printed for my building sites. A scanned PDF is basically just a flat colour photo, so it needs tracing to become a scalable vector. You can use pdfcap.com to extract the raw image from your PDF first. Then you just drop that image into standard design software to trace the lines. What device are you working on to do this?
@Henry2010 Good call on pulling the image out first, that step saved me a headache too. My tip: scan or export at the highest resolution you can before tracing, since blurry edges give you wobbly lines. One thing to avoid is trusting auto-trace on small text, it turned the letters on one of our forms into mush. Learned that one the hard way.
Had the same thing last month with our logo for site signs. A scanned PDF is just a picture and it blurs if you make it bigger. I opened it in Inkscape and used the trace tool to turn it into lines that stay sharp at any size, then cleaned it up. That was good enough for our small print run.
I ran into this with a scanned letterhead. A scan is just pixels, so there is no vector to pull out; it has to be redrawn or auto-traced. I would trace it in a drawing program, then check the curves at large size before sending it to the sign shop.
yes, but the scan itself won’t magically become clean vector art. first check whether your logo designer has an original eps, ai, or svg file, since that will look much better than tracing the pdf. otherwise, import the scan into illustrator or inkscape and use their image trace feature, then clean up the paths. for signage, have the printer check small text and sharp edges before production.
Scanned logos are just images, so you gotta trace it into vectors, not just convert the file.
- Open in Illustrator and use Image Trace, or try Inkscape if you don’t have Illustrator.
- Clean up the paths after tracing, scans never trace perfect.
- Keep your original scan backed up in case you need to redo it.
Totally agree, and zooming way in before handing it off is the step I used to skip at my own risk. One thing that helped me: before tracing, ask whoever designed your logo if an original eps or ai is still floating around, since someone in the office often has it. If tracing is the only option, rescanning at 600 dpi first gave me much cleaner curves. nicholasb23
A scan in a PDF is just a flat image, not vector paths. You’ll need to run an auto-trace in something like Inkscape or Illustrator to convert it, or pay someone to manually redraw it tbh.
Crypto Wizard Spot on. Auto-trace got me most of the way on a scanned logo at the help desk, but the small text always falls apart. I ended up redrawing the letters by hand over the traced paths. Worth zooming way in before you call it done.