Inkscape
Inkscape is a tool that was developed originally for authoring and editing SVG files. Due to its open-source nature, it’s freely distributed and also included as a port for major server platforms, including Ubuntu. By using Inkscape from the command-line, you can convert the vector into EPS or rasterize with given DPI setting into hires PNG.

Pros: all-in-one application, easy to install;
Cons: requires lots of resources, slow on bulk converts;

PhantomJS
PhantomJS is an extension to NodeJS and can be used to accomplish PNG previews of the web pages. By utilizing this feature, one can also prepare screenshots out of the designs produced by users. PhantomJS might be the right choice if you are a NodeJS fan or need quick and straightforward conversion of SVG into PNG formats of various dimensions.

Pros: integrated into NodeJS platform, easy to run;
Cons: no implementations for other platforms, supports raster only;

CloudConvert
This is a new hosted service that also features API to upload and convert images in numerous formats. Among others, it can export SVG into several formats like EPS, PNG, TIFF, and so on.

Pros: no need to install server software, quick and robust;
Cons: requires API development, does not have font embedding option;

ImageMagick
Last but not least, is the choice of millions of developers around the world, the magnificent ImageMagick image library, and the command-line tool. This is an extremely powerful tool that can identify, convert, and edit images using vast options and opportunities. While it focuses on bitmap processing as its main purpose, ImageMagick’s convert command-line tool can be used to produce large bitmap images from SVG. Best results achievable with rsvg delegate, which is installed as a separate application.

Pros: a swiss knife of the image processing, easy to install, already included into number of shared hosting servers, fast;
Cons: no vector to vector conversion support, lower quality compared to other tools;

Regardless of the solution, you would choose, LiveArt team would always be glad to assist and consult on obtaining a production-ready output for your particular integration or project. Check out our practical guide to SVG to get to know more about how to work with this format for a web to print.

config.json

New attributes can be used as optional unless they start to throw exceptions in the console.

{ 
    ... 
    "defaultProductSize": [ 32, 16 ], 
    ... 
}

defaultProductSize attribute can be set for arbitrary size products (e.g., signs) and is non-mandatory.

{ 
    ... 
    "options": {
        "includeProductInDesign": true,
        "includePrintingAreaInDesign": true, 
        "includeMaskInDesign": true,
    }
    ... 
}

include* attributes allow including/excluding certain working elements from the designer SVG output. These will be hidden, if false.

Some other options section attributes include, with examples:

• "checkeredBackground": true, - allows putting a checkered background in the empty area;
• "unit": "in", - specifies main units symbol;
• "unit2": "ft", - specifies 2nd units symbol that will be automatically recalculated if necessary;
• "unitConversionMult": 12, - conversion rate between specified units;
• "showProductSelector": true, - whether to show 1st tab, i.e. ability to select product;
• "checkTextFXThrottle": 400 - delay to wait for the text effect

textEffects block introduced to define the raster text effects generator;

product.json

Additional definitions for products allow for more flexible product setup, including newly introduced signs.

"namesNumbersEnabled": true, - enable names/numbers for specific product;

"clipRect": [170, 75, 410, 485] - clips everything beyond this area, can be same as printable area definition;

    "colorizableElements": [
        {
            "name": "Color",
            "id": ".bg.fill",
            "colors": [
                {
                    "name": "White",
                    "value": "#FFF"
                },
                {
                    "name": "Black",
                    "value": "#000"
                },
                {
                    "name": "Steel Blue",
                    "value": "#4682B4"
                },

With colorizableElements you can now use single multicolor SVG with multiple colorizable areas.

"multicolor": true, should be strictly used with colorizableElements to ensure colorizing.

"resizable": true, indicates that the product can be resized. Should be used with sign type of products.

"showRuler": true, shows ruler for resizable products.

"editableAreaUnitsRange": [
    [10, 100],
    [10, 100]
]

You can indicate the validation range for the sign dimensions using the above attribute inside locations block. Used with sign-based products only.

"editableAreaSizes": [
    {"label":"3x10in", "width":3, "height":10},
    {"label":"4x4in", "width":4, "height":4}
],

Use the above construction if you need to define a set of strict sizes, which can be selected.

"hideEditableAreaBorder": true, can be used to hide the printable area frame for specific products.

"locations": [
                        {
                            "name": "Back",
                            "image": "products/iPhone/bg.svg",
                            "mask": "products/iPhone/iPhone.png"
                        }
                    ],

Use mask reference in location to specify a mask that should be an overlay per certain product location.

fonts.json

boldAllowed, italicAllowed allows disabling the bold, italic for certain fonts if they are not available.

ascent quite specific attribute that is required to calculate the real height of letters for sign products. Its representation should indicate font height in pixels for 32pt font size.

vector this reference is required if you plan to use the vector effects.

All in all, we highly recommend looking into the sample config files you receive with an upgraded package to learn the practical usage of new attributes.

Clippable printable area. Each product may now have a rectangle clippable area, which will clip anything you drag beyond it. The area is defined using the coordinates; no extra product artwork would be required. The clipped design area is a basic function for apparel decoration and design software for standard promotional products like mugs and pens. This would also enable beautiful design opportunities such as overprinting patterns and combining design elements.

Resizable products with a ruler. Producers of signs, stickers, banners, wall decals, paper stationery, custom stamps, and other similar products can now easily configure resizable products instead of populating catalog with standard sizes or using alternative software for these types of products.

Custom masked products. Specially crafted and printed products that have irregular shapes can now be easily prepared and published into LiveArt using masks. The new version contains samples of phone covers and decals that allow users to preview the designed product precisely as it would look, having design cropped or faded as it should.

Multiple new features appeared for text decoration. Let your customers be more creative with text effects and more precise adjustments for them.

Multiline Advanced. LiveArt HTML5 has been powered up with native support of multiple lines of text with several common adjustments. Professional controls include letter spacing, line spacing, and precision adjustment (using the size fields). Still, all UI/UX parts are open, so you can always disable the controls you desire to be hidden for the user.

Text Effects. LiveArt HTML5 is finally powering itself with a gateway to powerful effect engine producing text effects for the chosen fonts, including arc, arch, inflate, perspective, and lots more. Allow your customers to build truly unique designs and yourself to please them with bespoke templates for products.

We haven’t forgotten about the developers, so there is some smaller features and fixes made especially for our beloved audience to facilitate integration and front-end modifications: additional configuration attributes, more versatile product configuration, more static samples, and such. Let us just mention a few:

Bootstrap 3 Styles. The whole UI now uses base bootstrap CSS of version 3. Even though we would encourage using iframe during the integration, one can embed the LiveArt into the bootstrap three websites without having to request LiveArt CSS upgrades.

Canvas API Calls. Developers can use a single API call (userInteract) for accomplishing a number of automated actions throughout the LiveArt without requesting modifications of the LiveArt core. These include selecting a product, adjusting the product size, selecting a printable location, selecting product layer color, control quantities as well as names and numbers, add graphics or text, and much more!

Of course, the new build also includes lots of minor updates, bug fixes, and overall improvements. We would love to hear the feedback and enjoy the latest build.

Mention us the keyword CRABWISE to get a straight 10% discount on the license until Nov 30, 2014.

Businesses may worry about the challenges associated with cross-platform development, like available resources, time, and cost. Luckily there are tools and resources available to help companies better manage the process. These tools can help developers more quickly create apps at a lower cost, with the bonus that many of these tools are simple to use. For example, LiveArt's HTML5 Mobile-Ready Online Product Designer and it's plugins for platforms like Magento, WooCommerce, or Shopify are available for phones, tablets, desktops, and other devices that don't support Flash. They also work with multiple browsers, and the Online Product Designer can be added to any existing website or e-commerce platform as a simple web component.

The days of an app that only performs on a single platform or browser are gone.

Cross-platform development not only allows developers to maintain just a single code base, but it also gives them the capability to fix bugs or other issues immediately on any platform. Having one code base will also reduce cost because it involves less testing.

Users on cross-platform apps also benefit because even those with limited experience can be taught to maintain platforms with a custom content management system. This further reduces the business's cost because it allows an in-house team member to maintain the content and make changes when necessary. Instead of hiring separate developers to create apps specifically for a single platform, businesses can leverage in-house teams and individual employees to maintain operations through the content management system. Changes made by that employee will be reflected across all platforms, rather than having to engage multiple developers to make changes on one single platform.

 
(Image Courtesy of Shutterstock)

Cross-platform development also offers the following advantages:

Reusable code
A developer can use code multiple times rather than rewriting sequences. Once something is coded, it can be re-used in other platforms.

Cloud access
Many cross-platform development tools and frameworks are designed to easily integrate with cloud services, allowing businesses to take advantage of their current enterprise solutions, such as Salesforce.

Plugins
Plugins and other modules can quickly and simply be plugged into available frameworks, tools, and services. These components make it easy to add specific new features to the app.

Ease of deployment
Cross-platform development makes it easier and faster to deploy changes and updates across multiple platforms. Developers can focus on one app and one code base rather than dealing with various programs, which saves the developer time and the company money.

Cross-platform development is a smart decision in today's world of ever-evolving technology. Businesses should take advantage of the tools and resources available to them, as it will save both time and money in the long run, which will allow companies to generate higher profitability overall.

Nick Rojas is a journalist based in Chicago, IL. His work often covers content creation and technology. You can follow him on Twitter @NickARojas.

Today it’s not just about personalization. It’s about someone expressing their own identity by means of having their own unique product, whether it’s a t-shirt, mug, wristband, or a postcard sent to a friend. Respectively, they do it from your website with an online design tool. Your product designer is not just a designing tool, but a whole identity builder. As a marketing tool, it can be central for many activities across your eCommerce site that will continuously drive your business forward.

First off, you can enable customization for pre-made products. Typically, customers would ask you to amend a label or replace an image with their own logo. Making such products “designable” will ease you upon accepting and streamlining the orders. A whole new automated sales channel will be open to scaling up your overall sales.

By having more and more of designed products, you will be knowing what your audience is up to and, thus, understanding the communities you are catering to. Is it a stag/hen party guys, students, brotherhoods, universities, family reunions, politics, or such? Those kinds of ideas would allow you building up a gallery of pre-made designs people can look over, engage, open up in designer, and make an order of the amended or same design.

Finally, what may hold users from sharing their ideas across social networks and their friends? Incentivize your customers to share their orders. With the modern social rebate systems, they can win discounts or free products once they gathered up lots of likes for something you have printed for them. Not to mention that such social users would bring you more customers to have personalized apparel of their own.

When catering to communities or organizations, you can always put design tools as a central point of sale. Projects like Teespring allow for launching campaigns where one’s idea may bring individual profit and bonuses. Why not promote your own business and product in the same way. Building a fundraising micro-sites around your customizable product would open a whole new scaled channel of sales!

All of the above is not a limited list; you are always limited by just your imagination. Social projects, fundraising, charities, crowdfunding all of that is only one LiveArt away to let it happen to your business.

Think It. From the very first contacts with our clients, we thrive on understanding what their business is and what problem they are trying to solve with our tool. This comes in the form of company background, desired user stories, problem descriptions, and business goals. Once we have defined a set of initial scope that has to be covered, our team comes up with initial demos and prototypes.

Build It. Once signed up, the team now works more closely with the client team to compile a set of custom user stories, test cases for them, and respective performance requirements. Each set of this scope is estimated by the team, so that client is always aware of the scope and related cost of the project. The team then plans the sprints accordingly and delivers demos regularly to ensure the project is on track and aligned to customer expectations.

Ship It. Closely to project finish, when around 90% of the scope complete, we encourage the client to commence internal acceptance testing and alpha test for the users. At this time, both our team and client decide when exactly the product should be released and published to the broad audience.

Tweak It. The project itself isn’t finished with the final release. During the support period, the team stays focused on any performance issues, scope gaps, and common fixes to be brushed up for the post-release period. At the same time, both client and team continue to work on further updates, dictated by business needs, thus contributing to overall online product designer value for end-user.

The above approach, put into the Agile/Scrum methodology we use, provides firm results, and is always controllable. For a large company to implement the online design and jump into the market, what could be better?

Contact us if you need consulting services for your web-to-print business.

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