What's New in Sign Wizard 6.5?

For version 6.5 we've added these important features:

PDF import and export support
Optional LED Wizard module
Improved AI/EPS importing
Import Adobe Type1 and OpenType fonts
High Quality Anti-Aliased Rendering mode
Intuitive Bitmap Rotation tool
Anchor points feature, which lets you choose from 9 anchor points about which numeric settings apply, such as the x,y position or the rotation angle.
Vertical Weed Lines in Plot Manager
Rasterize tool, which converts a complex vector design into a bitmap, with optional transparency. This makes it a snap to use Photoshop to creates complex raster effects such as bevel and still retain the ability to composite over other graphics, as with vector graphics.
Move to Layer command, which makes it a snap to move objects between layers in very large and complex layouts.
Color Palette Navigator
Support for the Graphtec registration mark system in their vinyl cutters.
Neon Preview can now work with entire groups at a time
The Text Notes feature is enhanced with titles and fields on the left side.
Slant and Height options have been added to the Soft Shadow tool, giving you more creative freedom.
Option in the Color Tab to hide the color wheel and display the color palette by name in a single listbox.
You can now use the alpha keys (A instead of Ctrl+A) when customizing the keyboard accelerators.

Fonts and Text

We have continued to add new capabilities to our world-class text editing features. The new Styles feature lets you save all the text properties of a given job, such as font, size, color, etc., so that you can easily recall them next time you have that job. The Font Wizard enables you to match the font of scanned text so that you can type in a high quality Sign Wizard font instead of vectorizing the text. And of course, the new Text Property Bar shows all of the relevant information about your text at all times, without cluttering up the screen. Text Notes lets you add relevant information about the job like the little sticky notes on your desk. Finally, the Dynamic Effects capability means that even after performing some distortions and effects, you can still go back and edit the text properties, such as the text itself, the font, letter spacing, etc.

Design Tools

A number of new design tools have been added, and several others have been improved, giving you even more creative freedom. The Nested Grouping capability means that you can have groups within groups in a heirarachy for much greater design flexibility. You can see everything in your layout in the improved Layers Palette, where you can arrange, edit, and view information about the various objects of your layout. The History Window, along with Undo and Redo, shows all of your actions and lets you go back and forth through them as you design. The new Distribute tool, and improvements to Step and Repeat, Guidelines, Shapes, and the Border Tool will keep you feeling like an artist.

Effects and Distortions

Just about the entire set of effects and distortions has been improved with this release, through an interactive property bar, or a real time color preview, or new options. The Soft Shadow has been completely redesigned to be the perfect effect for wide format printing and print and cut applications. Weld has a new option: Common Weld for overlapping areas of two objects. Text on a Path has been added, where you can define the path and adjust the letter spacing according to the path. You can now save your favorite Warp templates for future use. The list goes on and on, but perhaps the most exciting addition is Dynamic Effects, which allows you to go back and edit the text after applying the effect or distortion!

Vector Graphics Tools

The ability to easily manage and manipulate vectors and nodes to create any design has always been a cornerstone of Sign Wizard. The new version 6 adds several significant features in this area, starting with Optimize Vectors (which has replaced Smooth Vectors), to clean up the quality of imported and scanned vector graphics. Vector Editing has been improved with a new Property Bar, Sharp Corner Tool, and vastly improved Bezier curve digitizing and editing. The Import/Export filters have been updated to ensure that you can move your layouts between design and production programs if necessary. Finally, the new Clipping Mask and Contour Cut features enable you to use vector paths to cut out bitmap images for large format printing and/or print and cut applications.

Image Manipulation Tools

One of the main areas of focus for this release is the handling of images, from importing to manipulation to printing and exporting. The combination of vector graphics and bitmap graphics is indeed very powerful for signmakers, and with the continued growth of Print and Cut machines, the output options are expanding quickly. A new Image Property Bar contains everything you need to manipulate your images, including new capabilities Transparency, Feathering, and Resampling. The addition of the CMYK Color Model support will help ensure accurate color renditions as well. When combined with the above mentioned Clipping Mask and Contour Cut features, Sign Wizard 6.5 gives you abundant opportunities in large format printing.

Productivity Tools

A major part of Sign Wizard's productivity benefits come from the superior design of the program. Functions are quick and easy to use, with Real Time Animations, Previews, Property Bars, and Online Help. Most features have a graphical design option with a numeric display as well. The new user interface also includes a series of palettes on the right side of the screen that display the Layers, History, Job Info, and Color palettes. Of course, the workspace can be completely customized to suit your needs.

Cutting/Plotting and Printing

There are so many output options today, and we continue to add new capabilities to support the cutters, plotters, printers, and print/cut machines on the market today. The Plot Manager has been given a re-design for quicker access to common functions, and the features Step and Repeat and Easy Weed have been enhanced. Furthermore, you now have the ability to plot or cut using the Windows Printer Driver architecture, meaning that all of your cutters and plotters are available on your whole network just like printers. Speaking of printers, the Print dialog box has been improved with a better Print Preview and more options, including those for Print/Cut machines.

Neon Design Tools

Please see the Whats New in Neon Wizard 6 for complete information on the neon design and production features.