Poor vector quality in Pexelmator Pro

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2021-01-28 09:37:55

Hello,

I'm currently using Pixelmator to draw some shapes and export them as SVG for printing on cups, t-shirts, etc. The quality should be perfect.

This is what I get in Pixelmator with 800% zoom (note the edges of the shapes):

Image

Yet, if I export the very same object as SVG and import it into Inkscape without any modification, the quality edges of the shapes remain perfect regardless of how much I zoom (on the image below I made it 800% to match the one from Pixelmator Pro).

Image

Image

What I'm doing now is exporting an SVG file; importing it into the Inkscape and "Save As"-ing to get the proper quality. This is so wrong...

Am I missing something?
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2021-01-28 11:01:27

Pixelmator is mainly photo editor. Which means it operates on pixels. So it does not render images at higher zoom level than 100%. If zoom level is more than 100%, it just upscales image rendered at 100%. This is why you see pixels instead of smooth vectors. If you are looking for vector editor, pixelmator is not it.
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2021-01-28 11:17:45

It's not that Pixelmator Pro doesn't work with vectors — it does. It's just that Pixelmator Pro is a raster-based editor and it displays images how they would appear when exported to pixel-based, raster formats. This doesn't change how the vector images look like after they've been exported, though. If you're looking to display smoother vectors when editing, increasing the image size should help.