The main reason I joined this forum: my company keeps hiring designers who will only use Illustrator. They save their files to both Illustrator and PDF (every time). I am charged with putting them into CDR files for manufacturing routing and vinyl as well as making sure the shop floor can understand the mumbo jumbo they use to talk to architects and clients. (Do I sound like I have an issue...) I am having tantrums trying to get these to work. Bitmaps and copy going one way or another or worse, leaving all together. I have started opening in AI and resaving without compression and flattening the artwork. Any other hints out there from other sign designers? I am on X7 and Illustrator CC, I also have Adobe Pro XI
Looks like InDesign is the biggest culprit for making me crazy. I have been able to deal with most of my AI issues thanks to this forum! The designers are using InDesign to compile multi-page proposals. The InDesign issues with text appears to be documented all over the place. This is my first time ever having to deal with it. Is Illustrator that bad at handling multi-page files?
Venetia it seems you have the same issues as a lot of Corel shops. In design users are notorious for placing graphics with out linking fonts etc then sending the job down the line.
We output to lasers and vinyl out of corel x4 ,x6 illustrator cs6 and indesign cs6 it doesn't matter what the output device is to us Epilogue Roland Mimaki we also use Sign L for rotary engraving and printing.
they all have the tools
ross blair
I'd suggest you learn Illustrator and Indesign too. While that would expand your current set of design tools to a couple more than just CorelDRAW, over time you would also be in a position to be able to identify what issues arise while porting graphics between these programs.
Added advantage, you might just possibly be the only one in your office, who knows CorelDRAW AND illustrator AND Indesign!! You would be indispensable!!
I am definitely picking up more skill with Illustrator but the interface drives me nuts. I can work in several drafting programs and Corel and not get tied up in navigating errors, but open one Adobe program and I have to sweep my hair off the floor!
I felt that way too when I first started exploring Inkscape too! :)
Weird it must be because I started out in Illustrator, but I find Corel to be less friendly and more confusing to navigate. Illustrator's interface seems clean and less cluttered (why do I need a bezier tool and a pen tool? they do the same thing etc) But with less than a year in Corel I'm still pretty fresh and new at it.
My version of Corel is basically a frankensteined Illustrator. I had to re-do all my keyboard shortcuts to mimic Illustrator because I was going nuts trying to re-wire my brain to corel.
But I enjoy working in Corel. They both have their strengths and I don't see myself ever going back and working 100% in Illustrator.
Tyson said:...(why do I need a bezier tool and a pen tool? they do the same thing etc) ...
Why do I need a selection and a direct selection tool in Auntie Illy? Why cannot we still not just bend a straight line into a curve like the Astute plug-in?
I enjoy working in something else for most of my work rather than CD or Illy. Heck, if FH ever really makes a comeback in some form, and it operates the same, I would use it over all else.
Tyson said:But I enjoy working in Corel. They both have their strengths and I don't see myself ever going back and working 100% in Illustrator.
That's a truism. Pick and application, any application, and use it for its strengths. Use whatever gets the job done with the least effort.