I am looking for a solution to read current Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop files into Coreldraw2024. Then I need to export these layered files to an old version of Corel Draw running on Windows 2000. I need suggestions for the Corel versions to buy. My printer is a 24 year old ALPS 5000. I need to spot print each layer seperately to the ALPS. I can acquire whatever versions of Corel are needed for this solution to work. I could also use Windows XP, but the drivers are cluged and complicated. Windows 2000 is native to the printer. I hope somebody can give me a suggestion.
Even the latest version of CorelDRAW is limited on being able to accurately import current "CC" version files of Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. If the artwork is simple in nature (no fancy fills, gradients, transparency effects, etc) it might be able to be saved down to early file versions of Illustrator, CorelDRAW, EPS, etc without "breaking."
There are features and effects within Illustrator that can be "baked" into Illustrator AI files that the current version of CorelDRAW cannot duplicate at all. Freeform gradient fills and line stroke gradients are two examples. Someone would have to edit the artwork within Adobe Illustrator, expanding/flattening those effects or converting the elements into pixel-based objects before exporting the artwork in an older Illustrator file version CorelDRAW can read. Then it can be an adventure saving CorelDRAW CDR files down to earlier file versions.
My suggestion is don't do it!
Yes. Simple flat files with only solid colors. Only one color per layer at 100%. No effects.
And following yourbadvice how do you suggest I solve this? Not doing it this way is ok if you suggest another way.
You can't solve this issue. You can learn to understand where it works and where it won't work but that's it.
Corel and Adobe program differently for transparency, complex fills and smooth shades.
The files from Corel and Adobe will output to PostScript and True PDF devices, but as the complexity of the file increases cross application compatibility diminishes.
Backward compatibility (in terms of transparency, complex fills and smooth shading, taking current Corel files back to older versions of CorelDRAW) will be limited, with those parameters, 2024 files may go back to 2019 but in my opinion no farther.