can I please get some opinions on formats for large format printing? Initially I used EPS, the downside is that EPS dose not produce a Thumbnail usable in windows, so we moved over to PDF which allows great preview capabilities and small file size but is not 100% reliable and sometimes elements with transparency are not exported, or printed incorrectly, or even a font attached to a path did not get exported. Now I am using JPG and hope that will work proper however the export time and file size is huge. I do need CMYK and realy would like to keep the vector file for spotcolours used in the printer. Any other experiences or recommendations? or are there plans to get the PDF export 100% working out of corel draw. the same problems exist in version 7
Thanks for your input
Your question is a good one and the answer depends on the destination. We produce quite a bit of wide format and purchase a good deal more. Color space is not super critical but I prefer to send tagged RGB files when ever possible. CMYK tagged files are ask for some times, in either situation I always send flattened TIF files, resolution for dye sublimation usually is 100 PPI, for other grand format we have tested and achieved good results with 125 & 150ppi. For up close banner stands some times we use 200 PPI. I only send PDF files that I have personally manually flattened and use fonts that I am positive that will embed. The advantage of PDF is vector and raster in the same file which improves the view of small objects up close.
You can test the fonts by opening the PDF on a system that has no fonts installed, or at least does not have any fonts used I. the file installed.
CorelDRAW would simply print to the distiller driver, with custom sizes always allow the first Adobe printer dialog to remain as portrait and set the custom page as needed disregarding the logic that you have selected portrait the Corel dialog will automatically adjust. I.E. a 35" wide x 26" high file would start with the first ADOBE PRINTER dialog rotation left as portrait continuing to the successive dialogs until you add the custom page size, there simply enter the width as the width and then the height as the height ignoring portrait or landscape.
Still some fonts won't embed as their internal code doe not allow it.
BEWARE manually flatten all transparency.
Yes, but as far as a macro goes good luck with that, I've never seen any automated process for fattening transparency that worked well with overlapping transparency.
With short documents converting to curves is not bad but can be taxing with allot of text.
Are you saying that Corel publish to PDF is failing?
BTW CorelDRAW publish to PDF works perfectly for me every time within size and font limitations, I use press setting, native color and only convert font to curves only if they will not embed, you should turn off font subletting.
It's not Corel it's your RIP, if you're quality minded there is no way to automate flattening transparency. Unfortunately doing a quality job many tome requires a human brain to make a decision on how to layer the flattening process.