XaraX2 request for Charles Moir: re:eps import

[Klaus Nordby]

Brilliant as XX is as an illustration tool, I long ago gave up using it for anything pertaning to printing and CMYK work. It's great for all kinds of RGB art, but for CMYK -- and related print technlogies like EPS -- XX just doesn't cut it. Until and unless Xara fixes this area -- which is very, very hard to do right -- my best advice is to stay away from XX for CMYK/EPS. I know Xara and Charles understandably hates hearing this, but facts are facts.

[wW]

Klaus, I'm pretty sure that the way I use CMYK is different from yours. But the way Xara prints them & the issues we face while printing from Xara is very much the same. RGB & CMYK do not mix. If they addressed this in some way with the next release it would be most helpful. I have to agree with you there.

I'll use the CMYK option when I've got a 4 or less color job. Substituting each CMY&K color for a spot print color, It has worked well for me. Getting Xara art to print stage is another hurdle all-together. Sometimes I'll use CMYK & new layers to print. The new layers will have all the colors white but one. The color to be printed is turned black or shades thereof. This way I don't get the RGB-CMYK conflict while printing a color plate in normal print mode.

I'm guessing the workarounds aren't worth it for other types of CMYK printing. I can only imagine how much time some work would take to prep for print from Xara. Processing of the Xara file for Sep takes time & effort, even for the simple stuff I do. Even still, some files get too complicated & I have to export as TIF & go straight to Photoshop for Channel seps. Oh well, all in a days work, whatever it takes eh?

An RGB work mode option or a viewable layer by layer CMYK print option would be helpful. Like you say, it is kind of broke in it's current print configuration. It gets the job done, but the work around's can get to you on some projects. Eventually Xara will get there, it's just how long can you afford wait. For me the workaround work.

[Klaus Nordby]

Maybe an approach like in Illustrator could be a good idea: you set the document's global color space to _either_ RGB _or_ CMYK, with no possibilitiy of mixing the two modes later. In XX, there is no "hand-holding" regarding color space, and all kinds of mixes seem possible -- which will in most cases result in problems later in the workflow. I cannot count all the times I have _thought_ I defined nothing but CMYK colors, but some little RGB bastard was stuck in there nevertheless.

[wW]

It can be troublesome. The workaraounds are always lurking under the surface. Hitting the print button brings many surprises. Ghost lines in CMYK are the things I deal with most. I have to scrape them off the vellum with an exacto. Sometimes this can take quite a bit of time, other times I have to look for other solutions for output or file setup.

If someone at Xara Ltd wanted to see an example of the ghost lines that show in a CMYK sep I've attached a file for print sampling. All the colors are CMY or K so RGB shouldn't be showing up, but they do. Must be something hidden or a mix of CMYK & RGB going on somewhere in the tools code. Then again, it could be something I'm doing.... hope not