Printing Xara specific gradients/transparencies

[iamtheblues]

I am creating a design which uses an elliptical fill. When exported as a .pdf and opened in Illustrator, the fill is given the name "non-native art" and is rasterized.
My question is this: if the print job were for the side of a van, could XDP be used to do this and retain a pure vector output?
Bob.

[steve.ledger]

Hi Bob,
I'm not aware of any large format digital printer in the sign industry which can print directly from Xara. That's the Holy Grail of many Xara users
Everything must go through a RIP before sending to the printer, even CorelDraw and RasterLink (rip) work together for this purpose.
In other words, the printer needs bitmap data - not vector.
Of course, there may have been some changes in the industry since I was involved - but I think Xara would have announced something about this.

[iamtheblues]

A quality reply! Thanks very much, Steve - I was afraid that this was the case. Ah well, back to the drawing-board!
Bob.

[mwenz]

I am creating a design which uses an elliptical fill. When exported as a .pdf and opened in Illustrator, the fill is given the name "non-native art" and is rasterized.
My question is this: if the print job were for the side of a van, could XDP be used to do this and retain a pure vector output?
Bob.

Bob, depending on the PDF settings, it is still vector in the PDF and in Illustrator. Illy just doesn't understand the fill type and so cannot deal with it.

The following screen shot is of a circular gradient from XDP and checked in Acrobat. It's vector.



The next screen shot is the same PDF, taken into Illy and then a new PDF created. That PDF was then brought into XDP. It is still vector and the fill can be edited inside XDP. Who's the smart one in this instance? Yep, XDP.



Take care, Mike

[Soquili]

Has anyone tried using the Print as Bitmap option?

[Gamerprinter]

Depends on your printer I suppose, but I print to large format inkjet printer all the time (Canon IPF 8100). Those printers that use RIPs (raster image processors) require hi-res TIF files for printing which is easy enough to create, though is raster now and nolonger a vector file. I use to have a printer that required at least a software RIP. Now a days, however, I print to my Canon directly straight from Xara. This is no problem for me. I'm sure an Epson color printer could handle it as well, since the Epson and Canon printers serve the same specific market.

Yes, you can print directly from Xara, but it depends on the printer and what it supports. I run a professional graphic design shop - signs and more, and never need to make a PDF file to print in-house. I do create printer marks PDFs when I need to outsource, not so for jobs done in shop.

[Tabian]

Hi Bob, I have a 54” Versacam printer and all my Xara prints are from PDF files through the Versaworks RIP. As you said exporting from Xara to PDF is fine and opens great in Adobe Acrobat as a vector but when opened in Illustrator the transparencies and feather edged shapes are displayed as solid blocks. What make of printer do you use and what RIP is driving it?
Hope I can help