New Business Opportunity converting Xara Files ????

[jens g.r. benthien]

I forgot you meant printing on t-shirts. In normal printing situations (on paper) you use a RIP = Raster Image Processor). It's built-in into a Linotronic and handles all color separations, dot sizes,screen resolution (LPI), overprinting etc to either generate the film sheets or the data for a Direct Imaging system like the Heidelberger DI Quickmaster.

I've read somewhere that you can purchase a software that emulates a RIP for desktop publishing, but I really don't have any additional information about it.

Sure, as far as I know some apps do convert Pantone colors, but usually Pantone colors are used as 'spot' colors for a reduced color set printing process, that means you have 2 Pantone colors which means you have two film sheets in black and white for printing - not a color set. The printer will use just the two Pantone defined color mixtures to apply or print the exact colors. In a 4c process Pantone colors don't make sense, because in this case each Pantone color means an additional film sheet or printing plate.

In the past when the printing process was more expensive many companies used spot colors for their logos, but with todays inexpensive 4c processes the spot colors are somewhat absolete.

A spot color is meant to print without a screen, whereas a 4c process will mix any color out of a range of 16.7 million colors - but the colors will be overprinted with screens of different angles...

So if your task differs from a standard printing process, I can't offer a solution because I don't have enough experience in this particular area.

Thumbs up!

jens g.r. benthien
designer
http://www.sacalobra.de

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If you don't know how to dream you'll never be a designer.
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[Marius]

Yep! DoKo, I'm guessing the folks who got hot under the collar here have never had to deal with screenprinting garments. DoKo is NOT attacking Xara, and he is absolutely right, and I used to dream exactly the same thing he does.

I have to supply artwork for the rag trade and .xar files are no use to any printer I have ever dealt with. However most use all or at least two of the Freehand-Draw-Illustrator triumvirate. Unfortunately, each of these three programs lacks at least some of the features of Xara X (besides all being much less intuitive to use).

A little while ago, Emanuel posted this workaround for exporting Xara X files:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Make your vectorial work in Xara using a CMYK palete.
Export to CMX32 (the color model is maintained)
Open in Corel (I use version 9)
Export to AI or EPS
Open in Freehand or Illustrator in a PC or a Mac
Save natively in that format.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I asked why Emanuel recommended this procedure and Gary answered:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>In a nutshell, Illustrator 7 lacks the support for many of the things Xara can do, such as gradient transparency, soft shadows, bevels, etc. even if you convert the editable shapes which in the case of shadows and bevels, converts them to bitmaps.

Corel can export to a newer version of AI format including PDF for Illustrator 10 as PDF is now the basis for Illustrator's export.

So Corel serves as an interpreter.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

However, Illustrator 10, Freehand 10 and Draw 11 are STILL far short of the full range of Xara X features, so no matter how you work around the problem, you are not going to get gradient transparency in Illustrator or elliptical fills in Draw. And you will STILL find many of your effects mangled in the export.

So my advice to DoKo on this issue, based on much sad experience, is this: when preparing art for screenprinting, find out what program the screenprinter's art department prefer, and tailor your work to that. In other words, don't use any Xara X features that won't be supported at the other end.

By this I mean, for e.g., instead of transparency, use a fill; if you need a bevel effect, do it by hand, not with the bevel tool; if you need shadows, do them by hand, not with the shadow tool; convert everything to editable shapes before exporting, etc etc.

You must also be prepared to clean up the exported image and do some final work to get it right -- applying feathering, etc. So you will have to get your hands dirty, after all!

And finally, all this means that your dream ain't never gonna come true, DoKo because, quite simply, no other program can do all the things that Xara X can do.

[Lord]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by DoKo:
I can't imagine how many posts I have seen where people are trying to convert Xara (.xar) files to either illustrator or photoshop or some other format. Many of the answers require that they use another graphics software to accomplish the conversion and I am guessing that the person asking the question probably doesn't have the software or the expertise to do the conversion.

He Doko, shit on another convertion from xar. file to shit Illustrator or another, I axept only my xar. file and to export it to JPEG Or Tiff and with this i can print my file in evry printshop, and you Mr.wW Waldo Saldo or what is it if you want to make a busines with him then make your busines in Xara X and xar. file, it will be better for all Xaranas or not??????:::::::::
I wonder why i never want to post any something here now because all this people,they want to convert our xar.file to another shit graphicsprogram, i think we do not need this......
Regards...
Lord (Mohamed)

[Lord]

By this I mean, for e.g., instead of transparency, use a fill; if you need a bevel effect, do it by hand, not with the bevel tool; if you need shadows, do them by hand, not with the shadow tool; convert everything to editable shapes before exporting, etc etc.

You must also be prepared to clean up the exported image and do some final work to get it right -- applying feathering, etc. So you will have to get your hands dirty, after all!

And finally, all this means that your dream ain't never gonna come true, DoKo because, quite simply, no other program can do all the things that Xara X can do.[/QUOTE]::::::::::::


He Marius, i agree with you, have you seen my Topic: Xara vector drawing in Xara Gallery, it was something like challenge between me and all the poeple from Illustrator.world, i draw in Xara X the sony Camera without all effect in Xara, i wish you can see this Topic, it was in Xara Gallery from july 07, 2003 19:14 under Topic: Xara vector drawing....
Regards...
Lord (Mohamed) http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/rolleyes.gif

[Marius]

Mohamed, I remember that fabulous drawing (and the equally impressive wireframe) very well. Which leads onto another point, that pure talent is golden . . . doesn't matter whether you use a computer or a stick of burned wood!

Also that is an excellent point about using bitmaps. When really desperate with printers, I give them as good a .jpg or .gif as I can, at the right size for the final print, and they can always make pretty good positives out them.

That means you don't need to undergo any export blues at all.

[xalres]

I've gotten quite good at converting xara files into Illustrator files. The toughest part used to be converting the complex groups and shapes into something useable. For most of my projects simply exporting them as a 300dpi, RGBA PNG and applying a clipping path to it with Photoshop does the trick. I do this because I've noticed a barely distinguishable square "ghost" around it if it's in front of a colored background.

Then I import it into Illustrator and adjust dimensions and coordinates accordingly. It takes a while but the result is better than anything I could accomplish with Illustrator.

Oh, and don't forget to convert text to shapes. Adobe programs choose to load fonts differently.

All Your Graphic Are Belong To Us

[Lord]

For me Xara X and xar.file is Xara X and xar.file and if the people of whole world think like this, Xara wil be alive and someday it will be the Industry Standerd Graphicsprogram, i will waiting for this, but if evrybody like our new newbi in Xara thinks like what doko and saldo waldo thinks, then Xara will be not alive, sorry i,am a stranger to all of you in speaking, in Graphics and in thinking, yes yes and another yes, but i do not axept that another swomebody of all the world wants to convert the xar.file to another Graphicsprogram, now i said and i told all of you please think Xara and not another!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Regards...
and thanks...
Lord (Mohamed)

[wW]

Hey, I like this stuff! This will help with Xara Spot printing in this office! Right off the bat I'm gonna have to remove my drop shadow, bevel & contour buttons from my toolbar on the left.
""Note to self"...Draw blends, shadows & bevels the old way!" Also noticed that I'm going back to using colored lines for volume & shape. Rather than fades & blends. Although the blend tool will work if I keep to solid colors. (like working in crap draw 5)

I'm on it now! Will have to keep tweaking the exports from Xara to Draw for printing. Draw is so interface un-intuitive. No short cut buttons for tools, no NAME GALLERY (awesome tool BTW). Too much clawing at Draws pull down menu's, well, a bummer to say the least.

Regarding exporting complex Xara dwgs to Photoshop as TIF's or JPG's. Corel markets another program called Knockout. It's a Photoshop plug in that was developed by PROCREATE for motion picture blue screen technology. It's a magic wand type of tool, only on steroids. I'm seriously thinking of getting this thing - the first version. Anyone heard of it or used it? Corel Procreate Knockout- here's the links;

http://www.unleash.com/oneuser/part004-knockout.asp

http://www.unleash.com/oneuser/part020-knockout2.asp

Time to start converting...


wALDO sLACK - get it right!

XSPSG

[Lord]

If you think that is good for you and the shitt Furistrator, then work please with only Illustrator, and do not toutch Xara X........
Regards...
Lord (Mohamed)

[Lord]

Thanks.......
And more Regardes to you Mr.
PLease think Xara and not another....!!!!!!
Lord (Mohmed)