JUST RELEASED! Xara Designer Pro X365

**mwenz** · 10 July 2016, 08:16 PM

David, and if you didn't see my comment earlier, page size is now not bound to the 8' or so limit. Still, it is wise to keep the total combined page size (page plus bleed plus marks) to 200" or less, it is a boon for us making large work.

**handrawn** · 12 July 2016, 06:12 PM

Originally Posted by mwenz

David, and if you didn't see my comment earlier, page size is now not bound to the 8' or so limit. Still, it is wise to keep the total combined page size (page plus bleed plus marks) to 200" or less, it is a boon for us making large work.

so mike - what happens if we open a ver 12 document that is bigger than 8 ft in version 11 or before - does it resize, are things lost ? - should I give it a go and find out [probably...]?

**mwenz** · 12 July 2016, 06:33 PM

Have a go at it. I started with version 6 and there was always the possibility of creating a larger page size via a few hoops to jump through. Output was sketchy though. I've created one banner for a sign company I do odd jobs for in XDP 365 and it output great.

**slavelle** · 13 July 2016, 03:51 PM

First - I generally don't have a problem with subscription software, depending on the implementation and the "proof of consistent updates", I think it can make a lot of sense. So I have a few observations and concerns on the Xara version of this:

1. I use Cakewalk Sonar for music production. They have had a monthly and yearly upgrade subscription. The way that it worked was that when you got the updates for "that year" whether you got it via monthly or an all-at-once payment, you retained the features released during the year you installed.

The Xara method states that when you re-install after your "subscription", you go back to the originally released features. This is potentially a problem as the appeal of the subscription is that you get updates during the year that it seems like should be retained to me. Not a fan of this, especially with as often as I replace hardware and could potentially skip a year of updates.

2. There is not currently a track-record of updates to go on. I have no idea what is coming down the pike for the year or what surprises there might be. Based on the fact that the new version of Designer has Zero updates to the X11 version that are Designer specific, my expectation is that the updates during the year will only be those that Web Designer and Graphic Designer get. Not terribly compelling, especially considering that many of the new features after a year of development are kind of underwhelming to me anyway - I don't have a huge amount of hope that the new features introduced in the coming months will be more attractive.

3. The flip side to #2 is that I see that there are July 2016 updates on the Web Designer product but that those are not yet listed on the Designer Pro page for X365. Is it safe to assume that the Web Designer and Graphic Designer features will come out to the Designer Pro line? At the same time?

Your thoughts on these items are important to my upgrade or don't question.

**mwenz** · 13 July 2016, 04:25 PM

The Xara method of subscription is all wrong. A muddling of several different subscription models--and not for the better. What you describe of how Cakewalk's subscription is, is also how Corel's works. Even so, I don't use Corel's either. Xara's is more like a "Sneak Peek" to what you will receive IF you re-subscribe at the end of one's subscription period.

And yep, Xara's track record for delivering useful drawing and/or typographical improvements is not very stellar. If they couldn't deliver more of these items in the past, I don't have confidence that quarterly delivery of features will excite me very much either. But unless they have a stockpile of features sitting there, and/or unless they have hired more programmers to flesh out and expand these types of features, I lack confidence it will not just be a repeat of the past dribbled out 4 times a year. Only time will tell.

**slavelle** · 13 July 2016, 11:06 PM

Yeah - when Cakewalk initially pushed out their subscription feature, I wasn't sold that there would be consistent updates or updates that I cared about. After 1 year of proving themselves, I was much more open to the idea, I just wan't spending any time in my studio. When they opened up a "Sonar for Life" update special (free updates to the core product "forever), I couldn't resist and went for it.

One of the things I really like NOW about this is that they have a roadmap website showing all of the things they've added over the last 18 months since they started doing this as well as a new section of what's coming up this year (which they will have more to add if history is any indicator).

Check out this page to see "how it's done": http://www.cakewalk.com/Products/SON...-Updates#start

I want this sort of assurance.

I understand that it's the same $99 to upgrade to this new version as it was last time and it already has updates in it, but if you are going to sell me on a model, I'd like to know that it's not stuff like "look at these new emojis" or "another base website template included in your subscription. I want new effects, libraries of brushes, new vector shapes, etc.

Again - don't get me wrong here: I like some of these models. The Office 365 model works very well for most of the IT business support we do (and for my own business). It's more cost effective, period. I like the Cakewalk model as well, since they have proven that they are going to actually provide very useful and valuable updates.

**mwenz** · 13 July 2016, 11:48 PM

It would take a major shift in thinking for Xara to use a road map of future features. Serif does the same with the Affinity line of products, but they never did with the Plus line.

**Fred vanderZee** · 31 August 2016, 10:13 AM

Originally Posted by mwenz

David, and if you didn't see my comment earlier, page size is now not bound to the 8' or so limit. Still, it is wise to keep the total combined page size (page plus bleed plus marks) to 200" or less, it is a boon for us making large work.

Hmm just saw this... is it true that you now can make larger images in Designer? Would really like images to be like 6 meters wide (and no, pdf doesn't work for me. Xara locks up calculating my images.)

**mwenz** · 31 August 2016, 03:38 PM

Fred, at 6 meters (~236"), your only real option is likely a PDF versus...what format would you use? And to go that large with a PDF, one has to use a PostScript file and then Acrobat Distiller using a certain preset in order to obtain a usable PDF. I have done roughly 10 meters in length to PDF. All image types have a pixel limitation (number of pixels in the image).

I often have full background images. These need divided and reassembled in XDP as XDP cannot handle a single image that large when using PDF. Because of the viewing distance that banner was to be seen, I made the bitmap elements to be about 70 dpi. It was also full of large type and vector elements.

Mike

**Fred vanderZee** · 01 September 2016, 09:49 AM

Mike, the pdf generator chokes on my images. Never was usable for me. I need to split up large images or use a Photoshop plugin to add (a lot of) extra pixels. Being able to make larger images than the 2,7 meters (9') is my major pet peeve since years, especially since the 64-bit version.