Adobe Illustrator .eps files

[gpholman]

Hi,

I've been sent some .eps files created in Adobe Illustrator but when I try and open them in Xara (PRO X) all I get presented with is a blank page. Does Xara work with Illustrator files?

Thanks
Grant

[mwenz]

Yes, but...

I believe the latest it can handle natively is CS2. Might be wrong, but if I recall that is the last version it opens.

If you can have them to resend as Illustrator's default PDF type, depending upon the complexity they may open properly. If that is not possible or there are too many issues opening the PDFs, I would be happy to convert them for you, Grant. If you would like me to do so, send me a Private Message and I'll send an email you can send them to me at.

Mike

[gpholman]

Hi Mike

Thanks for the info and many thanks for your kind offer. They resent the files in PDF format so problem solved!

All the best
Grant

[tree hugger]

so at least PDF files work then?

i've been researching xara as i'm interested in starting out with it for it's ease of use and speed, but i keep hearing illustrator minions claiming that even if xara can do both EPS and PDF, that there's no way to get it into an adobe product despite both formats supposedly being standardized.

something i read somewhere else talked about adobe's PDFs in particular to be "busted" so only their own programs can read them.

it's been a major concern of mine as it would be problematic creating graphics in xara, but not be able to share them with users who cling to adobe and as far as i see it, keep any other software from ever being used including coreldraw.

i'd LOVE to see users of multiple programs try sharing them both ways between everything else. i wouldn't be surprised if coreldraw and xara get along better with each other than adobe's products. if that's intentional on adobe's part, it's a violation of anti-monopoly laws. you can't create a "standard" then lock your competitors out of it to protect your empire.

regardless of whether my conspiracy theory is correct or not, i still prefer xara for it's price, WYSIWYG & photo editors and ease of use. i'd just like to know that there IS a way to get my graphics into adobe's programs so my customers can get whatever sevices they need to use their logos etc.

[gwpriester]

PDF is pretty universal right now. And PDF is probably the best way to bring an Illustrator file into Xara.

The new versions of Xara have pretty good support for PDF and is a good way in and out of Xara.

Xara does have an Adobe .AI import and export filter but the success ratio is more iffy.

[handrawn]

My advice to you is to use adobe if you want full compatibility

See there is no standardisation within a program as to how that program produces the effects it does - so, for example, as xara creates transparency in a different way to adobe then it does not matter what file format you use to port it across, it will not work 100% every time because adobe uses a different process internally and cannot always interpret the informnation; ditto the other way round

[gwpriester]

OTOH, Adobe supports Mix transparency, and I believe Bleach and Stained Glass transparency (Additive and Subtractive). So if you stick to these three I think you are OK.

[jon404]

Guess it depends who your customers are. If they are other graphics-industry people, like ad agencies, I'd absolutely use Illustrator and Photoshop for back-and-forth compatibility. But, if you are selling to the 'end user', let's say an ad for the marcom department of a corporation, where they will place the ad themselves with a trade magazine, and all they need from you is the final art... then Xara's just fine. You'll send them a PDF, and you can turn any complex transparencies, gradients etc into 300 dpi bitmaps before outputting the PDF. You can also turn all the text into outlines... I forget the exact Xara command... but it works perfectly and ends any font problems later on at the printer.

Lastly, I'd get Adobe Acrobat Pro to make the PDFs. But I haven't kept up with this for some years now, and maybe Xara's PDFs are equally trouble-free. Anybody know about this? Also, is there an Acrobat Pro 'sweet spot' version, maybe an older version that woRks just as well as the new one for print artwork... and costs a lot less?

[mwenz]

...Lastly, I'd get Adobe Acrobat Pro to make the PDFs. But I haven't kept up with this for some years now, and maybe Xara's PDFs are equally trouble-free. Anybody know about this? Also, is there an Acrobat Pro 'sweet spot' version, maybe an older version that woRks just as well as the new one for print artwork... and costs a lot less?

In general, the built-in PDF export routine should be all that is needed. Distilling (which is actually what happens when one uses the Adobe PDF print driver) does have it's uses. But it shouldn't gain much or anything beyond the built-in process.

There can be some gotchas using Xara's PDF routine, and it cannot, nor maybe ever be capable of, going to PDF/X-4 format unless the people who make the PDF routine library get with the program. In lieu of PDF/X-4, exporting to the highest PDF version can often times produce best results when transparency is used. Though once in a while there will be conflicts/crap output doing this. At that point, just create a hi-res bitmap copy of art that misbehaves and move the vector off onto the pasteboard so it is always available later on.

Acrobat? Most often one can get one version behind for a significant discount. Best older version was version 9. version 10 had certain weird issues. Version XI is pretty good. Personally I fell Acrobat is a must for doing print work.