Xara to AI color differences when exporting Xar file to AI

**properez5** · 01 April 2019, 05:44 PM

Hello Fellow Xara Heads,

I do custom sublimation apparel. And sometimes the test prints don't come out right. So I go to check in AI and wind up having color issues there even worse. What I mean is the colors wind up looking way different sometimes. It irks me.
Does anyone have this problem? If there's a solution, How?

Notes involved:

1. AI uses both RGB and CMYK modes
2. I am exporting a CMYK Xar file to a CMYK AI file
3. The files are for printing in CMYK for garment sublimation
4. I have been professionally using Xara to print to a CMYK Roland sub printer since 2011.
5. I also design in Simulate printer colors mode.

**gwpriester** · 01 April 2019, 06:03 PM

Xara works essentially in an RGB workspace.

Illustrator is configured to work in a simulated CMYK work space. Hence colors in Illustrator are more subdued and less saturated.

You can get an idea of how the colors will look in CMYK in Xara by selecting Simulate Print Colors (Window > Show Print Colors). It's not a perfect solution but it will give you a good idea of how the printed color will look.

**properez5** · 01 April 2019, 06:44 PM

Sorry I didn't give enough details. I modified my post. I am appreciative.

**gwpriester** · 01 April 2019, 07:00 PM

How are you preparing the Xara CMYK file and how are you exporting it?

**mwenz** · 01 April 2019, 07:40 PM

Oh boy. A few things about Xara applications to AI concerning color.

While AI can design in RGB or CMYK, or gladly switch between the two, it is a one or the other color managed document. (Unlike InDesign which has no document color profile).

AI is a fully color managed application. So while one could think of the colors shown in AI as "simulated," if one has a profiled monitor, they show up accurately. Xara applications? Not so much even using the simulate thing.

A CMYK color in say XDP will be the same in AI as long as you are using the CMYK Color Model in the Color Editor to actually color the elements. It's just the on-screen part in XDP/X P&GD where they fail. In any case, the CMYK colorant(s) in an X product are correct values.

However. Using the AI export filter from X will introduce those colors as spot color swatches defined in the CMYK color space. After I open an AI export from X, and assuming I want only CMYK in the AI file, I always select everything then use the Edit | Edit Colors | Convert to CMYK command. Then I head over to the swatches panel, click on the little drop down in the upper right of the Swatches panel, Select All Unused and then repeat the drop down and delete the swatches. If the color swatches are/will be important to me, I'll then select all and add the color(s) back as swatches.

If working directly in an X product and printing, I would still go through the PDF export process as (1) Adobe Reader and Acrobat are color managed applications and (2) one can use a proper output profile.

What I do not know is what color model is being used for directly printing no matter the print device. For color managed applications printing to a true PostScript printer, the exact color values are sent to the driver and passed unchanged to the print device. For most all con/prosumer Windows inkjet and non-true Adobe PostScript print devices there are two color conversions involved in printing. Even with color managed applications. So for instance, CMYK colorants are converted to RGB inside the Windows print driver, then back to CMYK (and/or also split into the extra inks if the printer is one of the 6/8/10/12 ink models) inside the printer's RIP software.

I think I've blabbered on enough...Mike

**gwpriester** · 01 April 2019, 07:51 PM

My head is spinning.

**properez5** · 01 April 2019, 10:41 PM

Hello. My brain fried a bit too but only on the part where he spoke about the swatches. AI sometimes confuses me. Everything else is understood.

Notes:
1. CMYK Editor: When designing for print, I start off and continue my color mode on CMYK. I go to options for that. I open the color editor and edit in CMYK only. I never switch it.
2. Monitor: I bought a monitor with true color, for this reason, a year ago due to the fact that new monitors are made differently because they want to sell these new calibration devices to make a profit. So im ruling out the monitor.
3. Simulation: I don't export the XAr file to AI with simulated colors checked. Maybe I should.
4. Swatches: I will try again and report my findings.

So here's my printing process with my manufacturer.

1. I design in Xara in CMYK.
2. My Pakistan located manufacturer requires me to send him jpegs, not pdfs. So I export all garment panels in jpeg from my CMYK Xar file one by one. tedious. but works.
3. Heres where the problem lays... He takes my jpegs and places them in Corel Draw instead of the Roland printers software only to export them as jpegs again which sometimes gives a crazy overall hue to the file, especially with blue, green or camo colors.
he states that he has to do this because jpegs I send him from Xara look black and white in the Roland software. Don't ask me why. He doesnt even know why. Dude has an $11,000 Roland printer. I forget the model number.

corel Draw is the problem. So I told him to use Xara. He said we will get the same black and white problem. He tried using my jpegs directly. I dont know why this happens. who knows?

So I told him to us Adobe Illustrator. He was reluctant at first because him and his crew dont use Adobe Illustrator and dont know how. In Pakistan Graphic designers are taught Corel Draw and given the software free.

4. The manufacturer prints from the exported Corel Draw jpeg files in the Roland printer software. The panels get printed ( dye sublimation ) and they go to the cut and sew process. Viola..product. Im not saying what due to advertising and thread policies.

So I will experiment again with XAr to AI and see what happens.
And My manufacturer has agreed to use AI rather than Corel Draw.
You guys are awesome. Thanks for helping.