Best method to export a file for precise Adobe Illustrator compatibility?

[ernie-f]

If you will deliver print-ready-pdf then do it in X1. X1 doesn't allow RGB-colors.
Since quite 10 years was introduced PDF X4. This is a version that save transparencies native and is compatible to the AI-format. X4 allows RGB and CMYK colors.
But attention with fills and transparencies (shadows are transparencies too) they will be in all 4 print colors so a manual recoloring in AI is necessary if they must overprint or be only black (K).

[gwpriester]

Ernie - Is there a difference between PDF/X 1a 2001 and PDF/X 1a 2003?

[gaftalik]

Great information Gary ! Do you know if importing a PDF/X 1a to Adobe Illustrator will keep the objects dimensions precisely the same too ?

[ernie-f]

Ernie - Is there a difference between PDF/X 1a 2001 and PDF/X 1a 2003?

Hi Gary,
the only difference is that PDF/X1a 2001 is based on PDF version 1.3. PDF/X1a 2003 is expanded to the functionality of PDF 1.4.
For the printing process it is not relevant which version you choose. Both versions allowed only CMYK and spot colors and
flatten all transparrencies to bitmap.

@ gaftalik:
AI and PDF are calculating with 72 ppi/dpi. Xara calculate with Windowsstandard 96 ppi/dpi. So it can come to some rounding errors.

[handrawn]

ERNIE HAS POSTED WHILST I WROTE THIS:

I think Ernie and Gary are looking at this from a printing point of view; if you need to provide a file that is editable in Illustrator it may not be quite that straightforward

precise accuracy is not actually xara's strong point unless you work in millipoints; if you work in other units you may get rounding errors; the larger the base unit [ eg cm rather than mm] the more likely these are to occur; you can mitigate these by increasing the number of decimal places xara works to but you hve to do that through windows and more than 3 places can be difficult to work with in the UI

for example I made an 8cm square in xara, which when imported via PDF to illustrator was 226.711 points square; changing the units in xara to points showed 226.8 points; you need to be aware and careful

and as said before, because xara does not handle gradient/transparency the same way as illustrator, these effects may be flattened to bitmap in illustrator depending on how they are constructed; I cannot really be more specific as, from experience, I now avoid those attributes in xara for export to illustrator or harmony

[gaftalik]

Thank you Ernie for your input !

Thank you Handrawn for clarifying that, indeed my concern is to provide a file to be editable in AI for laser cutting and since i am seeing errors in the sample's dimensions , they asked me to send the file as .ai knowing that Xara doesnt export correctly to .ai and having no knowledge about AI software, it is hard to fix those errors to match perfectly!

[gaftalik]

If you will deliver print-ready-pdf then do it in X1. X1 doesn't allow RGB-colors.
Since quite 10 years was introduced PDF X4. This is a version that save transparencies native and is compatible to the AI-format. X4 allows RGB and CMYK colors.
But attention with fills and transparencies (shadows are transparencies too) they will be in all 4 print colors so a manual recoloring in AI is necessary if they must overprint or be only black (K).

Sorry I overlooked this post, i am learning a lot here thank you !

[ernie-f]

Thank you Ernie for your input !

Thank you Handrawn for clarifying that, indeed my concern is to provide a file to be editable in AI for laser cutting and since i am seeing errors in the sample's dimensions , they asked me to send the file as .ai knowing that Xara doesnt export correctly to .ai and having no knowledge about AI software, it is hard to fix those errors to match perfectly!

If You need laser cutting is .ai and/or .xar not the right format. Obviously they will need .dwg or an other one-line CAD compatible format.

An other option can be .svg, but attention with the export. It must be selected as ai compatible. I use it for foil-plotting and it works great.

[behzad]

Friends, no matter which pdf/x you use, most digital printing will convert it to their format for output. I would suggest for big jobs/money get a proof printed.

[ernie-f]

Friends, no matter which pdf/x you use, most digital printing will convert it to their format for output. I would suggest for big jobs/money get a proof printed.

That is not true! X1-X3 flatten all transparencies to bitmap!
PDF/X4 leave the transparecies as objects and don't flatten it to bitmap, but only if the effekt is reproducible in AI and/or fits in the PDF/X4 rules.