The Letterville BullBoard: Corel Draw & Illustrator Comparison

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Posted by Bob Rochon (Member # 30) on :

I've been a Corel fan & supporter from the start. We are using version 9 and have had no problems so far.

But now we are using this program for digital prints. We designed a log ofor a customer 3 years ago, that had gradient fills in it. We subbed it out to an Edge shop and they came back very grainy and pixelated. We were not happy at all with the results but the customer was ok with it.

Well to make a long story short, we need to replace them now because of fading. So I thought of having these logos printed on scotchprint or Raster so that we could get a better print. When I asked graphtek if the print would be a better resolution than the Edge, they said it was because I used Corel Darw to create it and not Adobe Illustrator.

Would this be true? has anyone had this experience? or is this another of the "Adobe"
"Mac" things were if it is not either than it must be junk.

I know there are people partial to both sides but I would like an un biased opion.

Thanks

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Bob Rochon
Creative Signworks
Millbury, MA
bob@creativesignworks.com

"Some people's kids"

Posted by Louis A Lazarus (Member # 763) on :

Bunk....Corel Draw will do everything Illustrator will do and more. Something is missing from this story. As for the Edge...it is a 300 dpi machine, not 2400. You will always get some graininess at 300 dpi but it is a sign making machine...not a printing machine. You can use it as a lithographer, but it wasn't designed to be used for business cards, brochures and jobs that require very high resolution. As a sign making machine, it is excellent and its capabilities are many.

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Louis A. Lazarus
Milt's Sign Service, Inc.
20 So. Linden Ave. #5B
650-588-0490
fontking1a@aol.com

Posted by Joe Rees (Member # 211) on :

see below

[This message has been edited by Joe Rees (edited April 20, 2000).]

Posted by Joe Rees (Member # 211) on :

Hi Bob, the shop I sub out my Edge work to prefers getting the files in a .tiff format. The results have been awesome. Tiff is a universally compatible format and Corel9 does an excellent job of creating clean tiff files from its .cdr format. The drawback to tiff is very large file sizes. Tiff compresses about 90% with WinZip which is great for sending them to other Windows users but no help for Mac. The other universal cross-platform raster format - Jpeg - might be a solution. See if they can accept either of those.

This post brings up a pet peeve of mine. Not the Mac/IBM one, thats another post. But the inordinate amount of proprietary file formats needed for various output devices and the service bureaus predictable ineptness at converting any other formats to work on their equipment. If I were a service bureau, my attitude would be that it is incumbent on me to have both Mac AND IBM machines in my arsenal loaded with every possible program needed to convert any file format given to me to the one I needed. If anybody has found a source like this I would like to know of them.

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Joe Rees
Cape Craft Signs
(Cape Cod, MA)
http://www.capecraft.com
http://www.dave-joe-show.com
e-mail: joerees@capecraft.com

Posted by Sarah Clark (Member # 413) on :

TIFF files are specifically for printing output. High res tiffs are the way to go as Joe says. Jpg is mainly for viewing on screen and the internet. When it is compressed it is a lossy format and you cant restore what you lost. I suppose if you saved it in a high enough resolution and didnt compress it might work but in that case why not go with the format made for printed files. tiff

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S. Clark
Clark Signs (retired)
Compton, Arkansas
sasc@alltel.net
http://www.fortunecity.com/business/notebook/1172/
http://members.xoom.com/sclark/

Posted by Dave Sherby (Member # 698) on :

It can't be a Mac/PC thing. Adobe Illustrator is available in both Mac and PC. It started as Mac only but when the PC's finally caught up so that they could handle graphics smoothly, Illustrator was written for both platforms

as well as Photoshop, Corel, AutoCad, most sign software etc.

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Dave Sherby
"Sandman"
SherWood Sign & Graphic Design
Crystal Falls, MI 49920
906-875-6201
ICQ: 21604027
sherwood@up.net

Posted by Bob Rochon (Member # 30) on :

Let clear up any miscommunication, I am in no way putting down mac's pc's or the edge machine itself.

I'm trying to figure out whether Illustrator is better for digital printing or not. I was told by a Digital printing source that Corel was inferior to Illustrator for digital printing. thats all. thank you for all who replied so far.

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Bob Rochon
Creative Signworks
Millbury, MA
bob@creativesignworks.com

"Some people's kids"

Posted by Glenn Taylor (Member # 162) on :

Bob,

Where Edge printing is concerned, whether the file came from Illustrator or Corel is irrelevent. The Edge-1 prints at 300 dpi. The Edge-2 uses the same printhead and prints at 300x600 dpi. If the image came out grainy, chances are it wasn't prepped at either the proper DPI, LPI, Dot-Pattern, or a combination of the three.

Also, since the Edge is a thermal-resin printer, it will not have the same "appearent" resolution as an inkjet printer may have.

To properly print an image, the prep must be done right. For the Edge or ColorCamm, scale the image to full size and save it as a 100 dpi image. You can save it at a higher resolution, but it will do little to improve the image since the printhead is only 300 dpi. The next thing to do is to choose the correct dot pattern....classic dot, gerbertone, stochastic and so on. Changing the dot pattern and/or dot size will have an effect on the quality of the printed image and have an effect on possible color shifts.

If you'll send me a sample file and pay for the shipping, I'll be more than happy to send you at no cost a sample print utilizing the various dot patterns. That way you will have something to make comparisons to.

By the way, I use Corel on pretty much everything and have used Illustrator files as well. With the same setting, I can't find a difference in the print quality at all. I suspect that your printer is just one of those who prefers to deal with Macs. As for one software being superior to the other, Illustrator might be in some areas, but those areas only make up about 0.5% of where my needs are. I just can't justify spending that much more money for so little in return.

Joe,
Look into PDF format files. They will cross-platform with either Mac or PC. I create a lot of logo designs the eventually end up at the local newspaper. They use Macs and I use a PC. When they call me for a copy of a logo, I send it to them as a PDF. They never have a problem bringing it up and using it. As far as service bureaus, that is why I like Gregory. I can send them a Gerber file or a Corel file or a Mac file. They are always prepared it seems.

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Design is Everything!
Glenn Taylor
in beautiful North Carolina
http://members.tripod.com/taylor_graphics

walldog@bbnp.com

[This message has been edited by Glenn Taylor (edited April 20, 2000).]

Posted by Joe Rees (Member # 211) on :

Glenn, thanks for the reminder about PDF. I have a good PDF story. A client sent me a vector file (from a mac) in a PDF format to be cut on my plotter. It opened great in Adobe Acrobat, and imported into Corel Draw but was an image only, no vectors. Until I noticed an alternate PDF import filter in Corel. In addition to an "adobe portable document file" there was another called "placeable enhanced PDF page". Bingo, all shapes became editable vectors. Guess I have to start giving PDF more respect.

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Joe Rees
Cape Craft Signs
(Cape Cod, MA)
http://www.capecraft.com
http://www.dave-joe-show.com
e-mail: joerees@capecraft.com

Posted by old paint (Member # 549) on :

real simple...the person you were asking the question.....had a big ego..and couldnt say the truth, like...."i dont really know." so they do like most other people and give you some B.S. that they think will cover their lack of knowledge.....its called "misinformation".....computer salesmen and used car salesmen...hahahahaha. i say this because i had one guy tell me(and this was after i learned to fix and build PC'S)that the reason art people prefer MAC'S is that a PC monitor will not show a "true"
circle......and i just said oh really and walked off....somethings are better...left right there..

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joe pribish-A SIGN MINT
6050 mobile hwy
pensacola, fl 32526
850-944-5060

Posted by Bob Rochon (Member # 30) on :

Thanks Glenn,

I'll take you up on that offer, We're updating his logo, so when we get it finished I'll send it to you for those samples. Maybe I'll have a better Idea aboutwhat the edge really CAN do. I've always suspected there was more of a wayof controlling the output by means of software.

and Joe (old paint), I know what you mean, I worked on both macs and pc's, I've seen a lot of good and bad from both. But I still get the "attitude" from many print shops. I'm with Joe Rees about the both platforms, If I could afford to have a Mac along with my 3 PC's, I would just to be able to read all disks.

But with Mac Opener & Corel 9, there isn't too many files I can't open. So the cost would not be worth it to have another system.

Thanks again everyone for the Info, I guess I won't be dumping Corel any time soon.

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Bob Rochon
Creative Signworks
Millbury, MA
bob@creativesignworks.com

"Some people's kids"

[This message has been edited by Bob Rochon (edited April 21, 2000).]

Posted by Kelli (Member # 248) on :

Bob, I have both Illustrator and Corel Draw for both Mac & PC. Like Joe, I think having both platforms is vital when you are dealing with a diverse client base. If you're interested in comparing the output from the two programs, I'd be happy to run some test prints through for you. I have a color laser, which I think would be the best output device for comparing.

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Kelli Cajigas aka Janda
Dolphin deSigns & Banners
“A satisfied customer will tell two friends, a dissatisfied customer will tell ten.”

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