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I want to start doing my designs on my laptop. I use Omega 2.1 and have for the past year. It would be a lot of hassel to transfer dongles and expensive. In order to save the hassel & money, I thought I would start doing my designs in CorelDraw X3 and then transfer to my desktop into the Omega software. What software program do you design your logos and such in? Do you have a better suggestion? It seem like the new X3 really is a much improved program and has many more fonts. How many use freehand? Flexisign?
-------------------- Cynthia Pack 246 Diamondview Loop Galax, Va. 24333 Posts: 659 | From: Galax, Virginia USA | Registered: Mar 2001
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CorelDraw is all I have ever used, since version 2. Everyone has their own favourite programs, but for me, CorelDraw will do 100 times what I will ever need or master.
-------------------- Dave Grundy retired in Chelem,Yucatan,Mexico/Hensall,Ontario,Canada 1-519-262-3651 Canada 011-52-1-999-102-2923 Mexico cell 1-226-785-8957 Canada/Mexico home
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2nd for corel!!!! throw that GOOBER STUFF away!!!
-------------------- joe pribish-A SIGN MINT 2811 longleaf Dr. pensacola, fl 32526 850-637-1519 BEWARE THE TRUTH.....YOU MAY NOT LIKE WHAT YOU FIND Posts: 11582 | From: pensacola, fl. usa | Registered: Nov 1998
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My mind wanders. And that's not a good thing, 'cause it's too small to be out there alone. Posts: 3129 | From: Tooele, UT | Registered: Mar 2005
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-------------------- Leaper of Tall buildings.. If you find my posts divisive or otherwise snarky please ignore them. If you do not know how then PM me about it and I will demonstrate. Posts: 5274 | From: Im a nowhere man | Registered: Jul 2001
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I'm sure Corel will match up on most, if not all of the following points, so use what you know, but I recently got to work with Omega 2.5
I had a design I had done in Illustrator using Gerber foil color pallettes, it was built in layers & including a placed .tiff file. I didn't have to save back to an older version of Illustrator anymore either.
Omega 2.5 was able to import the file, the colors we're already correctly assigned & layered in the proper print order & another new feature of 2.5 was the clipping path.
My .tiff file was set to overprint as a spot color that filled in several complex gradients onto the 2 other colors of vector contours already printed. Omega 2.1 would not have allowed this, but I "clipped" several compound paths out of the rastor image.
I agree... dragging the dongle around is not worth the hassle when such good import filters are in place.
...oh yeah, I forgot to mention that the file was then saved in Omega 2.5 as a .plt file with the .tiff embedded! (finally )
[ March 06, 2006, 01:43 AM: Message edited by: Doug Allan ]
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I use Flexi which has gotten better, but there is no way it can hang with Corel or AI for complicated print designs, but for most vector type sign art it's fine. You will have the dongle problem though. You should see how people compare the tracing features because that can really vary. Flexi was better in older versions but now it's sadly useless. There is a new program out (reviewed in SignCraft) just for tracing that would be the way to go.
-------------------- Steve Vigeant Berkeley Signs Oakland, CA. Posts: 55 | From: Oakland, CA, USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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here is the files I spoke of to better convey the new improvements in Omega 2.5.
Upper left is the rastor image. The white areas needed to be knocked out. Upper right vector paths were assigned as clipping paths & made the "knock-out" possible. Lower left shows the spot black & silver metallic foils that printed first, & lower right was my original Illustrator design.
(The gradients were created on vector paths, so these could sometimes be imported succesfully into Omega as gradient filled vector contours... but there were so many varoius complex fills... I believe converting that part of the file to a rastor image was best in this case.)
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start out in flexi and drat it over to illustrator for the finishing touches
-------------------- You ever notice how easily accessible people are when they are requiring your services but once they get invoice you can't reach them anymore
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CorelDraw since version 3 then PhotoPaint then Photoshop and last Signlab 5
-------------------- Steve Eisenreich Dezine Signs PO BOX 6052 Stn Forces Cold Lake, Alberta T9M 2C5 Posts: 774 | From: Cold Lake | Registered: Mar 2000
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Illustrator and CorelDRAW. I see very little difference between them... or I know them both well enough that switching between the two isn't a problem at all for me. Some tasks I may be a little more profficient in one program or another so that's why I use both.
I hate Corel's Contour tool (gotta clean up tons of nodes it throws in) and the "Convert Outline to Object" tool isn't much better by the time you have to fine-tune the nodes it gives you. OFten I will bring the artwork into Illustrator for outlining because Illy gets it done fast and clean.
-------------------- "If I share all my wisdom I won't have any left for myself."
Mike Pipes stickerpimp.com Lake Havasu, AZ mike@stickerpimp.com Posts: 8746 | From: Lake Havasu, AZ USA | Registered: Jun 2000
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CorelDraw! gets my vote. I've used it since version 2.0.
I am currently using version 12.0. I also own various other programs such as Adobe Illustrator, Freehand and Quark Express to name a few. I always come back to Corel.
I think Adobe Illustrator is probably just as good once you get used to it. Corel, however, always seemed more intuitive to me and therefore easier to use.
I cut my vinyl jobs with Signlab. I simply export EPS files from Coreldraw. Signlab has no problem with them at all.
I do my digital printing with Postershop Production House. Again, I import EPS files made from CorelDraw.
I really don't think you can go wrong choosing CorelDraw for your design platform.
However, I must say that I like Adobe Photoshop a lot better than CorelPhotopaint. Other than that CorelDraw rules!
[ March 06, 2006, 10:46 AM: Message edited by: James McLain ]
-------------------- Jim McLain McLain Studios 1203 Main Street Asbury Park, NJ 07712 jlm@mclainstudios.com Posts: 42 | From: New Jersey | Registered: Aug 2004
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I can't wait until a really good RIP for Corel draw comes out.. No bridging allowed. Plugin will be fine.
-------------------- Leaper of Tall buildings.. If you find my posts divisive or otherwise snarky please ignore them. If you do not know how then PM me about it and I will demonstrate. Posts: 5274 | From: Im a nowhere man | Registered: Jul 2001
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Signlab for cutting vinyl. Goober Omega for running the Edge and Photoshop for designing L.F. digital stuff.
-------------------- Ricky Jackson Signs Now 614 Russell Parkway Warner Robins, GA (478) 923-7722 signpimp50@hotmail.com
"If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." Sir Issac Newton Posts: 3528 | From: Warner Robins, GA | Registered: Oct 2004
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Gerber Omega, I have tried others like Corel and Adobe, but for SIGN design I find Gerber best. I do use Corel 11 for some of my wide format prining work.
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Flexi Pro here........with some Corel , Photoshop, Fireworks...and quite a bit of hand Brush work...Ya see I started in this business over 50 years ago........(Did some "Cave Paintings" with home made charcoal)........lol,,,lol.....
Shep'
-------------------- Arvil Shep' Shepherd Art by Shep' -------- " Those who dance are thought to be mad by those who cannot hear the music " Posts: 1281 | From: Mt Airy NC | Registered: Mar 2001
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I design in Gerber GA 6.2 (bare bones stuff) transfer to Corel 9 to tart it up for emailing to customers. Then back to GA to pounce or plot. Then I finish it up with my good old 10 digit hands, usually adding paint. Love....Jill
Posts: 8834 | From: Butler, PA, USA | Registered: Jan 2001
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Since Corel is a paying Merchant on this site, I'll say that I wouldn't use anything but Corel.
Seriously. Pick ONE of the drawing programs and practice to be as skilled with it as you can, or as skilled as you want to be. They all do the same thing. It's only the artist using the program who is the variable in the equation.
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Thank you so much for all the great replies. I have been trying to learn to design in CorelDraw for about a year now. For some reasons I keep going back to the Omega. If there was a good teaching guide or teaching CD's for Corel then maybe I could learn to use it. I just have a little trouble doing everything I can in Omega, in Corel. Maybe I just need to use it more. Again thanks everyone for your replies.
-------------------- Cynthia Pack 246 Diamondview Loop Galax, Va. 24333 Posts: 659 | From: Galax, Virginia USA | Registered: Mar 2001
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At home... Corel X3, Photoshop, Flexi, Streamline and all the plug ins I can muster.
Seems like lately I've been on a run with file converting. Artwork is now going out to press printers, shirt printers, subcontractors, etc and having the abilty to reformat as needed is a plus.
Cynthia, Like you, I'm trying to readjust myself to X3...and Flexi at the same time...two very different programs in my line of thinking. Even after running most of Corel's versions since 3, there's a whole ton of good stuff in there I'm still finding.
Have a visit at the Corel website tutorial pages HERE or at Lynda.com for some good info on X3.
Hope this helps... Rapid
-------------------- Ray Rheaume Rapidfire Design 543 Brushwood Road North Haverhill, NH 03774 rapidfiredesign@hotmail.com 603-787-6803
I like my paint shaken, not stirred. Posts: 5648 | From: North Haverhill, New Hampshire | Registered: Apr 2003
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Like many of you, I use Corel too; exclusively. Which brings up a question... If so many sign makers use Corel, why do so few graphic designers outside of the sign business use it? In my dealings with them, I can probably count on one hand the number of times I have come across a Corel user.
Dan
-------------------- Dan Marquis Marquis Signs Lewiston, Maine dan@marquissigns.com Posts: 118 | From: Lewiston, Maine, USA | Registered: Dec 1998
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I still Use my Signlab 5 for the basic design and shapeshen import into Photoshop for Prints or Artcam for Models. I would possibly consider converting to X3 but I have 11 years of files for signlab so makes that a little difficult. Corel for creating the Countour Cuts and EPS for the Versacamm and Artcam/Rhino for the Router.
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PhotoShop CS2 and Illustrator CS2 and EnRoute Pro 3 are the ones I use exclusively after drawing out my ideas freehand and then scanning them.
-grampa dan
-------------------- Dan Sawatzky Imagination Corporation Yarrow, British Columbia dan@imaginationcorporation.com http://www.imaginationcorporation.com
Being a grampa is one of the the most wonderful things in the world!!! Posts: 8738 | From: Yarrow, B.C. Canada | Registered: Nov 1998
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I'll take a stab at Dan's question and say I think sign makers originally selecte Corel because it was a PC program and Illustrator et al was Mac only.
Sign makers used the software to drive plotters, which, like CAD software, were PC based.
Graphic designers first went digital when the Mac made that possible for desktop publishing.
-------------------- Paul Luszcz Zebra Visuals 27 Water Street Plymouth, MA 02360 508 746-9200 paul@zebravisuals.com Posts: 483 | From: 27 Water Street, Plymouth, MA 02360 | Registered: Jul 2003
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CorelDRAW (since ver 2), Illustrator CS, Xara X, Photoshop CS, Flash, Fireworks, Painter- different tools for different jobs.
As a "Graphic Designer"- I have designed tons of stuff with Corel over the past couple of decades- I think it is more widely used in the sign and screenprinting industry because of operating systems, cost, versatility... and over the years some of these factors have become non-issues, but it is still a great tool.
-------------------- Michael Clanton Clanton Graphics/ Blackberry 19 Studio 1933 Blackberry Conway AR 72034 501-505-6794 clantongraphics@yahoo.com Posts: 1736 | From: Conway Arkansas | Registered: Oct 2001
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![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)
What software program do you design your logos and such in? Do you have a better suggestion? It seem like the new X3 really is a much improved program and has many more fonts. ![[Applause]](graemlins/applause.gif)
How many use freehand? Flexisign?
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
Some tasks I may be a little more profficient in one program or another so that's why I use both.
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