EPS file problem

[47CP]

Hello,

A customer has sent me an EPS file of his logo which I cannot open/import into COrel (neither can he) but he is reasonably sure it is the file given to him by the original designer and has opened before.

If anyone out there has a few minutes to try to open it and save to something I can work with in COrel, I'd really appreciate it.

dave@wcsllc.net

Thanks,

DaveW

[Fred Weiss]

email it and I'll give it a try.

[weaselboogie]

For future use... I open eps files in illustrator and save them as ai and then import it into corel.

[Fred Weiss]

For future use... I open eps files in illustrator and save them as ai and then import it into corel.

Version number is what is important plus manually selecting the Adobe Illustrator filter when you import into Corel. The only difference between EPS and AI is page size info in the AI and a low rez preview in the EPS. The actual vector info is identical.

[grafxxx]

just curious you said other designer? and the the file wont open huh? well may you should just contact the other designer and have him send you a new file.

[Fred Weiss]

Here's a rundown on the problem file:


It was an EPS export from Gerber Omega which contained some fairly complex gradient fills.
The file generated errors when opened in both Corel X3 and Illustrator CS2.
The file opened correctly and without any complaint in FlexiSign 7.6.2.
The EPS export out of Flexi opened correctly in Illustrator CS2 but would not open correctly in Corel X3.
The saved EPS, AI and PDF versions from Illustrator CS2 still would not open correctly in Corel X3.


Conclusions: Corel is not a competent application at dealing with some Postscript files. Gerber has never embraced Postscript standards until it's latest versions and the jury is still out on that. FlexiSign has always been highly compatible with Postscript. For better or for worse, the design community and the print community has adopted Postscript as its standard. If you want to accept files from customers, you should consider this when acquiring your software.

I have generated several files for 47CP and sent them to him which will, hopefully, get him through producing the job.

[Fred Weiss]

As an interesting and amusing additional commentary on Postscript import and export, I would point out that both Corel X3 and Flexi 7.6.2 will generate errors when they attempt to open or import their own exported EPS files.

[Replicator]

That's awfully nice of you Fred . . . I recently received a customers file that was created for them by another [so called] designer, it was an AI format, and to be perfectly honest, this simple logo that should have been about 7 or 8 colors was broken up into 720 pieces and 645 gradient colors. It was ridiculous !

[dclet]

Corel is not a competent application at dealing with some Postscript files

Actually it's the the way the file is supplied, dont blame the app. When the file is prepared correctly Corel has no issues. Not a "competent designer" with no "pre-press experience" is really more in tune....

[Fred Weiss]

Actually it's the the way the file is supplied, dont blame the app. When the file is prepared correctly Corel has no issues. Not a "competent designer" is really more in tune....

As someone who provides support to Corel users for vector clipart files, I would disagree. Corel export of combined shapes still results in segmented shapes and has from day one. Corel import of EPS, if allowed to automatically select its filter will often open the preview tif image embedded in an EPS and ignore the vectors.

[dclet]

Corel export of combined shapes still results in segmented shapes and has from day one.

explain, I do not have any issues when the file is prepared correctly.
segmented or otherwise.

the gradient issue is a completely different matter, and if the file does include
complex fills - any vector format shouldn't & couldn't be utilized for the above reasons ~ designer rule of thumb.

[47CP]

Many thanks to Fred. His files worked fine.

DaveW

[thewood]

As an interesting and amusing additional commentary on Postscript import and export, I would point out that both Corel X3 and Flexi 7.6.2 will generate errors when they attempt to open or import their own exported EPS files.

Yep. I've noticed that Flexi won't import or open its own eps files. Funny.

[Mason]

Thumbs up Fred!

[Bobby H]

I have rarely had any problems exporting artwork in EPS format from Corel.

However, to clarify things a bit, I "finalize" the artwork where it isn't dependent on any internal effects (such as lens filters, powerclip, etc.). Usually any type is converted to outlines. Anyone exporting art from one application to another must do this sort of thing if he expects any kind of seamless results.

It should also be said Illustrator and Postscript supports only linear and radial gradient fills. It does not support conical and square shaped gradients found in CorelDRAW. That's even the case in IllustratorCS3.

Illustrator also does not support some of Corel's 3D extrude effects, such as the parallel "block shadow" effect I often use in channel letter sketches.

Adobe Illustrator has a pretty good CorelDRAW import filter, and I often use that to bring CDR artwork into IllustratorCS3. I have seen the filter goof up some vector objects created with Corel's Contour tool. And it has ignored Pantone fills, turning them black instead.

When designing logos and other graphics for people, either for sign work in my day job or freelance in non-sign related matters, I'll usually give the customer copies of the artwork in these formats:
Adobe Illustrator .AI version 3
CorelDRAW .CDR version 6
Adobe Acrobat PDF
Encapsulated Postscript .EPS version 3

[GAC05]

This is an interesting discussion for me.
I have had a devil of a time getting consistent results with eps files supplied to me from a Mac only ad agency (they use CS3).
No matter what I ask them to do the file is never properly prep'd for printing.
I consistently get files that show a ghosted rectangular outline when a bitmap is placed over a filled vector background.
I don't think this is a failure on my end as the printed color proofs they supply with the print order show the same problem, it is much less pronounced but still clearly there.
I ask them for to send me the art work as a flattened tiff 3x10ft -100dpi at full production size and get a 3x10inch bitmap at 300dpi.
(Illustrator seems to have a pretty low limit on how large of a bitmap it can rasterize compared to Corel)

Opening CS3 files saved to eps from them in Flexi7.6 is a real crapshoot (for me). The files do open,
but the bitmaps are segmented and often times have a 1 or 2 pixel gap between segments of the same bitmap image. Not a major show stopper most times but with some projects the white lines running through the print look like a print head starting to fail, when viewed up close.
I also get an rgb background with a cymk bitmap on top of it when opened in Flexi. The same file opened in CS3 Illustrator (trial) shows the background is set to a pantone spot color.

I do just about everything in Corel and send it to Flexi for cutting or printing and have no issues with files I generate.

I am about to bite the bullet and give Adobe some of my hard earned money. I know I have wasted more time than the reasonable $199 side-grade it costs to go from Draw to CS3 Illustrator.

wayne k
guam usa

[jimdes]

Is there anything you DON"T know Fred?

Although I don't get on here as often as I'd like, I always try to look into the Corel stuff when visiting and you guys are still keeping me interested!

[Fred Weiss]

Is there anything you DON"T know Fred?

Although I don't get on here as often as I'd like, I always try to look into the Corel stuff when visiting and you guys are still keeping me interested!

Oh lots of stuff Jim ... but I try not to talk about those things. :Cool 2:

It's nice to see a post from you.

[WOODBS]

can i get a little input with a different format. i am not too familiar with mim files and can't open in flexi or photoshop. is it possible? thanks

[Fred Weiss]

can i get a little input with a different format. i am not too familiar with mim files and can't open in flexi or photoshop. is it possible? thanks

A MIM or MIME file is a format used to encode and decode binary or image files when attached to email. HERE's (http://searchwebservices.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid26_gci212575,00.html) a definition with lots of additional information. You don't open them directly. Just as with a ZIP file, you have to open the file and extract the contents before it can be used.

[WOODBS]

thanks fred, i'll check it out