I want to kick some Flexi azz!!!

[signmeup]

On my machine Flexi discards kerning from Corel files not just pdfs. It also can't find some system fonts. That is, fonts that are loaded into my machine and available to use in Flexi . It can't find them when they are in a Corel file. The cure is to convert all fonts to curves.(even system fonts that you can use in Flexi) I have ruined one hand carved sign because I failed to notice a font issue in Flexi. Pi$$ed me off.

How anyone could use Flexi to design anything completely baffles me. It has no anti-aliasing so everything looks like it's made out of lego. You guys that use it must have way better imaginations than I do.

 

[mark in tx]

I must be crazy, but any time I open a file from a customer, and I don't have that font, Flexi brings up a dialog box warning about the font and asks to substitute a default.

 

[gabagoo]

I would love to convert all text to curves but I am not the one who designed it and honestly most customers are receiving these files from other designers. It all basically starts with whoever designed the file and sent it out as final artwork without the full knowledge of what is going to be needed by all parties involved.

last week a designer himself sent me a file and I didnt look to closely at the type of file and brought it into Flexi and printed this one little poster. I thought it was a bitmap because it took a lot longer to open than a standard vectored eps file. I didn't even question what i saw and printed away. Apparently it was an eps file with bitmaps and vectored info together.

They picked it up and then he sends me a screenshot of how the file was supposed to look from Illy or wherever he set it up and I basically replied that it may look correct on your screen but if you design and take shortcuts to hide items and dont send me a jpg along with the file, how am I supposed to know the final look of one $30 poster. Flexi I suppose did not see the compounding or maybe it was a mask, hell I dont know




It is frustrating and if I seriously see something that looks odd or out of the normal I may call them on it, but I have no $$ in these types of jobs to carefully go over the artwork.

 

[Big House Signs]

We have issues also with pdfs in flexi. To avoid this we open the pdf in photoshop turn it to a psd and then print that from flexi. works everytime.

 

[WildWestDesigns]

It all basically starts with whoever designed the file and sent it out as final artwork without the full knowledge of what is going to be needed by all parties involved.

This may be just me, but if I'm sending out a file to someone for them to do with whatever they want to, I would error on the side on the caution and imagine that the next person isn't going to have the same fonts as me. They may, but I would error on the side of caution.

The only way that I would think it wouldn't occur to them is if they don't do any type of final products after they do the design work.

 

[Biker Scout]

I think the OP should get a demerit or infraction for using "Foul Language". My delicate sensibilities sooo offended.

 

[Biker Scout]

Oh, btw... yeah, like other's have said. Just use Production Manager and forget flezzy. It's lame and a resource hog. Production Manager is your actual RIP.

And nothing against the OP... just some bull-honkey I found in my inbox about using the "S-Word" or maybe even "Heck"... I can't remember. Whatever it was, it was a Horse Manure Covered Phallus, shoved deeply into my Rectum repeatedly. And it deeply aggravated me.

See, isn't using proper language much more fun?

 

[Phil Swanson]

WOW! I thought I was the only one. I have had Flexi Actually MOVE words, Eliminate words, and jumble words and letters on PDF files so that it's such a fu#@%ng mess I can't even make out what the original copy was!
I usually end up re-wrighting it for my good customers and telling the occasional customer to send it another way.
It seems to happen on larger files and on files with photo's most often.
IT DRIVES ME CRAAZY!!

 

[Edserv]

We use two stations with Flexi, and have debated over and over whether we should import client files into Adobe Suite as jpegs and then print. But the problems don't happen frequently enough for us to do this drastic measure.

I think part of our solution is our system that our designers are "hands on" through our system, so that we check our final design prior to printing, but we have still had several problems.

But all in all, we really like using Flexi.

 

[OADesign]

I get files all the time that are customer supplied. I proof it to the customer anyway to make sure it was interpreted correctly when imported to Flexi. If we don't have the fonts and the proof is incorrect it falls back on the customer and I tell them to convert to their fonts to outlines and resend.

+1

I always proof this way and I list output size on proof also. Alleviates 99% of the problems for me.

 

[visual800]

I always opened up pdfs in illustrator and if I get the "fonts error" I close it and go back to email and respond to the people "they need to send me the correct files with fonts turned to outlines".

or you can write down what font it needs and go searching for it which I have found is a usually a waste of YOUR time which they should have done

 

[Artgunner]

I thought it was a bitmap because it took a lot longer to open than a standard vectored eps file. I didn't even question what i saw and printed away. Apparently it was an eps file with bitmaps and vectored info together.

They picked it up and then he sends me a screenshot of how the file was supposed to look from Illy or wherever he set it up and I basically replied that it may look correct on your screen but if you design and take shortcuts to hide items and dont send me a jpg along with the file, how am I supposed to know the final look of one $30 poster. Flexi I suppose did not see the compounding or maybe it was a mask, hell I dont know




It is frustrating and if I seriously see something that looks odd or out of the normal I may call them on it, but I have no $$ in these types of jobs to carefully go over the artwork.

I experienced the same problem with a box wrap and found out they were using masks on many items. The layout would collapse on my end to a different size and change appearance of color and such. Back and forth until they finally got it right. During that time, I re-engineered the artwork and told the customer what the deal was and that he could use our artwork. He said that the ad company had to do it as he was paying them. Oh well. Around and around we went until they got it right. Finished the job but the drama with the artwork. Geee.

 

[shado]

For those who may have Acrobat Pro...if you add a large watermark at 0% opacity then convert all type to vector, this will allow you to open the file in Illustrator or Corel with no font problems while retaining all the vector information. Simply locate the transparent watermark and delete it.

I don't know why the watermark is necessary but it seems that Acrobat won't properly convert the text without this step. This trick doesn't help if you need to edit the text or if the PDF has security restrictions, but it can save countless time going back and forth with a customer trying to get a good file.