Adobe Illustrator vs. Corel Draw

[Tony Rome]

So if you are using Corel or AI do you still have use for Signlab or flexi if so, what? Just to RIP?
Because I use CorelX3 and then save as an .eps and RIP with Versaworks...is SL and Flexi just a substitute for Versaworks?
Thanks!
(Oh, I also use AI at times, it is definitley good to have both but if arm twisted for one...my choice easy CorelDraw)

 

[54warrior]

I would like Illy a whole lot more if I could zoom in/out with the scroll wheel!!!!

 

[Service Sign Co]

I would like Illy a whole lot more if I could zoom in/out with the scroll wheel!!!!

Press the alt key and you can zoom in & out to the mouse cursor,But I know, it's a lot easier to do the same with 1 finger in Corel.

 

[Bigdawg]

Illustrator user and lover here... but Corel has come a long way baby!!

Either one will do what you need... I'm in the "I like to have both" crowd because, as Wayne pointed out, both have things they do better than the other.

 

[SignManiac]

It's essential that you have all three. Corel, Adobe and MS publisher for all the files you will get from your customers.

 

[peavey123]

It's essential that you have all three. Corel, Adobe and MS publisher for all the files you will get from your customers.

I don't understand why you'd need a bunch of programs when you can just get your customer to save their files as a PDF? as long as they send you a bitmap proof you shouldn't need to get every program out there. I would personally just stick with the Adobe products because I"m most comfortable and efficient with them. I'd say get a trial of both Corel and Illy. Play with them and then decide.

 

[mark in tx]

From my own experiences in a color profiled workflow environment, there are real problems with how CorelDraw is set up to deal with profiling.
The wizard for setting your outputs is ridiculously amateur, and limited in capabilities.
Not to mention you have to cross your fingers to get it to work at all.

 

[anotherdog]

We get about 10% of files sent to us in Corel, 80% in Adobe (not just illustrator) don't ask about the other 10% (publisher erug).
We have a VP540 using versaworks, My workflow for corel now always involves converting to illustrator before it goes to the rip. Corel just isn't there in colour management yet. I have tossed away too much vinyl. If you can get illustrator and photoshop. Corel is okay, but second to Adobe in clean output.
If you are taking in files to print you need adobe/corel and publisher in that order.

 

[fondu]

That most likely won't be legal.
It may have been legal, but it won't legally belong to YOU, unless you file a transfer of license document you need to get from Adobe & have signed by the original owner... which doesn't often happen by people selling perfectly good software at 25% or 30% of it's value... but good luck

Here is the link from softwaremedia.com - http://www.softwaremedia.com/category/1692.html

Why wouldn't this be legal?

 

[iSign]

Here is the link from softwaremedia.com - http://www.softwaremedia.com/category/1692.html

Why wouldn't this be legal?

Since I needed to call them anyway, regarding something else, I called Adobe about that link.

That particular suite costs $1399 new from Adobe.

They confirmed that SoftwareMedia.com is NOT an authorized distributor.

They said bootleggers like that take copies of Adobe's 30 day trial software, put it in a pretty package & stick a lot of customers with 30 days of real Adobe software, but no legitimate password to "activate" the software after the 30 days.

My guess... that website will be gone in 30 days... but what do I know, I'm just repeating what Adobe told me.

I had to call them anyway, because I can't even activate my $1399 copy on my new computer until I properly deactivate it on the old machine...

...so I know from experience, they DO know how to lock people out of using "their" software... so it is a genuine risk!

 

[gps-hi]

bootleg or educational version which isn't legal for commercial use.

 

[CES020]

Since I needed to call them anyway, regarding something else, I called Adobe about that link.

I had to call them anyway, because I can't even activate my $1399 copy on my new computer until I properly deactivate it on the old machine...

My question is how'd you actually get to someone at Adobe with a clue? I spent about 3 days with them on the phone trying to get my copy activated. Very frustration to deal with. All off-shore, all of them reading from a script. All read the same script, hit the same spot, and then can't help you any futher or offer any more help.

VERY VERY frustrating company to call into, so how'd you make it so easy?

 

[signmeup]

God, I hate Ai! I just tried to import a corel file into CS4. First off...you can't "import" anything. You have to "place" it. I clicked help to see how to import(!) a document ('cause I didn't know you have to "place" instead of "import")and got the website with all the tutorials on it.....but no help files. Then I remembered that if you close your internet conection you get a pdf help file with some basic help topics on it. All this because Adobe refuses to use a universal term like "import". The program is full of stupid things like this. Avoid it if at all possible. It won't "place" a cdr file for me either....and I can't locate a list of "placable" files in help so I don't know if I have a file problem or if Ai simply doesn't take Corel files. Having a learning curve just for the sake of having a learning curve is really annoying.

 

[CES020]

You do have to admit that Corel's pdf importer sucks. It's about a 50-50 shot on whether or not you get the "file is corrupt" message in Corel when trying to import a customer supplied pdf.

I love Corel, and I'm new to AI, but I can't say Corel is the best tool for bringing in customer supplied art work. Some times it works, some times it doesn't and no one seems to know what the deciding factor is. It's been a known and documented issue with Corel for a long time.

I have pdf's that will not come in through X3, but will come in through V12, and vice versa.

 

[iSign]

God, I hate Ai! I just tried to import a corel file into CS4...
..I don't know if I have a file problem or if Ai simply doesn't take Corel files. Having a learning curve just for the sake of having a learning curve is really annoying.

AI is a great program to use. If you open it & draw... you would get great results... if all you do is draw somewhere else & get frustrated not knowing how to get other file formats open in AI, then you probably aren't using the program much, & aren't using it for it's intended purpose, to create artwork... not that there's anything wrong with that, but I think you are hardly in a position to say the learning curve is there, just to have a learning curve... if you don't use a program much, especially the latest & greatest version of an extremely powerful industry standard graphics program... it will never be "intuitive" all the time for everyone... there WILL be a learning curve!

The good news is there really isn't that much to learn. Save the Corel as an .eps file & just open it!

My question is how'd you actually get to someone at Adobe with a clue?

VERY VERY frustrating company to call into, so how'd you make it so easy?

I may be a fan of the software, but I'm no fan of the call center either... what's the name of that Indian guy on the Simpsons? ...anyway he answers the phone "What is your name & Adobe ID number" ...so, I tell him, & then he asks for a moment & then say "How can I help you" ..so, since I have 2 ID#'s scrawled on the 10 year old Rolodex card I have (covered with old case numbers, product registration numbers & years worth of direct line phone numbers) I ask him if he brought up my record from the ID #, would that record be able to identify all my Adobe products associated with that ID?

So, Kwik-E Mart Apu ignors my question & repeats "How can I help you"
I just asked you a question, you can help me by answering it!!

so,then he got the message ...then he didn't find the software I had my activation issues with, so we ran the other number & then he was able to see my CS4 design Premium suite, (which I need to move to a new computer) as well as my CS4 Illustrator, which I wanted to inquire about upgrading to another full creative suite...

I didn't bother asking if I could merge the 2 ID #'s because the language barrier was too great to consider that tangent... & I sure wasn't going to bother asking about Fondue's question at this point...
I remember once having to tell him "SLOW DOWN!, your English may be better than my Hindu.. but it sure ain't good enough to talk that fast!

...finally, for the upgrade question he transfered me to "sales" and whaddayaknow... John Smith answered the phone with perfect english, so of course I got myself a drink, settled into my chair & proceeded to pick his brain for every little thing I ever wanted to know about Adobe products!

 

[Biker Scout]

I've worked in nearly every form for Graphic Design over the years. From Newspapers, speciality design studios, print shops and now my own "Sign ish type Shop".

In my experience, only sign professionals use/choose corel. Everywhere else has used Illustrator. And because of this, I can usually tell from looking at a sign shop's design whether or not they used corel. It just has it's own unique look. Since I've been using Illusrator since, version 3, and even dabbled in Free Hand for a short period, there really isn't anything I like about corel that can't be accomplished in Illustrator.

In Illustrator, I know what I am getting. Vectorwise, and colorwise.

The only thing I don't like about Illustrator is the 20'x20' limited artboard.

 

[Edserv]

We use Flexi and cs3. I'm an "old-school" Corel die-hard, but if you want to accept files from a lot of the world, get used to cs3/4. Also, our ops guy loves Flexi, and I've found it's very easy to use.
Good luck!
chris
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