Corel - PDF - Transparency

Pdf's, gradients and transparencies are always an issue, no matter what when printing I merge the entire background into one bitmap, this makes sure the printer is getting what you want, then leave the fonts and spot colored vectors in a layer over the background.

 

I assume that Corel doesn't have the real Adobe PDF Engine but they use some other engine that has to do some hard work to play with PDF's. That would result to some things like gradient's or complex setups not working sometimes.
I could be wrong. Basically same thing with Flexi RIP for example. It's lacking the real Adobe Engine.

 

Even with the latest and "greatest" of CorelDRAW versions the output of PDF, AI and EPS files is not 100% reliable at all. I always have to round-trip and double-check exported artwork within Adobe Illustrator for any errors. I get the most reliable results exporting AI CS6 format files from CorelDRAW and then doing any adjustments within Illustrator. Once any errors are corrected I'll make the PDF or EPS files from within Illustrator.

 

Print ready pdf's are the best way to get predictable results from any printer in my opinion. I have quite a bit of experience with printing, I worked at a graphic design firm and I was prepping print files for the senior designers mural projects for companies like McDonalds, 7-11.I ran multiple projects with upwards of 50,000 print pieces per job, and I have also, with my own company worked on print projects for companies like Starbucks, Tim Hortons, and Cocoa-Cola. The industry standard for printing is properly prepared pdf's, these will print on any machine, with any software, and no hiccups with data transfer of any type.

Transparencies and gradients are the enemy of good printing, there are so many ways these effects can be misinterpreted by RIP software, or even different computers that could substitute a color profile if the file is not prepared properly. I print all over North America with many different companies and pdf's give me consistent results, that are duplicatable by anyone with the right knowledge.