Question Coreldraw X7 and Flexisign 19 problem

[Alan Foster]

Hello i wonder if anyone can help me, i use coreldraw X7 to do all my designing in, and then expeort to flexi 19 for printing or cutting.

is there any settings in corel that i need to change when exporting, because if i set something to Red M100 Y100, and send it to another computer with the flexi software on and import it, its printing in more of a magenta red, BUT if i select red on the flexi palette after i import, which is the same M100 Y100 it turns out great, im just wondering if coreldraw is exporting some other settings or its in a different colorspace so to speak (i dont know) tbh

any help would be appreciated on this

TIA

Alan

 

[myront]

Why import to Flexi? Design in Corel export to a hot folder and use Flexi Production Manager to print. We use this method daily as we have two different designer workstations and the Flexi RIP is it's own pc. Designers just drop stuff in the hot folder and the Print Tech can manage prints

 

[Alan Foster]

Why import to Flexi? Design in Corel export to a hot folder and use Flexi Production Manager to print. We use this method daily as we have two different designer workstations and the Flexi RIP is it's own pc. Designers just drop stuff in the hot folder and the Print Tech can manage prints

Thanks for that Myront, thats exactly how we have it, at the moment i didn't know i could just export direct to PM and thought you had to go through flexi, thinking they were the same program, what do you normally export as .eps and any further settings. ill have to see if the colours match corel.

Alan

 

[myront]

...what do you normally export as .eps and any further settings...Alan

We try to stick to pdf. Eps can be tricky when gradient fills are used. Always use pdf with fonts converted unless text heavy. If most elements are raster we use rgb tiff with LZW compression at 150dpi unless really large.

 

[Alan Foster]

Thanks for that myront, that helps, still a strong learning curve here at the moment as we bought and old JV3 160sp which had only every been used as a spare production printer, which hasn't got a lot of miles on it and its been serviced religiously from new by one previous owner. and before this i had a JV3 160s 6 colour, this new one is only 4 colour and i'm having problems calibrating it yet, but ill get there, thanks for your help.

Alan

 

[FrankW]

Regularly, files are exported with ICC-Profiles embedded which describes the work color space of Corel, Illustrator or other Design Apps. Not shure if the outdated EPS-file format could contain ICC-profiles as well, but PDF, JPG or TIF could.

Flexi uses that profiles as input profiles to convert the colours to the printers/output color space (described by the printer profile). If no profile is embedded or the use of embedded profiles is disabled, default input profiles are selected.

This „color handshake“ from processing step to processing step of the job work is named „ICC Workflow“, and if it is consequently used, it will lead to reliable color consistence. If there is a fail anywere, color reproduction will not reliable anymore.

 

[Alan Foster]

Regularly, files are exported with ICC-Profiles embedded which describes the work color space of Corel, Illustrator or other Design Apps. Not shure if the outdated EPS-file format could contain ICC-profiles as well, but PDF, JPG or TIF could.

Flexi uses that profiles as input profiles to convert the colours to the printers/output color space (described by the printer profile). If no profile is embedded or the use of embedded profiles is disabled, default input profiles are selected.

This „color handshake“ from processing step to processing step of the job work is named „ICC Workflow“, and if it is consequently used, it will lead to reliable color consistence. If there is a fail anywere, color reproduction will not reliable anymore.

Thanks for that Frank, like i said above we have only had a printer at my sign shop for about 3 years, and my first one a JV3 160s came with all the profiles installed, and a pc with a very early version of flexi and dongle, of which i sold and got this new 4 colour JV3 160sp, which is in mint condition, i know they are old machines, and probably well past their time, but my old one was like an old cart horse, it just kept going and going you could leave it 3 weeks and not print anything, come to it and perfect test print etc, i just love the reliability of these older machines, plus i've learned to swap out heads, pumps etc, so i thought with this, having less miles on it if i could keep it running for a few more years.

We are on flexi 19 subscription now, and i have asked flexi support for help with calibrating it, they tried and failed, ive tried umpteen color profiles on it, and the only thing thats helped is the pure hue settings for solid blacks and different colours i am getting somewhere with it i hope, and the one other thing we use is a shiraz colour rip chart, which weve printed off and if we need a particular colour, i drag that file in and pick a colour off it, long winded i know, but i would love to be able to get this set up right.

thanks everyone for your help

Alan

 

[FrankW]

Thanks for your feedback.

The best way to have good colors is to create an own ICC-Profile for every media and print mode used. Flexi Subscription has an easy to use ICC-Profiler integrated, only an i1 or other spectrometer is needed.

 

[Alan Foster]

Thanks for your feedback.

The best way to have good colors is to create an own ICC-Profile for every media and print mode used. Flexi Subscription has an easy to use ICC-Profiler integrated, only an i1 or other spectrometer is needed.

Hi Frank ive seen a few on ebay, starting from £49 right through to £500, the cheaper ones say i1 fiery express or something how would i know which one to buy, but i dont really want to spend £500 on one if i can help it at the moment.
thank you
Alan

 

[FrankW]

Some of them are OEM delivered with printers, that causes the difference in the names. i1‘s are differently equipped and licenced, but for Flexi only the basic i1 Pro unit is needed, because there is no additional software required.

I would not buy a very cheap, very old unit, because they could loose precision and need service.

 

[Alan Foster]

Some of them are OEM delivered with printers, that causes the difference in the names. i1‘s are differently equipped and licenced, but for Flexi only the basic i1 Pro unit is needed, because there is no additional software required.

I would not buy a very cheap, very old unit, because they could loose precision and need service.

can i ask another question as i am getting confused with all the jargon and the way these spectrometers work, is there two types because some i have seen calibrate your monitor to the printed output, or the one i want does it read the swatches that your printer prints out, can someone explain please

thank you
Alan

 

[FrankW]

The i1 pro device can be used for both. Be shure to buy a „Pro“ device.

 

[Alan Foster]

Thanks Frank i have been looking at this one
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/X-Rite-G...327799?hash=item4da8ca8a77:g:Iy0AAOSwnFleXsnd

is this one good enough

 

[FrankW]

If the unit is in really good condition, it could be a good choice. A little bit irritating: the unit is branded with "Gretag Macbeth". The swiss company Gretag Macbeth was the original inventor of the i1, but Xrite have bought that technology very long ago, since more than 10 years. Could be that this unit is very old.

 

[Alan Foster]

Hi Frank,
yes on the diagnostic they have posted on the description it says factory calibration in 2009, the only thing thats worrying me is this guy says he has all the licenses, and that a lot of the X1's dont have the licenses with them.
thank you
Alan

 

[FrankW]

Factory calibration says nothing about the age: when the units are delivered, they are certified for maximum precision for two years, than - depending on the requirements - they should need a factory revision. Could be that the unit is older. But a lot of the users do not make any re-calibration of their units as long as they get good results.

There are some different packs of the i1, with different functionality of the attached software. The licences of that functionalities are set in the device itself (a very big dongle ;-) ). For example, if you want to calibrate Windows Desktop Printers, you need RGB-Calibration functionality, if wanting to create profiles with an external software for a Software RIP, it needs the optional CMYK-Calibration.

But with Flexi Subscription you do not need any licences, the software you need to create ICC-Profiles is part of flexi. You only need the i1 Pro Device with basic licences.

 

[Alan Foster]

thanks for that, well i've purchased one from Denmark which is badged as an i1pro revision 4 and it look like it has all its accessories with it.

cant wait for it to arrive now. dont know why because ill be probably pulling my hair out two days after it arrives trying to configure everything.

Also its a pity i cant find much info online about using one of these with flexi, ive gone though virtually all their videos and cant find info on a couple of things, such as the profile wizard or more info about cleancolor and pure hue, of which i use but theres not much as regarding help files of what it is and does.

thank you

Alan

 

[Alan Foster]

ignore that last post i had lost yellow and cyan print head, but after a couple of strong cleans i got them back, now trying to create a profile with my new to me i1pro
Alan

 

[Alan Foster]

Also i will say one thing, if you have an early i1pro, the gretamacbeth type used with the imatch 3 software it wont load the USB drivers in with the software on windows 10, search the i1pro website for the latest USB drivers and they do work with the software on windows 10 but you have to manually go in and update driver from your device manager and point it in the right direction for where you have downloaded the latest drivers