Flexi is completely mental..or I am!!

[gabagoo]

Get an ai file from a regular customer. I dont normally get ai but eps's so opened it in signlab 8 and all the fonts are graphics and everything is hunky dory...

reverse wind 4 days earlier..... Did not bother to open it in Signlab, but sent it directly to the printer which uses Flexi... Import the file, it opens...everything "looks" Hunky dory..... Print banner...let dry for 3 days...unroll and see one line of type, kerning very bad!!! some letters actually overlap and touching.... Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr

So what I need to understand is Signlab8 imports the ai file and again I do that and the font on this particular line is correct. I think maybe I actually have the font the ai file asked for? I double click one of the letters and I see nodes!!!
OK so they were converted to a graphic before I got it, but Flexi somehow does not see it as a graphic and it changes the graphic to a font and %$#$'s the kerning?

I just dont understand why it does stuff like this....

 

[Gene@mpls]

It doesn't. Look further.

 

[gabagoo]

OK I see that Signlab when importing a file has a default setting in a box that opens and it says convert text to graphics..... that makes sense.... But Flexi gives no warning that it is looking for a font and just drops a font in place....

I know in a perfect world I should have requested a pdf file for checking purposes, but very busy and never always make the time to check every file.

 

[Baz]

How's about telling your clients to convert all fonts to outlines if they provide artwork.

That alone saves a million problems.

 

[gabagoo]

How's about telling your clients to convert all fonts to outlines if they provide artwork.

That alone saves a million problems.

Normally I do, but these guys just sent the file from there client. if I make to much fuss with them i take a chance that they could look elsewhere with less hassle.... can't take that chance these days.

But what about Flexi? why can't the software warn me it is going to replace a font with a default? You don't always catch these things between phones ringing and people coming in.... The days of doing anything undisturbed so that you can give it your full attention are long gone.

 

[Baz]

I know what you mean ... I usually check all fonts before importing into Flexi. Been using it for 10 years now. Last week had a rush for a regular client .. Printed his stickers, he installed them at his workplace ... Then his boss notices the screwed up text.

 

[jayhawksigns]

Can you just load it into Production Manager?? Many times Flexi will not open a file correctly here, but if I just open it in PM, it renders just fine. Happens a lot with fades in Illustrator files.

 

[eahicks]

Flexi does that to us....changes kerning from one computer to another. One person can create a file with a particular font that has kerning adjusted, then if I open that file on my computer, yes, the font is there, but my kerning may not match theirs so it can be all jacked up. I wish Flexi would save the kerning INTO the file and not be device dependent.