Flexi not reading gradients in .AI & .EPS file

[Sign Works]

I've got a customer supplied file in .AI & .EPS format which was created in Illustrator CS2. When I attempt to open or import it into Flexi 8 the gradient fills do not show up. The greadient fills are created using a pantone color and then 40% of the same color at the lighter end, Is this considered a transparency and is that why Flexi wont read it? It is also strange when I do open it in Flexi it appears that each element/path has a mask applied but this dosen't show in the file in Illustrator, also in Flexi the outer dimensions of each mask are equal to the document/page size in Illustrator (8 1/2" x 11") any ideas?

 

[iSign]

what do you want to do with it? Print it?

CS2 has a lot of different features that could produce effects I would never expect Flexi to import, but a I export all my print jobs from illustrator or Photoshop as RGB .tif files & they work fine. I just save the one vector I might need for a cut line into a different file to import along with the .tif file.

 

[John Butto]

saving eps in illustrator

When you go to the save as box and select eps you will notice in options to save gradients for printing.

 

[Sign Works]

I wanted to bring it into Flexi to apply traps/bleeds and the contour cuts, I am much more efficent in Inspire & Flexi than I am with Illustrator (especially when it comes to path editing), I guess I'm gonna have to do this one in Illustrator and at least this way I'll be getting more familiar with Illustrator, it will just take way longer. I am getting better with it thanks to all the helpful posts on this forum, I was just kinda curious as to why the gradients weren't showing in Flexi and what was up with the masks on each and every element within the file when it dosen't appear to be constructed that way in illustrator. Now I'm just hoping that Versaworks will read the contour cut from Illustrator CS2, I know it does from ver 10 but havn't yet tried it with CS2.

Buy the way isign, sorry I never got around to posting pics of the webing on the GBC Titan laminator, things have been totally insane around here lately, did you get the problem resolved?

 

[cinemasign.grafix]

Did you save down or export to version 11 or 10 before importing or opening in Flexi?

 

[Sign Works]

cinemasign, yup tried that too, comes in the same way no matter what I try, have just decided to manipulate the artwork in Illustrator, man this is gonna be fun, gotta convert all the strokes to outlines and a bunch of other stuff that I'm just not familiar with in Illustrator, it'l take me some time but I'll get it.

 

[mark in tx]

Try exporting the file from Illustrator as an RGB tif.
Then take it into flexi and apply the contour cut.