Need Help Importing from corel to flexi

[Ranel]

Hi guys.

We just bought all the signmaking equipment and are also a complete newbies to this thing so obviously I have some problems :-D Also I'm a complete newbie to any design software so that also doesn't help.

So my problem is that we have traffic signs made in corel but we need them to be imported to flexi as EPS for printing in production manager. It is fine with the signs that don't have any text and I just need to change the size depending what class the sign is. Now my problem is with the signs where I need to edit the text - like speed limit, location names etc. In corel I just choose text tool and click on text and it reckognizes the size, style etc. and I be able to edit it. After importing it to flexi that doesn't work. Even if I unmask and ungroup the sign I can choose the textbox but cannot edit the text itself. I presume that during importing the text somehow is transformed basically into the image and is not reckognized as a text anymore. I have a feeling that theres somesort of option or somh during the import I need to check to keep the text part as editable text. So can you guys helpe me out?

 

[CanuckSigns]

When you export the EPS file from Corel, there is an "advanced" button on the save screen, click that then there should be an option along the lines of "export all text as curves" make sure that is unchecked.

 

[Ranel]

When you export the EPS file from Corel, there is an "advanced" button on the save screen, click that then there should be an option along the lines of "export all text as curves" make sure that is unchecked.

Hey.

Figured it out after messing around half a day

The guy who set up our printer quickly exported signs from corel (we had lots of signs on same sheet) and gave us quick tutorial how to calibrate the colors since some of the colors were completely off after export. It turns up he didn't tick the box to export text as text but as curves and after that it was a lost cause. Had to do whole export again, calibrated the colors and saved the signs separately as flexisign files to be easily used and editable by flexi. Sadly flexi didn't reckognize the fonts correctly so some of the text was off - wrong place, overlapping, too much together etc. so I have to tinker but atleast its editable now

Anyway thanks a lot for the reply

 

[bob]

Why are you bothering with EPS files? From Corel export as CMX [legacy]. They come right into Flexi with no masking, text as text [assuming you have the same array of font files available on the destination machine], and minimal color shift. Going to EPS or AI or even PDF is just making more work for yourself.

 

[Ranel]

Why are you bothering with EPS files? From Corel export as CMX [legacy]. They come right into Flexi with no masking, text as text [assuming you have the same array of font files available on the destination machine], and minimal color shift. Going to EPS or AI or even PDF is just making more work for yourself.

Well the guy who setup our printer and software and did all the initials thing told us to use EPS format and us being complete noobs we just didn't know better. Gonna try out your suggestion today and if it works it would be a lifesaver since all the letter positions and gaps between words and letters are all regulated and it would be a pain and unnecessary work to try to get them all correct.

 

[Ranel]

Why are you bothering with EPS files? From Corel export as CMX [legacy]. They come right into Flexi with no masking, text as text [assuming you have the same array of font files available on the destination machine], and minimal color shift. Going to EPS or AI or even PDF is just making more work for yourself.

Tried to export from corel in cmx legacy format but the text was completely all over the place. Maybe doing something wrong.

Also any idea how to just cut with flexi, I mean can I just for example create a circle and cut it without regmarks (since regmarks are added by printer but I don't want to print - just cut certain shape) . Tried adding cut contour and in production manager chose contour only and in regmarks changed opos to none but the cutter still asks for a regmark.

 

[bob]

Tried to export from corel in cmx legacy format but the text was completely all over the place. Maybe doing something wrong.

Also any idea how to just cut with flexi, I mean can I just for example create a circle and cut it without regmarks (since regmarks are added by printer but I don't want to print - just cut certain shape) . Tried adding cut contour and in production manager chose contour only and in regmarks changed opos to none but the cutter still asks for a regmark.

Right next to the icon for printing and/or print and cut, is an icon that's supposed to looke like a blade [it looks to like a thumbtack]. That's the cut command. No print, just send everything to the cutter.There must be some menu entree that does the same thing but I've never used such. Just the icon that looks like a thumbtack.

As far as having trouble with text importing. I'd wager that the text in question has been diddled with an envelope or some other distortion that Flexi cannot reproduce. Plain old vanilla text has always imported for me.

 

[Ranel]

Right next to the icon for printing and/or print and cut, is an icon that's supposed to looke like a blade [it looks to like a thumbtack]. That's the cut command. No print, just send everything to the cutter.There must be some menu entree that does the same thing but I've never used such. Just the icon that looks like a thumbtack.

As far as having trouble with text importing. I'd wager that the text in question has been diddled with an envelope or some other distortion that Flexi cannot reproduce. Plain old vanilla text has always imported for me.

Yes, you are right, theres a little blade icon next to print, but the problem is that its greyed out and not selectable no matter if the cut contours are added to the image and the image is selected etc. In production manager the cutter is added and works as it should but seems that not in designer. Do I have to somehow add it in designer separately and if yes - how?

Also since you have been so much help do you know how to set up the cut job after printing so I could feed the media from the roll? What I mean is that the cutter wants first regmark to be the lower right corner but that mark is pretty much first thing the printer prints and is inside the roll. And now when I feed the media into cutter the "lower right " regmark is actually upper left mark or the last regmark printed. So if I feed it like that it doesn't know the correct contours. So is there a menu where I can now adjust the cut job options like change feed direction or basically let it know that after printing everything is in reverse order.

 

[bob]

Yes, you are right, theres a little blade icon next to print, but the problem is that its greyed out and not selectable no matter if the cut contours are added to the image and the image is selected etc. In production manager the cutter is added and works as it should but seems that not in designer. Do I have to somehow add it in designer separately and if yes - how?

Also since you have been so much help do you know how to set up the cut job after printing so I could feed the media from the roll? What I mean is that the cutter wants first regmark to be the lower right corner but that mark is pretty much first thing the printer prints and is inside the roll. And now when I feed the media into cutter the "lower right " regmark is actually upper left mark or the last regmark printed. So if I feed it like that it doesn't know the correct contours. So is there a menu where I can now adjust the cut job options like change feed direction or basically let it know that after printing everything is in reverse order.

The cut command doesn't work for contour lines and bitmaps. Just make them not contour lines and you can then cut them. Of course, they won't cut at the right location without using the registration marks. There's a way to do that manually as well but I'm not going to tell you how to do it. This is one of those things that you have to learn for yourself. Everything you need to learn how to do this is available on the net.

As for your second problem, just print it upside down.

 

[myront]

No need for Flexi other than for RIP. Design and export from corel to a "Hot Folder" directly linked to Flexi Production Manager. Export as pdf, eps or tiff.
We have 2 designer workstations and a separate workstation for our print tech. He watches what drops into Production Manager and gangs prints according to material etc.