Question Just want to understand EPS files

[Aunt LuLu]

I have an EPS file provided by customer, this business logo has been used for years. I opened/imported the EPS file into Corel Draw 2020 (I have a subscription) and the fills are all messed up. I am pretty sure the file was created in Adobe Illustrator. In "wire frame" the file looks fine, "enhanced view" is another story. I needed to print stickers for this customer. The fill used makes the logo stand out and is very necessary. I do not want to go back to this customer and tell him, the file provided does not work with my software.

As the customer provided a PNG also, I created a cutline to be able to print the logo for the stickers that were ordered.

I don't want to purchase another graphic software, to fix this issue. I can see more and more of this issue happening. But what other options are there? Any ideas will be appreciated.

laura - aka- Aunt LuLu

 

[Christian @ 2CT Media]

Convert it online to pdf or another format. I bet the fill is a raster that ai generated and is being chopped up by CorelDRAW.

 

[Johnny Best]

You can download for free, if memory serves me right, version 2.0 of Adobe Illustrator and "place" artwork in that. Maybe Illy CS6 is available also for free.

 

[Aunt LuLu]

I tried PDF that did not work. What format do you suggest?

laura - aka - Aunt LuLu

 

[GAC05]

In the down and dirty world of printing other people's files you are going to get more and more of this.
There are work-a-rounds and solutions that will give you degrees of success on your journey to lay down ink on vinyl.
The best solution would be to bite the bullet and pick up a subscription to Illustrator. Once you pick up some of the basics it will save you a ton of import issues with other people's work. I love CorelDraw but no one sends me native cdr files and some of the CD generated PDFs and EPS files have their own set of issues to deal with.

 

[Christian @ 2CT Media]

That is really your only choice for vector with online converters.

 

[jfiscus]

I know a lot of people here seem to use Corel, but in my 20 years in the industry mainly printing for others, I can count on one hand the number of Corel Draw files I've received.

 

[Bradley Signs]

Have you tried to UNGROUP ALL and then BREAK CURVE APART to see if all the PATHS are closed?
If need be, maybe you could just get rid of everything except the outline of each color, and then recolor the sections till you have what you need.

 

[WYLDGFI]

....some of the CD generated PDFs and EPS files have their own set of issues to deal with.

Our experience has been just the opposite with Illustrator and Corel. We work in Adobe almost exclusively with files being sent to us as both EPS and PDF generated by Corel. When we see gradient fills or any type of special fill, they come in as raster within the files. Illustrator exporting to Corel, I don't have any experience with it. If you want to send me the file I can get a look at it...but it seems maybe you clip-mask the fill in corel and then you have better control of your vector? Possibly try to rasterize the image before importing, then import both elements at the same time. Place the vector on top of the raster to "mask the raster" and utilize the vector for the output at same time. We've done the same thing coming from corel to us and that's made life a bit easier.

 

[eahicks]

With any problem PDF or EPS files, I will open in Photoshop and most of the time it opens correctly. Then I save as a .PSD with no background, and import to Flexi. Flexi will apply contour to PSD (provided the background is transparent.)

 

[shoresigns]

Why is this even a problem? It's quite common for gradients to become stratified or rasterized in various vector formats, but the outlines that you need for contour cutting are always still there, in my experience.

 

[De.signs Nanaimo]

I have dealt with this issue for years. I mostly do preventative measure up front, I ask for a PRINT READY vector based pdf, all transparencies and gradients converted to bitmap, all fonts converted to curves or outlines. Of course most people don't have a clue what I am talking about, but it sets me up to be able to charge them for the time getting crappy files to work in Corel. All good print companies have files they will accept, so I just do the same!

That said sometimes an eps is all you can get, and Corels gradients and transparencies to not talk well with Illustrators! if you have Photoshop rasterize the eps and slap the cut line on it in Corel, rip programs normally printed from raster anyways. If you can get it into Illustrator, save it down to Illustrator 8, most files will then work in Corel. If you can go back to your client and get a properly prepared pdf then that is best, juggling eps files can be a real time waster for us Corel users!

 

[myront]

EPS files are not the most cross compatible format to use. Don't know why designers can't get that through their heads. Flat colors and eps is fine but gradients NO, NO, NO. 9 times out of 10 I can open in illustrator then save as pdf and then I can use it in corel.

 

[Aunt LuLu]

Our experience has been just the opposite with Illustrator and Corel. We work in Adobe almost exclusively with files being sent to us as both EPS and PDF generated by Corel. When we see gradient fills or any type of special fill, they come in as raster within the files. Illustrator exporting to Corel, I don't have any experience with it. If you want to send me the file I can get a look at it...but it seems maybe you clip-mask the fill in corel and then you have better control of your vector? Possibly try to rasterize the image before importing, then import both elements at the same time. Place the vector on top of the raster to "mask the raster" and utilize the vector for the output at same time. We've done the same thing coming from corel to us and that's made life a bit easier.

I have just sent the file to you. Thank you for your offer to help

 

[shoresigns]

Expanding on my previous comment...

EPS files have supported gradients since PostScript Level 3 was introduced in 1997. If your application is rasterizing or stratifying gradients in EPS files, it's either because A) you're using a very outdated application, or B) some other complexity in your file is causing it, such as transparencies or other effects. Or you might just be inadvertently saving it in a "compatibility" mode for PostScript Level 1 or 2.

 

[Aunt LuLu]

Have you tried to UNGROUP ALL and then BREAK CURVE APART to see if all the PATHS are closed?
If need be, maybe you could just get rid of everything except the outline of each color, and then recolor the sections till you have what you need.

I did what you suggested and you are correct, the paths are broken....Tried to join them back together. I did not have much luck.
Laura - aka - Aunt LuLu

 

[WYLDGFI]

Actually on the EPS logo the paths are intact. Everything is connected from what we can see here.

One control handle effects the shape of the curve on the outside of the logo.

 

[ColorCrest]

Any ideas will be appreciated.

Make a single print to any printer. What happens?

 

[karst41]

Rules for receiving Art Files

1. All fonts are to be converted to outlines, and a list of names of each and every font used.

2. All Strokes converted to Paths. (could easily be part of your problem)
Your equipment and RIP software will not see stroke weights, and also
in this your client will know what will be output from you.

3. If this is being converted to EPS for you, Have them select EPS 3.
EPS 3 imports into RIP software nicely and over the past 29 years
not one error importing EPS 3. Been plenty errors in the art file itself
but not due to EPS 3.

Cheers

 

[Bobby H]

I have an EPS file provided by customer, this business logo has been used for years. I opened/imported the EPS file into Corel Draw 2020 (I have a subscription) and the fills are all messed up. I am pretty sure the file was created in Adobe Illustrator.

A customer provided art file can be pretty slippery due to odd ways and bad choices of how the artwork may have been created, exported or even round-tripped thru multiple applications before the file was sent to you in its present condition.

Poor quality artwork is not too bad a hassle if all you have to do is print it. Most of the files I receive are intended for permanent signs and require further editing. So they need to be of a higher standard (preferably 100% vector-based).

PDF-based files are a common source for trouble. The only "good" PDF files I see are ones generated by Adobe Illustrator and saved with the option to preserve Illustrator editing capability. Most applications generate PDFs to be web friendly, which means doing all sorts of crazy things to the artwork to reduce file size and ensure backward compatibility with older web browsers and PDF readers. Opening one of these kinds of PDF files in Adobe Illustrator often reveals a horrible mess. You'll find lots of clipping masks, clipping groups, duplicate copies of objects that have no fill or stroke, broken open or sliced paths, rasterized objects and more. A tool like Astute Graphics' Vector First Aid plug-in for Adobe Illustrator can fix/repair many issues in junky PDFs and save a great deal of editing time. But often there will be some manual steps needed to finish repairing the artwork, such as using the eye-dropper tool to re-apply gradients to objects from gradient filled boxes that were previously clipped to that parent object.

EPS files can also be a big problem depending on what features and effects were used in the host graphics application before the EPS file was exported. Depending on the version of EPS chosen in the dialog box, along with other options, various features in the artwork may "break" or be simulated, such as a gradient fill being turned into hundreds of sliced objects.

Our experience has been just the opposite with Illustrator and Corel. We work in Adobe almost exclusively with files being sent to us as both EPS and PDF generated by Corel. When we see gradient fills or any type of special fill, they come in as raster within the files.

I move a lot of artwork between Adobe Illustrator and CorelDRAW frequently and don't really see that problem with gradient filled objects. Usually the gradient fill is maintained as a vector object. However, the size/position of the gradient and its steps may shift a little or a lot. I usually get the best results by using the latest AI file format both applications can read.

EPS files have supported gradients since PostScript Level 3 was introduced in 1997.

Gradient fill behavior has changed a lot since 1997. Illustrator has supported non-symmetrical gradients and steps of transparency on gradients for a long time. CorelDRAW matched those features in CDR X8 and CDR 2018. Now Illustrator has the free-form gradient feature that opens a whole new can of worms. Thank goodness Onyx and RasterLink Pro support it in EPS and PDFs exported from Illustrator.