I'd like a poll of which design software most of you prefer...CorelDraw! or Adobe Illustrator?
Posted by old paint (Member # 549) on :
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX COREL DRAW RULES!!!!!!!
Posted by David Harding (Member # 108) on :
I've been using Corel since version 3 so I know it best. I have Illustrator 10 but anything I do in Illustrator comes at great effort. Corel is second nature to me. I am going to try to learn to be proficient at Illustrator but I'm sure I will always prefer Corel.
Now, if I could just get paid by the word for taking several dozen words to say what could have been done in one--Corel, I might be able to retire from the sign business.
Posted by Dave Grundy (Member # 103) on :
Corel Draw here
Posted by Si Allen (Member # 420) on :
I have been using Corel since ver.4...I have Illustrator, but seldom use it.
Posted by Bob Stephens (Member # 858) on :
Corel since ver.1
Posted by Jane Diaz (Member # 595) on :
Corel since we switched from Arts and Letters WAY back...anybody still use that? We started with Design CAD. What a long way deSIGN programs have come since THEN! Corel is an awesome program that does it all. Our sons work at another sign shop and have learned both and said Corel is far superior.
[ November 18, 2004, 04:57 PM: Message edited by: Jane Diaz ]
Posted by Rick Beisiegel (Member # 3723) on :
We have both...I like Illustrator, my designer uses Corel...I guess that's one vote for each.
[ November 18, 2004, 04:59 PM: Message edited by: Rick Beisiegel ]
Posted by old paint (Member # 549) on :
i have ARTS & LETTERS 6.0 on this computer...great program, very underrated....there is a verion 7.0 i think..
Posted by Curtis hammond (Member # 2170) on :
Corel draw of course
Posted by Dale Manor (Member # 4858) on :
OK, I'll have to be the weird one here...
Illustrator CS along with PhotoShop CS.
I work at a college with a Graphic Design concentration...most of the Designers here have never heard of Corel.
I have Corel 10 on my machine but just haven't used it hardly at all.
It all depends on what you are used to......I couldn't imagine using a digital camera without Photoshop.
I guess it all depend on what types of files you will be working/sharing with too.
Obviously the sign world uses mostly Corel, But a high percentage of graphic design firms use Illustrator running on Mac computers.
My 2 1/2 cents.....
Posted by Mike Pipes (Member # 1573) on :
I like Illustrator and CorelDRAW equally!
I've been using Illustrator about 10-11 years now and CorelDRAW for 6 so I've got enough time on both to be profficient either way.
I just wish either one of them could automatically kick out vectorized halftones (I think there might be a plug-in available somewhere?) That would have saved me a LOT of headaches over the past couple weeks!
Posted by dave parr (Member # 3868) on :
I've been using CorelDRAW for many years. I started using Illustrator about a year ago. The going was a bit frustrating at first. It seems, for the most part, the developers of each program took different roads to the same destination. I'm getting used to solving problems the Illustrator way and enjoy using it as much as Corel. Photoshop is another story; however, the things I have a handle on, I like. When it's said and done, I'll bet I like them all.
Posted by Stevo Chartrand (Member # 2094) on :
Corel Draw for all my fancy shmancy work for print and logo design. Omega for sign production as in printing to the Edge and cutting sticky things (vynulllll) to put on sign materials.
Stevo
Posted by Rovelle W. Gratz (Member # 4404) on :
Corel, since ver. 2
Posted by Todd Gill (Member # 2569) on :
Illustrator AND Corel....both have their strengths and weaknesses....however I use Illustrator now almost exclusively.
Posted by Duncan Wilkie (Member # 132) on :
HB pencil Posted by Arthur Vanson (Member # 2855) on :
What platform Duncan; Venus or Sovereign? I go for Venus; so much more reliable. However, I do miss that plastic thingy at the end, it was so pleasing to the tooth.
Posted by Ray Rheaume (Member # 3794) on :
On-board greymatter and a writing utensil. After that...CorelDraw.
Rapid
Posted by Artisan Signs (Member # 3146) on :
Corel Draw since 3.0 (using 12.0 now)
Posted by Curtis hammond (Member # 2170) on :
Corel is the overwhelming choice so far..
Is there anyone using signlab or flexi or any other dedicated sign soft? Even part of the time?
Posted by Ian Stewart-Koster (Member # 3500) on :
Got Corel 2 (it came on a whopping THREE floppy discs), and Flexi 5 & I like Flexi, though I learnt on Corel. Using version 7 & then 10 I still find it a bit odd. (Maybe I'm the odd one ). Flexi is a breeze. I Didn't like Signlab or Signwizard when I tried them. I'm learning (forcing myself to learn) Illustrator & love Photoshop.
Each to his own if it gets the job done.
Posted by Dave Hunt (Member # 4637) on :
I use CorelDraw for 90% of the stuff I do. I also use photoshop, illustrator, and fireworks. A pencil, sharpie and the scanner as well.
In a former life I used Gerbers software but never Signlab or Flexi. Corel IMHO is still by far the best.
Posted by Rick Beisiegel (Member # 3723) on :
We use Omega for everything vinyl. Simply cannot be beat. Had Flexi till version 5.8 You can keep that stuff!!
Omega works well with Illustrator too. Corel color translation into Omega could be better.
[ November 21, 2004, 10:58 AM: Message edited by: Rick Beisiegel ]
Posted by John Deaton III (Member # 925) on :
Illustrator 8 and CS. Started with freehand before that. Only time I use corel is to send files to a t shirt shop I do designs for.
Posted by Bruce Bowers (Member # 892) on :
I do most of my designing in CAS-Mate Pro. I also use it for vinyl cutting. It has been a good workhorse for us. Well worth the money we paid for it.
I also have Inspire 1.6 and FlexiSign Pro 7. I use these primarily for printing. I use them to import files for conversion into usable formats, too. I have been learning how to use the Flexi more and more because I realize that operating systems are not going to allow me to use CAS-Mate down the road.
I use CorelDRAW 8 for coloring and pasting into Photo Paint. It is a pretty seamless cut-n-paste and works well for me. I also use it for importing files and converting them to something I can use.
I can fake my way around Corel DRAW when I have to. The same goes for Flexi. I do feel very comfortable with CAS-Mate. Heck, I only been using it 10 years or so...
Inspire and Flexi were upgrades from Scanvec to make up for the screwing they gave all the users. The merger did little to impress me. Their tech support, for many reasons, is awful. The programs are good but without the support, what the heck good is it?
If I was to start all over again, knowing what I know now, I wouldn't have lived through the limitations early versions of Corel DRAW. The newer versions have come a long way to becoming a very viable alternative. There are still some weak links there but it would be a good choice if the cost was a major concern.
Software choices are going to be determined what the ultimate end use is going to be. If large format printing is in your future, then looking for a RIP (ColorBurst, Harlequin, Onyx, etc.) or a program that has one included (Flexi Pro)is what you need.
Posted by David Wright (Member # 111) on :
Curtis asked about Signlab. The question was between Corel and Adobe. Here we use Corel like most.
Signlab for all my vinyl jobs and printing to the Edge.( I believe a lot on this BB use Signlab also.)
Each has their place.
Posted by William DeBekker (Member # 3848) on :
Signlab Here.. Have Corel 11 Loaded But rairly use it
Posted by Dennis Veenema (Member # 833) on :
Signlab here since 1992, version 3.22 since 1994 Does everything I need as far as basic design and vinyl cutting. I run 2 Gerber 4b's and a 30" 750 plotter from it and they can cut more vinyl than I can weed and stick in one day.
I use Corel 11 for fancy stuff and for digital printing.
Posted by Nancie W. Phillips (Member # 3484) on :
It looks like Corel is the "President"! I used to use it, but have gotten away from any and all designing for a while. I use a Flexi based product for sign design, but I was thinking of repurchasing another design software to do fancier publishing type designing. My "designer" uses Illustrator...but he does publishing design-not primarily signs. He uses Photoshop too. I just didn't know which way to go at this point. Anyone else wanna put their 2 cents in?
Posted by Dave Cox (Member # 3517) on :
Flexi 7.5: Sign design, layout, I use this about 90% of the time
Adobe Photoshop: For image re-sizing, clean-up, and other misc.
Got away from corel a while ago... no real reason, but now I am so fluent in Flexi I cant imagine using anything else.
Posted by Rick Chavez (Member # 2146) on :
You can't lose with Corel or Illustrator, though to say Corel is the signage president could be debated, just as much as saying Illustrator is only for publishing, they can both do it, and do it well. If you do use Illustrator, I do suggest CadTools for designg in scale....Corel already has this capability built in, CadTools just has a lot more too it. I think if you are a Photoshop user, Illusrator might make a ittle sense simply because they work better together, for obvious reasons. Thier interface is at least familiar, so that may help in the learning curve. Otherwise they both are capable.
![[I Don t Know]](graemlins/dunno.gif)
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
![[Bash]](graemlins/bash.gif)
You can keep that stuff!!![[Cool]](cool.gif)