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Just curious if anyone has experience in the process required when converting a MAC EPS to a PC EPS so that it can be used in FlexiSign Pro 7? A customer who works solely with MAC's is attempting to send me these EPS files, but they aren't cuttable when I open them in Flexi. I've also attempted to convert using Bezier tracing to no avail. Since I use PC's solely I'm just not familiar with MAC's and don't know what there capable of doing.
-------------------- Gary Aiken Can-Do Graphics & Signs Swannanoa, NC
----------------- "Life is short; hurry to be kind." Anon Swannanoa, North Carolina Posts: 27 | From: Swannanoa, NC, USA | Registered: Apr 1999
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what do you mean by "not cuttable"? Are they clear that you need a vector file? Are you getting one? I see so many people "place" a rastor image into a vector program & just save as an .eps file. The fact that an .eps is often a cuttable file does not make having an .eps important. Getting the vectors is important. So often this is the real breakdown in trying to tell people what we need.
The basic answer to your question is put the Mac file on a PC disc & it is as good as it was, so if it's no good, it's not because they have a mac & you don't.
The EPS file you're working with may contain a mix of text, bitmapped or vector art. Or just one form. It's possible that the file is in vector form, hence your inability to autotrace, which converts bitmapped art to vector. Do you get an error message reading, "unable to parse files"? Try asking the other party to export the file as EPS again, without "grouping" the art. Also, try it with "grouping" enabled. I forget which way was problematic. I've had minor problems with importing EPS vector files into FlexiSign before. By the way, EPS (Encapsulated PostScript) format is usable by both Macs & PC's. Good Luck!
-------------------- Warren F. Ad Signs Honolulu Posts: 38 | From: Honolulu, HI, USA | Registered: Feb 2000
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Once in a while flexi does get a bit weird when importing a vector eps.
If this starts to happen open the file on your PC with your favorite vector based program and re-export it yourself. Changing the version # on the export may make a difference. I like going to the 3.0 or 5.0 version. Sometimes I can open a plain .ai file into Flexi this way. Saving it as an .eps increases the file size in a big way.
peace
-------------------- Alan Ackerson LetterWorks Design and Graphics alan@ack2.com Posts: 776 | From: Oak Ridge, NJ | Registered: Aug 2002
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I have an older version of SignMate (Flexi with only Roland drivers). It does not bring in EPS files very well. What does work extremely well is to save the file as Adobe Illustrator 3.0. Create a new document in Flexi, then under the FILE menu, click on MERGE. This will import the AI file into Flexi.
Of course this does all hinge on the file being a vector file and not a bitmap file saved as an eps as mentioned in the above posts.
-------------------- Dave Sherby "Sandman" SherWood Sign & Graphic Design Crystal Falls, MI 49920 906-875-6201 sherwoodsign@sbcglobal.net Posts: 5407 | From: Crystal Falls, MI USA | Registered: Apr 1999
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You've gotten good advice. I design on a Mac and have Flexi Sign Plus V5.8. However, since I have been designing in Freehand for 10 years, I do 95% of my design work there, then export as an Illustrator 3.0 (.art). It will then open fine in Flexi. As advised, everything must be converted to paths, vectorized, etc. I even do the fonts that way as Flexi does odd things to the text blocks otherwise. So, check with the Mac user, make sure all items, including text have been converted to paths, no bitmap images, etc. Then just open in Flexi, say no to adding a stroke... that is after talking to the other party they have all thicknesses of lines made into a shape...sometimes called a compound path I believe. My son showed me I could save time converting some things by leaving the assigned stroke thickness and just saying yes to Flexi's 'want to add stroke?'. BUT, sometimes that creates problems in the way Flexi takes the original stroke and expands it. Especially when there are sharp angles, etc. Someone out there may be able to tell us all a setting to compensate for that quirk.
-------------------- Mick Samsel Creative Services Cherokee, IA Posts: 499 | From: Cherokee, Ia USA | Registered: Jan 1999
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You've gotten good advice. I design on a Mac and have Flexi Sign Plus V5.8. However, since I have been designing in Freehand for 10 years, I do 95% of my design work there, then export as an Illustrator 3.0 (.art). It will then open fine in Flexi. As advised, everything must be converted to paths, vectorized, etc. I even do the fonts that way as Flexi does odd things to the text blocks otherwise. So, check with the Mac user, make sure all items, including text have been converted to paths, no bitmap images, etc. Then just open in Flexi, say no to adding a stroke... that is after talking to the other party they have all thicknesses of lines made into a shape...sometimes called a compound path I believe. My son showed me I could save time converting some things by leaving the assigned stroke thickness and just saying yes to Flexi's 'want to add stroke?'. BUT, sometimes that creates problems in the way Flexi takes the original stroke and expands it. Especially when there are sharp angles, etc. Someone out there may be able to tell us all a setting to compensate for that quirk.
-------------------- Mick Samsel Creative Services Cherokee, IA Posts: 499 | From: Cherokee, Ia USA | Registered: Jan 1999
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I have similar experiences as Mick with the outline stroke not being drawn properly. (example - flame tips)My version of Flexi(6.8?) always rounds off the tips of the outline even after adjusting the round/sharp setting, even messed with the numerical values. This causes alot of extra work adding points ect..
After going to a trade show and watching a Flexi rep (he was kind of clueless) do the same thing I was doing without the errors I am confident I haven't lost my mind.
Also the Flexi app seems to suck the memory and resources from my machine until it freezes and wants to reboot.
Could this be an operating system thing? I hear Windows ME and Flexi aren't the best of buds.
I am currently using a Dell P3 with 256 megs of RAM. Should be enough?
-------------------- Alan Ackerson LetterWorks Design and Graphics alan@ack2.com Posts: 776 | From: Oak Ridge, NJ | Registered: Aug 2002
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Nick, have you try SignofNCS in your FreeHand ? Some version of FreeHand are fully compatible with my freeware. Just place of copy of it in your FreeHand Xtras and try it.
Read the manual included in the same folder about installation process.
Good luck
Philippe JACQUES
-------------------- Philippe JACQUES info@magisign.com
Take a look at our NCS MagiSign plug-in for Adobe Illustrator : Posts: 185 | From: Ottignies Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium | Registered: Mar 1999
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