Adobe Illustrator Files

Few things are more frustrating while teaching or lecturing on these topics than having to try to explain how EPS files created by Adobe Illustrator are different from standard EPS files (even though Adobe created the EPS format in the first place). The standard Encapsulated PostScript file was designed to be included in another container document, such as a Ventura, PageMaker, or QuarkXpress. The original concept was to provide a way to get the highest quality output from a printing device. Unlike the Illustrator brand of EPS, standard EPS was never intended to be opened and edited in a drawing program.

The Adobe Illustrator format, on the other hand, is a special subset of the PostScript format. When you examine an Illustrator file (which may have an .ai or .eps extension) in a text editor, it looks like an EPS file—it is stored in ASCII, and you can find in it a lot of the same unintelligible syntax as in standard EPS files (gsave, annotatepae, grestore, and packedarray, for instance). However, unlike regular EPS files, Illustrator files can be imported and placed into DRAW as a group of editable objects. Though they generally produce highly refined, extremely accurate art, Illustrator files confuse the heck out of unsuspecting users who are led to believe that all EPS files can be imported and edited the way that AI files can.

To make matters even more interesting, DRAW can import standard EPS files, but not in the way it imports other vector formats (more on this shortly). To minimize confusion, in this chapter we will refer to Adobe’s special flavor of EPS as Illustrator format, or as AI files. For your own sake, think of this format as completely distinct from standard EPS files.

So, how did the test file fare? In the past, the correct translation of color models from AI files to DRAW was unreliable. Adobe and Corel used different flavors of Pantone naming conventions, intermediary colors in fountain fills would be off, bitmaps would always be RGB, and text was a major headache. Those of you who regularly work with other designer’s Illustrator files or who have many tools in their illustration arsenal will be happy to know that DRAW 9’s Illustrator imports are the most solid yet. The only caveat is that Illustrator 8 files are not supported directly; version 8 files must be saved down to version 7 for the best import.

With the exception of mesh fills (which is an Adobe export problem), all objects and fills imported into DRAW 9 with very little editing necessary afterward. Color models were retained, and typefaces translated easily. (If you must import an Illustrator mesh fill into DRAW, convert the object to a bitmap in Illustrator 8 before saving to Illustrator 7 format.)

Recommendations Export from Illustrator in Placeable EPS or Placeable PDF if the import requires no editing; AI7 for best translation; EPS to Postscript Interpreted if you have no choice.

Avoid Do not use PDF Interpreted for bitmaps and stay away from CGM and EMF at all times. We tested Illustrator’s PDF export in Acrobat 4 and, as expected, it looked perfect. Illustrator’s CGM and EMF exports never imported correctly when tested in various other applications.

Freehand

Imports from Freehand did not fare as well. DRAW has no direct Freehand import (or export) filter, and we’re not sure why, but Freehand 8 has at least four distinct EPS export filters. We tried them all and could find no differences between them when importing our test file using DRAW’s PostScript Interpreted filter, including Freehand’s DCS export. All typeface and font information was lost, as all text was converted to DRAW’s default artistic text properties. Spot fills and RGB bitmaps were converted to CMYK. As expected from PostScript, fountain fills imported as multiple distinct objects, as did contours and blends. At least mesh fills were not a problem—Freehand 8 cannot create them to begin with!

Knowing that DRAW handles Illustrator files fine, we tried exporting from Freehand that way, but every Illustrator format available from Freehand (there are five!) was rife with problems, from mysterious visible text bounding boxes to the complete loss of included bitmaps. Spot colors were converted to CMYK, and some outline properties were slightly altered (width, style). Illustrator 8 opened four of the five flavors of Freehand 8’s AI exports, so we have to point the finger at DRAW on this one.

Recommendations Use placed EPS or PDF imports only; take a side trip through Illustrator if possible; otherwise, pick any of the EPS formats as Interpreted PostScript.

Avoid Do not use WMF or EMF, and avoid AI if you don’t have Illustrator.

Windows Metafile

The WMF format is a good third choice to AI and EPS for transporting files between Windows applications. It is not a choice for cross-platform compatibility as the Macintosh does not recognize this format at all. It is also not the best choice for press work as all colors are converted to RGB. Although WMF is a “standard” across many Windows applications, there is certainly nothing standard about any of these applications’ WMF exports. For example, DRAW imports PowerPoint 97 WMF files flawlessly, but the same file contents from Freehand die a slow, painful death. Your best option for applications that don’t speak WMF clearly is to export to EPS. If that is not available, you can install a PostScript printer driver and connect it to FILE. Create a PostScript file by printing to this device and then use DRAW’s PostScript Interpreted import filter to bring the contents into DRAW.

AutoCAD

AutoCAD’s DXF and DWG files can be imported into DRAW with relatively little fuss. Like Illustrator files, AutoCAD files are stored in ASCII format, making for an easier conversion. However, there are numerous features of AutoCAD that are not supported by DRAW’s AutoCAD filters, not the least of which is three-dimensionality. DRAW will force an incoming DXF file into 2D confines by simply stripping the 3D information out and discarding it.

AutoCAD continues to add features to the DXF format, and you will find that DRAW’s filter may not be able to handle DXF files from recent releases of AutoCAD, although our text files from various corporate sources imported perfectly. If you encounter this problem, try saving AutoCAD files as EPS. For a complete discussion on the AutoCAD/CorelDRAW connection, use DRAW’s online Help. Choose Help Ø Technical Support, select Import and Export File Formats, then List of File Formats, and choose AutoCAD DXF.

CorelDRAW’s CDR Format

The CDR file format will forever be your friendliest, because it is DRAW’s native tongue. Whatever is in the file—fountain fills, blends, unique typefaces, layers, pages, guides, and so forth—will survive the trip into your current drawing unscathed (assuming you have installed the typefaces required by the incoming CDR file). Some CDR files created in earlier versions of DRAW might show some differences from the original; typical variations include excess character and word spacing, which require some fine-tuning.

CorelDRAW’s CMX Format

The CMX format is an alternative to the full-fledged CDR file. If you export a drawing to CMX format and then re-import it, the integrity and quality of your drawing will be maintained. However, special effects such as contours, blends, and extrusions will be separated into their basic components and will no longer be dynamically editable (i.e., you can still change the objects, but not the effect itself). CMX supports layers upon import, while CDR does not—a good thing to keep in mind. The CMX format is intended to be an intermediate format that all Corel applications can read. Corel has seized upon this as a good strategy for distributing its clipart on CDs.