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What software to buy
Hi all
Wanting some advise. Currently using flex sign 6 but realise it is old now. Was wanting to ask if you recommend me upgrading or rather changing to a new software. Are there any better ones out there??
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12 Replies
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I am not a Flexi user so I can’t comment on it but as a Signlab user who has also got Easysign I always go back to Signlab. I suspect that an upgrade to a later version of Flexi will be your cheaper option and with the easiest learning curve. Most programmes have a demo version so why not try them. Usually I find that programme A is better for one thing and programme B is better at another if only we could put them all together.
Alan D -
Signlab for me too… I’ve had it for years now. we have 5 registered copies of signlab. the newest one is v5 rev 12, but this through choice… all our machines running them are really only for vinyl work and our guys are sorta stuck on the layout of the earlier versions, even thougth i know the newer ones have much more to offer. I’ve always said "for me" "signlab is the sign makers pencil case". 😉
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firstly I would ask you if your current software does everything you need it to do, if it does and you are happy with it then there is no real need to upgrade to a newer version of flexi. not sure what the current price to upgrade is but it is never cheap and I would only upgrade if my current software didn’t really produce the results I wanted or I had the cash burning a hole in my pocket and couldn’t think of something better to spend it on.
Robert is running signlab 5 but has chosen not to upgrade because the version he uses does everything he needs it to.As for changing to a different package, well if you are happy with what you are using then why change and have to learn a new program, there isn’t really any difference between signlab and flexi in terms of what it can do. Signlab users will tell you it is better than flexi and Flexi users will tell you it is better than signlab, its really down to what you are use to using.
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We’ve got signlab V7. It has some good points, but Corel can do much more, very much more. But the MAIN POINT is that if you buy signlab, you then have to pay to find out how to use it.
To be specific, the help files are hopeless – for example, when you look up "crop tool" it just says "click on the crop tool icon"…..but it’s not there!
In fact, it’s not anywhere. So we rang up cadlink and they couldn’t find either. Eventually a mate told me that you have to double-click a bitmap and – HEY PRESTO – up comes crop tool.
So you need to be able to learn the program, and to do that cadlink offer to sell you a cd for £200After spending around £1200 on the software, this cheesed me off no end.
Thought you should know this!
cheers,
Dicko -
Corel for me too.
Without a doubt.
In particular the new X3, the bitmap to vector addition is a dream as is the new cropping of vector graphics and text to path tools.I have Signlab as well and I use it when I want to cut a job with weed borders, aside from that I can’t see anything that Signlab can do that Corel can’t!
Corel and Versaworks are my tools of choice.
Timmo
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I have found cadlink to be very helpful and I use the SL forum, I had poblem with the thermal bit the other day and ring cadlink uk and we connected up on the web so I could see the guys desktop and he talked me through it 😀
And Rod from SL visits here too and helps out 😀
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I am a Signlab and Corel X3 user, the short falls of Signlab (I’m on a vinyl only package so no colour manager etc) are taken up by Corel and vice versa, I suspect that which ever sign programme you use, be it Flexi/Signlab or whatever Corel is a useful addition and is probably found in more sign shops than all the bespoke sign programmes put together.
Alan D -
quote D Major:To be specific, the help files are hopeless – for example, when you look up “crop tool” it just says “click on the crop tool icon”…..but it’s not there!After locating the topic in the Index, I suspect that you just needed to click the Contents page. For example:
- Click Index tab, type crop, double-click Crop Tool.
- Click the Contents tab, and you find that you are within the AccuScan image editing tools section.
It’s unfortunate to hear that you were frustrated by that. Looking at the CorelDraw X3 help file, the help system behaves in the same fashion. Regardless, I appreciate your feedback. It sounds like you may have been miffed for a while.
quote D Major:So you need to be able to learn the program, and to do that cadlink offer to sell you a cd for £200
After spending around £1200 on the software, this cheesed me off no end.You mean the SignLab University CD? Well, there were something like eleven (11) hours of specific signage design techniques from Rob Ivers organized into that package. To obtain specific and quick help, you would browse the CD categories for the feature you needed, and the videos were set up to play regardless of any video codec issues you may have had with whatever media player you had installed. The CD is actually quite worthwhile, though I suspect it will become rare to find because of the progressive improvements to the SignLab feature set. However, the videos are steadily being updated and made available through the CADlink InfoSource training videos. There isn’t a fee to view the online training videos, though of course you need a reliable Internet connection (not something taken for granted a few years back) and time to browse the resources.
Cheers,
Rod at CADlink
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Hi all
Corel draw 12 is very good and i hated it for many years with a passion..(:) wanted to destroy it many times..ha
I was using gerber advantage from spandex for many years, had a go at corel draw but found it tricky and long winded at times.
some people swear by it and i used to swear at it!!
This year i have got really into it since going on my own and its
really not bad(did i just say that!) just needed time getting head around it after using gerber software for 17 years it a drag changing but hey im not paying spandex price for software.
Corel does the lot for me at the moment.Ade
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quote Tim Hobbs:I have Signlab as well and I use it when I want to cut a job with weed borders, aside from that I can’t see anything that Signlab can do that Corel can’tquote Ade Ward:This year i have got really into it since going on my own and its
really not bad(did i just say that!) just needed time getting head around it after using gerber software for 17When learning a new set of tools, a huge barrier is overcoming the intimidation that surrounds the unknowns of the software. In the case of a general purpose graphic applications like CorelDraw, you further need to adapt your technique as per the given tools. The thing about SignLab is that this is CAD software that has been specialized for the sign making industry, be it vinyl cutting, digital prints, print and cut decal applications, and so on.
Tim, I was a little surprised by your comment, though it’s easy to see where this view comes from. In the past, CADlink has tried using hands-on training and training videos to help users learn SignLab quickly. As previously mentioned, more recent activities involve the InfoSource training videos that are freely available through the CADlink web site. Just in case it helps, I typed up a list of features that might be useful to you, and which you probably already have access to:
- An overlooked SignLab feature is the Badges and Serialization support. Simplest example would be text list of names from customer, which are then used to automatically generate a series of name plates, badges, special event boards, etc. For each badges, automatic numbering (serialization) of the badges can be applied, text styles automatically adjusted to fit the job constraints, and graphics can be included.
- Another big time saver has been the InstantReplay feature, where you can literally inspect the attributes and operations that have been applied to a design, tweak them as need be, and/or drag-and-drop onto a designs to reuse useful design elements. You can actually save pick and choose the attributes and operations that you like, combine them and save for later use.
- A significant advantage of SignLab is its ease of use in tiling a job and reposition the tiles. Just drag and position the tiling lines as you see fit.
- When you speak of Weed Borders in SignLab, this is indeed a straight-forward application. Do you use Power Weed at all? If you use Power Weed, then are you aware that you can drag and position additional mid-weed lines?
- I know CorelDraw can do shadows and outlines to a certain extent like SignLab, but have you taken a look at features like Chisel Effect, which automatically generates cut vinyl pieces to simulate shading, light source, beveling and edges.
- Do you have much call for creating bleeds between vinyl layers? SignLab uses the various welding tools for creating inlay and overlay welds to help with arranging the sign fascia, which also have significant application in resolving thermal print registration problems.
- Depending on your shop requirements, you can need support for print and cut systems, which SignLab provides through a variety of registration mark systems. This is particularly true for printing and cutting decals, where job data and registration search time contribute significantly to the time required to process a batch.
- Tracing images is a big thing with CorelDraw and Illustrator, though tracing images into vector artwork has been a SignLab feature for years. There are some tracing techniques that you can find useful in the Tracing with PrismScan tutorial, available at: http://www.cadlink.com/infoSource/nfo_sl_prismscan.php
- Now, you don’t appear to doing print work, but getting into plug-ins support, SignLab has some nice Plug-ins Helper functionality that allows you to combine vector artwork into images. It’s a tidy feature that integrates your line art as a clipping path on the resulting image, and there is additional support that takes background image detail into account as well.
- And I should mention that SignLab provides high-end RIP support through the Print and Cut Manager, which provides quite a bit of flexibility and includes a huge selection of media profile support. The Print and Cut Manager is actually designed to behave as a queue, to accept jobs from different SignLab workstations, third-party graphic design packages, and even from other operating systems (Linux, Mac).
This is an overlong post, but hopefully interesting. All I can say about SignLab training is that sometimes people have fallen through the cracks, or there was some manner of misunderstanding. Fortunately, we’ve been successful at spotting user issues and providing help in a timely fashion.
Cheers,
Rod at CADlink
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I just wanted to say, STICK TO WHAT YOU KNOW…. I’ve used Signlab, Flexi, Graphix Advantage & VMP at different jobs over the last decade. BUT I’ve been using CorelDraw! since version 2, and with the exception of version 6 I’ve had every single version up to the current X3 and its pointless me trying to design signs in any other program as it just takes me too long to find the right tool or shortcut or colour etc… STICK TO WHAT YOU KNOW… unless its really bad !!
Kev
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quote daneread:Hi all
Wanting some advise. Currently using flex sign 6 but realise it is old now. Was wanting to ask if you recommend me upgrading or rather changing to a new software. Are there any better ones out there??
Flexi 6 is still very good and if it does everything you need then stick with it. Most of the newer features are geared towards digital printing. As for changing to something else, forget it, you won’t find anything better.
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