Can anyone enlighten to pros or cons for signlab or omega?

[Robert Lambie]

i have heard omega is junk, but thats just what i have heard, never tried it.
signlab i rate very high for vinyl work. i dont use it for image work these days. i did a while ago with colourmaster, never had any bother.
heard some probs rearing their heads with version 6. ver7 should be fine i would imagine.

i use version 5 rev12

[hullitec]

Hi there,
I have always used Signlab, (5, 6 &now 7), excellent package for vinyl.
We have lads using various software packages in different sign firms but Signlab is without doubt the most popular here.
The largest sign company we deal with have recently employed another member of staff from a rival firm and he has persuaded them to switch from Omega to Signlab. (Which is quite a good recommendation)
Hope this helps but it is only an opinion.

Cheers
Mike

[evox]

When I got my Edge, they offered me Signlab’s Spandex Thermal Edition and up until now i have now trouble whatsoever!

I have never tried Omega but have seen it in use. The sales rep tried to persuade me to go with Omega – probably more commission for him but i was already using Signlab.

Go with Signlab, if you look at the polls on this site alone, the majority use Signlab, surely this means alot!!!

[Karl.Tipping]

Hi
I have many years using composer 6.2 then to omega which is still very
unstable at times I have had a play with signlab 6.
In my view signlab offers more to you than omega as you can edit images direct & put filters on them not in omega.
also the print rip driver running the edge in signlab can support other edge foils other than Gerber foils. What I mean by this is when I have used an alternative supplier for foils they didn’t print well or sometimes rubbed off using omega driver but when going through signlab driver there is no problem.
I feel all in all the print driver quality from signlab is better than omega driver running the edge especially in half tone printing said when you think Gerber make the edge & omega.
There are a lot of good bits in both put I think you would be happier with signlab out of the two.
KAT

[Kevin.Beck]

when I got my edge, it came with omega.

i couldn`t get on with it at all. i could have had training at spandex, but 4 days away from the shop was a no no.

i took the plunge and bought SL from cox`s. within 1 hr of Tony Winterbottom who installed it, left, I was printing.

Ok, I`d been using SL for years before, so perhaps this is why.

I have used Omega for a couple of jobs, it does work, but seems to take the long way around to get things done.

SL gets my vote.

[J. Hulme]

Neither.

Flexisign

[Henry Barker]

I wouldn’t go as far as to say Omega was junk! 🙂

I have Signlab 6 and Omega and still use Omega everyday for everything, the Signlab I use on the router (don’t have the thermal add on as yet). That said I have used Gerber software for 12 years so its the “devil you know”

I don’t know if Flexi drives the Edge so think that’s a non starter.

As you are already familiar with Corel, I think you would get on with Signlab much better as they are similar to work, and thats not the case with Omega.

Gerber software is written and was exclusively up to recently, for Gerber products and should work trouble free.

I have never experienced any bugs with the later Omega software and was betatesting awhile.

Omega 1.56 or later versions Omega 2.+ etc are no problem at all. Some people experienced problems by not doing clean installs i.e going over an older version .

I think there are some great features in both programmes…in your situation I would go with Signlab probably.

[coolinshot]

Haven’t used signlab 7; I have used, and still use, signlab 5 – far superior to Signlab 6 (which gets very little use even though we upgraded 18 months ago. It is so full of bugs I feel like getting the pest spray out whenever I have to use it).
If you are using it for vinyl cutting only then I can’t imagine finding a better piece of software than Signlab 5 but as for colour work I prefer to export my vectors into Illustrator and merge photoshop / illustrator files and save as a printable eps.

[Dave Springate]

Hi all,
Thanks for the replies, most helpfull. Ive opted for Omega. been told i will get a comprehensive manual with the software so should be able to pick it up and Spandex do courses if i cant. The other reason is the Gerber enhanced fonts i think they look great and I have a job lined up already for them.

Best rgds
Dave

[Cabbage]

I have never used SignLab but as an old hand with Composer and Omega, it’s Signlab for me, every time!

[Colin Hibbitt]

😀 SIGNLAB BY FAR THE BEST SOFTWARE PACKAGE OUT – BEEN USING IT SINCE 1994 NO PROBLEMS AT ALL – OMEGA IS A BIT LONG WINDED FOR ME SO I IMPORT ALL MY VECTOR IMAGES INTO OMEGA AND ASSIGN MY FOILS THAT WAY

[Dave Springate]

Hi thats what i intend to do, as i am ok with Corel 10 i was gonna carry on using it and just import into Omega to assign colours and cutting untill such time as i can use Omega properly.

[Martin Armitage]

We use Omega all the time, once you get used to it is an easy program to use and does everything we need it to, not having used signlab it is difficult to give a comparison but have heard alot of good things about it.
Learnt Omega on the 4 day training course wich was definately worthwhile and if i remember correctly we used our spandex bonus points to pay for it.

[Dave Springate]

Just out of curiosity what was the cost of the 4 day Omega course at Spandex ?

Dave

[Martin Armitage]

Looking back it cost us £600 but included a day learning photoshop so it was a five day course in the end split into two – two days and then 3 days with a month in between. This was three years ago and as i had only been making signs (using coreldraw 7) for 6 months at the time and with no one to fall back on I did find it beneficial but of course you do have access to this board and lots of Omega users.