can the filters in signlab be re-loaded?

[Phill Fenton]

I presume you’ve unpainted the image and tried viewing it as a wireframe (In case the image is painted white) 😛

That aside – I too have had this problem. I don’t know the cause but have assumed when this happens that the .eps version being sent is a more recent version than the versions that my version of signlab (signlab 5) can open.

Sometimes opening in Corel – then exporting again as an .eps gets around the problem. Alternatively ask for the file to be saved as an older version of illustrator.

Also – I always get a problem opening files when the file features a graduated fill.

[Alan Drury]

I get this sometimes an eps which will import fine into Corel will not go into Signlab, this is a guess but I’m not sure that Signlab can cope with a level 2 postscript file, or change the file extension to ai or ps and try the Illustrator filter. I normally end up importing into Draw (V12) and then exporting again as ai or eps this goes into Signlab fine. I always trust Draw’s filters more than Signlabs, I’d be interested to see how Signlab’s pdf filters work – anybody got 7.1 yet?
Alan

[Dave Bruce]

I have had the same problem Signlab 6 and 7. I just do the same as others import in to Corel (that cheap slow designing program that keeps beating Signlab hands down and a fraction of the cost, thanks Cadlink)then exporting as eps, goes in to Signlab no problem. This does take more time to do, and pretty much defeats the object of spending £2000 on a program that continually crashes, and can’t trace as well as Corel, There another moan out the way.

Dave

[Frank Droog]

Spooky
The preview that you see when you go file/Import ,is the tiff or AI thumbnail that is embeded in many Eps file. It is a low res bitmap version of what is in the file.

Reading the file itself is another story. There could be a number of issues.
If you send me your email address and email me the EPS file, i could probably create a new eps import filter for you. You would also need to tell me what version of Signlab you have.

Frank at Cadlink
frankd@cadlink.com

PS Normally i would recommend people to save as AI as AI was a small subset of EPS. But as you may know, AI 9 and up are really PDF files with an AI extension.

[mark walker]

I have the same problem as the rest of the guys on here, also when i export a file to a folder then import into corel 12 I see a grey square where the file should be with the title of the file as I saved it within the square, but no image. My software is only 2 months old (7.01) why isn’t it a standard to have the latest features and filters in the most recent (nearly) software?
I also spoke to cadlink yesterday to find out why my pc crashes 50% of the time I scroll through the fonts list. No answer so far but I hope soon.
Mark.

[Bill Dewison]

Easy way to solve the grey square in Corel though Mark…. instead of importing the EPS, open it. The majority of EPS files will open in Corel, even though they won’t import. 😀

Cheers, Dewi

[mark walker]

Durr, so simple yet so testing for me anyway!!! 😳
Thanks Dewi.
Mark

[Frank Droog]

Mark
In Corel , you are probably selecting “EPS Encapsulated Postscipt” as the import filter. That is the problem.
You need to select “PS PRN EPS Interpreted” as the import filter to import vector based EPS as vectors.

This is a Corel issue and any eps file from any program will display as a grey square with just the name and the title in Corel if you pick “EPS Encapsulated Postscipt”.
This is an old filter from the days befor people could buy a postscript interpreter. It just creates a grey square of the size of the graphic with the date and title. I dont know why Corel doesnt drop this import filter as it causes no end of confusion. It just displays the grey square.

“PS PRN EPS Interpreted” actually parses the postscipt and imports vectors as vectors.

frank at cadlink

[Frank Droog]

Spooky
The Eps file that you are trying to import is an Illustrator 11 aka CS eps file. As you may know, Illustrator CS is radically differant than previous versions. In this case, the problem is that the drawing is mainly 1 bitmap that has been doubly compressed , once with ascii85 and again with RLE compression.

The only way that i can see to export these files from Illustrator CS to Signlab 5 is to use FILE/EXPORT and not FILE/SAVE AS , in Illustrator 11.
Under FILE/EXPORT , you should see “Illustrator Legacy (*.AI)” and “Illustrator Legacy EPS (*.EPS)”. I would then select “Illustrator 8”
when prompted for what version of Illustrator to export as.
Most programs have no problems handling up to Illustrator 8 ai or eps.
Its illustrator 9 and up that radically altered the file format.

frank at Cadlink.

[Frank Droog]

Befor somebody catches it, ” EPS Encapsulted Postscipt” will either bring in a “Grey Box”, OR what apprears to be a crappy low res bitmap.
If the EPS file contains a TIFF preview, ” EPS Encapsulted Postscipt” will import the TIFF preview. If there is no TIFF preview, you get the grey box.
In either case, you dont get the vectors.

When i was in tech support, this was one of the most common calls.
A friend of mine was in Corels tech support, and he also says it was a common tech call for them also.

frank at cadlink

[mark walker]

Thanks Frank that seems to have sorted it. So many settings in there it’s not true! Was having problems with eps from corel and opened in sign lab but looked at the header settings and things, seems to work well now.

Mark.

[mark walker]

B the way, did you have any thoughts with the font issue? Just hoping!

Mark 😀

[Dave Bruce]

Mark, my Signlab crashes nearly every week, Corel never does.
Sent files to Cadlink but no solution, just told something in the file Signlab doesn’t like.

Great

Dave

[Clive Darbon]

Thanks Frank, I kind of get the problem. I’ll have a word with my client and see if they can send me the thing as an earlier version ai file.

[Alan Drury]

I think the reason that Corel don’t drop the eps filter is that it goes into the programme ‘untouched’ any programme that interprets the postscript may induce some problems ie bitmap line widths etc also this file would print correctly to a postscipt device and should include any embedded fonts, these may not appear correctly on screen if interpreted by the application, generally for signmaking the ps interpreted filter is the way to go. I suppose just because you have a grey box in Corel that doesn’t mean it won’t print properly through Troop or similar.
Alan