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Connie Klug
08-21-2010, 8:25 PM
I have an epilog legend 36ext. I am thinking of purchasing a mac computer and adobe photo shop cs5. First question, can I send designs from the mac to the laser? If not can I design on the mac, and then send it to corel draw on a pc, and then to the laser? I am not the greatest with computers but I am learning. Any input would be appreciated.

Dee Gallo
08-21-2010, 8:39 PM
I print from my Mac all the time. I installed Bootcamp and use CorelDraw on the Windows side. Sometimes I prepare things in PhotoShop and import to CDraw, sometimes I just prepare files on CDraw.

I have not tried to print directly from PS, but probably should try that sometime. The reason I have not is that most jobs I do require some lettering or vector design elements.

I use a wireless ethernet connection to avoid USB glitches and I keep my Mac in another room (modem in a third room) so I can watch TV while I work...hahaha.

I do have a dedicated pc hooked up directly to my lasers but rarely use it unless I'm re-printing something already saved or doing a quick simple one-off. I like the safety of backup files.

Hope this helps, dee

ps- I do use the Mac side for PhotoShop - I like the interface better than on the pc. It's very easy to drag files from one side to the other.

Doug Griffith
08-21-2010, 8:51 PM
You can not go directly from your Mac to your laser without running a VM such as Parallels or booting as a PC with Bootcamp. If you are going the Mac route, get the CS5 Creative Suite because you'll need Illustrator as well if you ever want to vector cut something or have better control of image placement. Then get a PC version of Illustrator to run on a dedicated cheap PC connected to the laser via ethernet. Network the 2 together and you're golden. This way you won't have to learn Corel and deal with 2 different software package idiosyncrasies.

Dee Gallo
08-21-2010, 9:50 PM
I don't want to contradict Doug, but I hate Illustrator. Since starting with computer graphics in 1984, I started to spend most of my design time on FreeHand and hated CorelDraw when I first HAD to use it for work with print shops. It is anti-Mac feeling. But Illustrator, regardless of its many features, seems laborious and over-designed to me. I have Creative Suite and only use PhotoShop. I don't like bundled programs dictating to me what to use. They all save or export to plenty of formats for importing.

CorelDraw is my choice now since FreeHand killed its Mac side, even though it is simplistic by graphics standards. It has all the features you need to do pretty much any job if you have any skill with it and can do your bitmap work in PhotoShop. (The Corel paint part is horrible)

If you have to learn new software, learn CorelDraw as it is most compatible with the laser and you'll get more help here from the Creekers than with other programs. It is also used by a lot of print shops so you can prepare service packages if needed. If you already know another program, you'll be able to pick it up easily since they are all pretty close to the same once you get into it.

As a commercial art teacher, I always taught new students CorelDraw first as it is easy to learn the basics and has some depth after that. It does not hurt you to know how to work in lots of programs, whether draw or paint and they get easier to learn the more you try.

So that's my personal opinion - everyone has their own and you should weigh your likes, dislikes and needs before investing time and money.

cheers, dee

Connie Klug
08-21-2010, 10:11 PM
I use corel now on my pc. Have been studying the Mac and adobe photo shop and like how you can manipulate graphics. After manipulation could I move to corel and add the vector lines if needed,on my pc.

Doug Griffith
08-21-2010, 10:26 PM
All geez Dee, I just have to poke my head in here again.

I understand it's all personal opinion and I have mine. I'm taking it from the "using on a Mac" standpoint. Why would someone put time and energy into learning software that does not run natively on their platform if there is a choice (and a good one). And since Photoshop and Illustrator share common interfaces the learning curve is reduced compared to Photoshop/Coreldraw. If the platform is a Mac, Coreldraw will have to run in a VM or Bootcamp which is a pain.

Also, in my 20+ years in the graphics field experience, Adobe products have been the mainstay with service bureaus and printshops. Even Quark has been taken over by inDesign.

Freehand used to drive me nuts and I avoided it like the plague.

Connie, it seems counter-productive to split your design processes between 2 platforms. Different fonts would be one issue. It can be done though. I just wouldn't do it.

Dee Gallo
08-22-2010, 9:22 AM
Doug, I'll agree with you that working in native formats is best - but I guess I was used to choosing a program back in the days when there were a ton more programs for graphics on Mac. Once they started consolidating and eliminating programs, we all got shoved into lines for Adobe or Corel. I hate that. I had no problem skipping from one to another just to get a certain effect.

Don't even get me started on Quark (or Quirk, as I call it) - all those programs designed for print shops were awful.

But I have to say that if you install all your fonts on both sides, the switching back and forth between platforms is not that bad. It's like having two computers in front of one chair. I'm not that impatient that waiting 15 seconds for a boot is going to kill me.

Perhaps it's time to review Illustrator and see how the interface is these days...

cheers, dee

Joe De Medeiros
08-22-2010, 7:59 PM
You can not go directly from your Mac to your laser without running a VM such as Parallels or booting as a PC with Bootcamp. If you are going the Mac route, get the CS5 Creative Suite because you'll need Illustrator as well if you ever want to vector cut something or have better control of image placement. Then get a PC version of Illustrator to run on a dedicated cheap PC connected to the laser via ethernet. Network the 2 together and you're golden. This way you won't have to learn Corel and deal with 2 different software package idiosyncrasies.

Doug the problem with this is you are paying twice for the same program, I do all my design work on a Mac running vmware fusion running windows 7, so if illustrator is what you want to run, run in on windows, and for go the Mac version, too much dicking around.

P.S. I run Revit and Inventor on a new 12 core power mac at work a thing of beauty, and have 3 mac's at home.

P.P.S Autocad beta for Mac is available :D, now all we need is a mac driver from epilog/universal, and there have been rumors of corel coming back to the mac.

Joe De Medeiros
08-22-2010, 8:04 PM
I use corel now on my pc. Have been studying the Mac and adobe photo shop and like how you can manipulate graphics. After manipulation could I move to corel and add the vector lines if needed,on my pc.

Corel will import Adobe files, but the mac uses different fonts than windows does, so you have to be care with font selection, I know that corel draw come with 32 premium fonts, that are also available on the mac.

David Fairfield
08-22-2010, 8:17 PM
Well, I use Adobe on a PC, so Dee and I balance each other and restore harmony to the Universe. :)

Dee Gallo
08-22-2010, 8:44 PM
Well, I use Adobe on a PC, so Dee and I balance each other and restore harmony to the Universe. :)

I love your attitude, Dave - such positive energy!

Connie: I did a test and no, you cannot print without using the Epilog driver which is windows based. I tried direct from PhotoShop, Inkscape, Preview and Word for Mac.

Also, yes, you can make your graphic designs in PhotoShop and move them to CorelDraw for adding vector/type. It's also handy to scan pen & ink drawings, then using the trace tool in CDraw to give you something to start tweaking for the laser. That's what I do all the time.

cheers, dee

Doug Griffith
08-22-2010, 8:59 PM
I don't see Mac users as taking the cheap way out. They wouldn't go Mac if that was the case. Another seat of Illustrator is a price to pay when doing business. Seems cheap considering the initial cost of the laser, computer and ancillaries.

I've tried the different VMs and found them to be cumbersome and just plain annoying. I run numerous CAD/CAM programs in Bootcamp only because there is no Mac alternative. I've tried the Autocad beta on Mac and wasn't too excited. It will be a good day when NX on a Mac becomes commonly available.

John McClanahan
08-22-2010, 9:24 PM
I use Creative Suite on both PC and Mac at work, and prefer the Mac. Regardless of your preferred platform, be careful when choosing Adobe products. From what I understand, if you start out with CS, you have to stay with CS when upgrading. Adobe won't allow you to downgrade from CS to say, just Photoshop or Illustrator when upgrading, if you find you don't need the other programs.

John

Joe De Medeiros
08-23-2010, 9:36 AM
I don't see Mac users as taking the cheap way out. They wouldn't go Mac if that was the case. Another seat of Illustrator is a price to pay when doing business. Seems cheap considering the initial cost of the laser, computer and ancillaries.

The beauty of Mac's is that they retain their value over PC counterparts, I like to upgrade my Mac, every 2 years and I always get a really good price for them, so it only costs me a few hundred dollars to upgrade to the next generation. I find some people don't like to outlay money for software, but have to problem paying for hardware.



I've tried the different VMs and found them to be cumbersome and just plain annoying. I run numerous CAD/CAM programs in Bootcamp only because there is no Mac alternative. I've tried the Autocad beta on Mac and wasn't too excited. It will be a good day when NX on a Mac becomes commonly available.

I run it from boot camp as well, I find the the VM software doesn't utilize the cores properly, it's ok for most software but not for 3d design. I've never used NX, for many years I worked with high end CAD, we ran SDRC-Ideas, Catia, UG, and PDGS (Ford Motor Company) and for board design we used Visula and Mentor Graphics, this was back in the HP/UX Apollo days, the company I work for now likes autodesk, because it's cheap, and we need to integrate our designs with Architectural models, and floor plans.