Cross-compatibility between Corel Draw and Illy CS2?

[JaCkinbOx]

This is a question for the more informed among you. I've run across one too many jobs that have come up in this area where people want you to work with Corel Draw. However, I don't have Corel Draw, but have introduced myself to it through online tutorials and there seem to be a lot of fundamental similarities between it and Illustrator (CS2).

Now, it is my understanding that both Corel Draw and Illustrator can export to an EPS file and be cross-compatible that way, preserving all necessary vector information. So what I need to know is just how true that is. If it isn't, what measures to I have to take to assure compatibility?

[Silence04]

i haven't used Coreldraw since 9 or 10, but i remember always having issues with gradients never crossing over right...

[JaCkinbOx]

I don't think gradients should be a problem, since the job I'm looking at is for screen printers and I know they don't make a point of trying to screen print gradients.

[PrintDriver]

Occasionally you'll get an 'artifact', and I'm not exactly sure what causes it but objects will be sliced when opening a file from one program in the other. It happens both ways so you can't blame Illy or Corel. You can see it in Outline mode. It probably won't matter much to you doing screen printing but it wreaks havoc with a vinyl plotter.
You can see what I mean here in the Outline mode of the blended Ford logo:
http://www.graphicdesignforum.com/forum/showpost.php?p=16921&postcount=1
The horizontal, vertical and diagonal lines are slices (this file came from CorelDraw).

[PrintDriver]

PS... Broacher has posted a transfer protocol plugin he swears by. My poor brain is failing me at the moment but it moves files back and forth with very little problem. I'll see if I can dig it up before Broacher appears.

[PrintDriver]

Ah, sorry, it's a macro to copy/paste freely. Still useful.
here's the thread:
http://www.graphicdesignforum.com/forum/showthread.php?p=268869#post268869
The link goes to a 404 but here's the site:
http://oberonplace.com

[JaCkinbOx]

Thanks for the help, PD!

[Broacher]

Cross app is a relative term-- even more so between drawing apps where features that go way beyond native postscript support is common. Postscript, of course, is probably the most universal format, as it's the universal 'prepress' language, but even there, you come across many, many dialects and sub-dialects. But, if you just want printable compatability -- not editability, it's the safest route.

Editability is really where things get murky--quickly. This is also where you discover just what features have to be 'translated' into uneditable postscript.

The AI<>CDR clipboard macro set from Oberon that PD mentioned essentially adds Adobe's 'clipboard PDF' support to CDraw--I think of it as a sort of turbo export for Draw. But if you're looking for it to transfer flawlessly, many of the more advanced Draw features into AI for easy editing, you'll be disappointed. And that's true going the other way as well.

But for most common vector work, logos, clipart, or whatever-- this isn't a real concern. Advanced features in EITHER program should be used very discriminately in the design process, and always 'reduced' to basics for handoff and general production purposes.