which program to buy

[flintlock1700]

Please advise to which program would work the best for drawing then transfering
Ie: Photo Shop, Corel Draw, Illustrator. And which model of the above is the most user friendly.

[mitch]

it kinda depends on what you're planning on engraving, and what you're planning on engraving on it. you might be better off with a pencil.

[bildio]

Did you look at InkScape? I find it user friendly. It's free. Therefore, worth a try.

[sam]

As Mitch said, a pencil is always going to be your best asset. However, illustration software can be a great asset as well. Forget photoshop unless you're editing photo. For engraving and transfer purposes, CorelDRAW and Adobe Illustrator (both vector based softwares) are highly recommended. If you're on a Mac, then Illustrator is your best choice as Corel is PC only.

I've tried Inkscape for Mac and it was buggy and had other issues as well. I deleted it in very short order. The PC version might be better.

[Peter_M]

Xara Designer would be an other program to look at if you are on a PC.

Peter

[Andrew Biggs]

Hi Flintlock

Yes, it really does depend on exactly what you want to do with it. They are all good programs and there really isn't a lot between them. The difference between Photoshop and Corel/Illustrator is that Photoshop is raster based and Corel/Illustrator is vector based……….both have their uses depending on what you want to do.

For drawing designs I would recommend a pencil and paper…………They're a lot harder to use than most people think.

Drawing with the computer will limit your development and cause you a lot of frustration. Basically you will be dumbed down to your own personal computer skills and how you can manipulate the software. Drawing with pencil and paper will help improve your eye/hand coordination and set no boundaries to your imagination.


With transferring it's a matter of choosing any of the above. Generally you import your pencil drawing, make a couple of manipulations and then print.

The vector based programs are a bit easier and more precise to size up or down. However they can be a real pig to the novice. You could also try some of the free ones. Inkscape seems to have a good following but I've never used it.

I used corel for many years and recently switched to Illustrator out of necessity. There are definitely tools in Corel that are a little more intuitive and easier to use. Having said that I'm still on a learning curve with Illustrator so that could just be me.

There are several ways to get your pencil drawings to a stage where they can be turned into a transfer. But that's for another day.

Cheers
Andrew

[silverchip]

I'm an Xara fan, user friendly and inexpensive.

[John P. Anderson]

I've been using Corel Draw since 1988. Computers were my life for many years. I've never used Illustrator but I know it's a great program. My wife has used both and is indifferent to which she uses. Vector and bitmap programs work better if your an artist first. It's more about learning the program you chose than which one you choose. I do think you need both a vector and a bitmap program as at times you need both strengths.

My last poster design I did on Inkscape on a Linux machine. Inkscape is being constantly improved upon but still a bit clunky if your used to Corel Draw. It seems to work better if you bone up on the keyboard shortcuts and use the data boxes. When things get tough I boot into Windows (ugg) and fire up Corel Draw.

Mostly I prefer the pencil to the computer. I'm a Born Again Luddite.

Back in 1988 scanners were scarce and expensive and not a digital camera to be found. We'd draw our designs on transparencies and tape them to the screen to trace with vectors. The good old days.

John

[Andrew Biggs]

We'd draw our designs on transparencies and tape them to the screen to trace with vectors. The good old days.

And the digitising tablets run on a DOS system with a powerful 1mb RAM !!!

The good old days indeed

Cheers
Andrew

[maplesm]

you can download Xara Pro for free and try it before you buy. Much cheaper than others. http://www.xara.com/us/products/designer/