I have to create and edit ads for a small-newspaper which uses Corel9 for
it's copy set-up - I will need to import/export font and vector graphics from PS7 to Corel9 and vice-versa. Any suggestions on a suitable file format for this?
*** Preparing ads in PS is less than optimal. PS is not intended to layout text. Prepare your ads in Draw in the first place. If part of the ad has a bitmap, this is what PS is for - to prepare it for a page layout app of your choice.
I have Corel9 but have found it a little cumbersome and tedious (plus it
keeps crashing on me, and, yes - it's a legit install).
*** Coreldraw 9 should run stable as a rock. Cumbersome and tedious? If that's the case, Illus. must seem like a death sentence. :-) Draw is the most intuitive app of it's kind. While Illus. outsells Draw today, more people make real money using Draw because of it's massive user base over the last decade. You could load a copy of illus on every Mac in existence and the Qty would still pale against Draw's. All that matters is finding a tool that works for you. Even Freehand is far more usable than Illus to me.
Ultimately, I'd like to prepare the ad in PS7 and export it to Corel with layers, etc. intact.... Is this possible, or should I bite the bullet and learn Corel better?
*** Learning Draw better would help immensely - you'll have access to appropriate tools for laying out text and for quickly changing colors on vector shapes. Come on over the CorelDRAW user groups at the Corel site and we'll help you get set up. You'll find mature people who have real prepress experience offering helpful advice at at every turn. We're fiercely loyal to this great product, since it has allowed us to live prosperous lifestyles by removing creative limitations. 8/10 PS "users" seem to be warez kiddies who use it as a jpeg viewer. :-)
JD