Re: FrameMaker 6.01 and Adobe Illustrator 9.1 Native Files

["Dov Isaacs" <isaacs@xxxxxxxxx>]

Scott,

Yep, but I AM game for the furor (although I don't expect one).

FrameMaker 6 does NOT, repeat does NOT have a filter for "native"
Illustrator files. There is no secret, undocumented feature that
somehow works on one platform versus another.

What likely is going on is that the FrameMaker "import" filters
are opening the file, without regards to the file name or Mac file
type or creator information and guess what it sees? Internally,
Illustrator 9 files look like PDF files. The filter processes the
Illustrator file as if it was a PDF file.

If the graphic is not too complex and does not use any PDF 1.4
(i.e., Acrobat 5) features, you just might be successful in getting
it to display and print. Other posters on the forum indicate that
they had problems printing from this situation and I am not
surprised.

I expect that similar symptoms would occur under Windows if you
changed the ".ai" suffix of an Illustrator 9 file to ".pdf".

In summary, you are seeing a side effect of Illustrator 9's
use of PDF to store content. I would personally not rely on this
and I know of situations in which your output will really be
cruddy, especially if there use of any transparency in the 
Illustrator artwork. EPS remains the ONLY proper and supported
by Adobe means of bringing Illustrator 9 artwork into FrameMaker 6
without any loss of content or serious problems.

In general, I do not advise use of FrameMaker's PDF import for
a number of reasons. You are better off at this time to export
EPS from Acrobat (TIFF header, fonts embedded) and import that
into FrameMaker documents.

        - Dov


At 5/29/2001 12:49 PM, Scott Turner wrote:
>Dov,
>
>I remember the conversation about whether FM could use Illustrator native files (*.AI). I tried it, and I could. I imported an AI file, it displayed, printed and distilled with no observable problems. This is with a Mac G4 running Mac OS 9.1, FrameMaker 6.01, and Illustrator 9.02. Is this just an undocumented feature, a benefit of the platform?
>
>I did not post this in open forum because of the furor it would obviously foment.
>
>Scott Turner


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