[LMPromotionals]

hey everyone! just getting up and running! i have a pad printer and a screen printer, so i am able to print on anything. i am curious what is working as far as software and printer set-ups with a MAC. does anyone use bootcamp or a virtual machine to use corelX5? or do you just use illustrator or photoshop? I have both corelX5 and the CS3 version of illustrator and photoshop. when it comes to a printer, which one is the best? the HPs I've been told work best for halftones, but aren't MAC compatible and only work with older versions of windows. also, what is the best software for accounting/invoicing for a MAC? can this software also incorporate your banking accts./credit card accounts? any input would be greatly appreciated!! Lets show these window users whats up!

 

[cedesigns]

I have used Virtual Machine. It is not a bad software but I wouldn't use any of them. I would just use Adobe software. I used CorelDraw for 10 years. I switched to Adobe about 2yrs ago. I am now a believer in adobe. It is by far great program. I'm told that Quick-books is the best for book keeping I know that Ryonet has an extension for printing businesses that is suppose to be really good. I haven't use it, but that's what I have heard. Hope this helps in some ways.

Joshua
Creative Edge Designs

 

[Fenrir]

Man, I remember when people would laugh you out of their office for suggesting using anything other than an Apple for anything having to do with art and graphic design.

 

[miktoxic]

Man, I remember when people would laugh you out of their office for suggesting using anything other than an Apple for anything having to do with art and graphic design.

to this day.

i feel the same way.

 

[ProSeparatorNJ]

The facts: A tablet PC with touch and stylus is an incredibly powerful creative tool for a graphic artist. It's mind boggling that Apple, supposedly the choice for creatives didn't do it 20 years before Windows and PCs.

Apple actually still has shown no interest in anything relating to a stylus. Actually, Steve Jobs made jokes and said that as soon as you see the stylus, it's already failed, hahaha. Did he forget that Macs were the choice for creatives? The result...we now have legions of graphic artists finger painting or using styli the size of fingers on ipads and singing it's praises. Let's get real here.

If there are two graphic apps for Mac, there are probably 15 for Windows. Windows 7 is backwards compatible with...pretty much everything! My Macs are stuck at Leopard because if I update to even Snow Leopard, I will have to buy at least a new printer.

The new Photoshop CS6 beta is incompatible with Leopard. This Mac is already feeling obsolete and it's only a few years old.

Windows 8 coming out later this year will be compatible with pretty much everything. Microsoft is serious about that and says exactly that.

Apple couldn't care less as long as you buy more of their consumer products.

I can run 10 year old software on my new PC. And print to 10 year old printers too. It just works. LOL

I do seriously love quick look though. I would pay good money to have quick look on my PC. And the Macs are truly lovely beasts, just not really not productivity oriented.

I've been using Macs for about 18 years. Somebody tell me what I've missed.

 

[LMPromotionals]

hey! sorry it has taken me so long to get a reply back to the responses I have received. it is such a hassle trying to reply back on this phone! but I would like to say thank you and I appreciate everyones input!

 

[Tshirtgang]

I'm on a Mac and I've used Billings Pro for my timesheets and invoicing. Also has an iOS app so you can sync invoices and accounts as well.

Macs are good. I've experience less crashes vs Windows, but at the time I was using Snow Lepord vs Windows XP during my time of transition. I haven't made the move yet to Lion but will eventually when CS6 gets released.

 

[GorillaImprints]

I have been using Apple for 12 years now and have both Apple and PC. There really is no comparison for me. Its Mac hands down. Im a graphic designer and have just recently added screen printing to my services and have not had any issues with continuing to us mac as my workhorse machine for both design and accounting. I never really liked the interface of Corel and have always used Adobe. For me, Mac is better because they rarely have any issues. Less down time equals more work time and ultimately more time to make money. PC's just seem to always catch a cold from somewhere and you find yourself taking time out of your day to figure out whats wrong. MAC all the way!

 

[ProSeparatorNJ]

Other than extreme lack of backward compatibility with software, drivers, printers, and scanners, and tons of good software that isn't made for Macs, I don't have any problems such as crashing with Macs.

I've been using Macs and PCs together since the early 90's. This problem with Macs began with the very first version of OS X. It's gotten worse over the years. Lion is a joke. Just browse the web to see how much discussion there is about reverting back to some older version of OS X. I upgraded a Mac in my shop just to see the damage. My shop is "stuck" at Leopard. Drivers that were merely incompatible with Snow Leopard were totally unrecognizable on Lion!

When you upgrade a Mac, plan to say goodbye to some printer, scanner, plugin, or software. It's that simple.

Meanwhile, Adobe CS6 (and other software) is incompatible with Leopard. So I can't use CS6 on the Macs in my shop unless I upgrade to a newer OS X. But if I upgrade to a newer OS X, I have to buy new equipment.

 

[LMPromotionals]

if you have an intel based mac you can use bootcamp to partition the hard drive and install windows on your mac. downside is you have to restart the computer to reboot when switching between the two and you have to buy a full version of windows. i decided to do this with my iMac because virtual machine software(parallels, windows on mac) are too unreliable. if you have an external drive you can save files onto that drive and then access those files from either os. this may help to keep your equipment from being obsolete because of an apple software update.

 

[ProSeparatorNJ]

For my personal use and my own business, I rely on Windows. But every company I've worked for has been Mac based in their art depts. Going forward with Creative Cloud we can have access to both Mac and Windows versions of Adobe software so that helps. If anyone does decide to use Windows via bootcamp, then they would also have a Windows version of Creative Suite. It's a pretty good situation.

 

[mustangFWL]

All through high school in my graphics classes we used adobe products on Windows, and used adobe products on windows for a bit after that. Going into a new job as a graphic artist, (they were using Corel x3) that I would delete it straight away and just use illy and photoshop. That was almost a year ago, now I use nothing but Corel x5 on my windows 7. Earlier in the year I went out and bought myself a MacBook pro because I like apple products and I thought I'd give illy and photoshop another try on a Mac. I just recently gave it to my sister for college, I couldn't stand using a Mac for designing plus macs hate Corel. So now I am looking for a laptop to take my designing on the go with Corel x6

As far as bookkeeping goes, I am just starting out with screen printing, and a new business. (just got my press today). But I ordered quick books and ryonets plugin for screen printers and i hope that will work out extremely well.

 

[mmonk]

Not sure what issues some have had with parallels to say they are unreliable. I have been running it on my intel MAC with adobe windows versions for a while now and have had no issues. Or maybe there are issues but I dont realize it because it was the first and only one I have used.

 

[miktoxic]

All through high school in my graphics classes we used adobe products on Windows, and used adobe products on windows for a bit after that. Going into a new job as a graphic artist, (they were using Corel x3) that I would delete it straight away and just use illy and photoshop. That was almost a year ago, now I use nothing but Corel x5 on my windows 7. Earlier in the year I went out and bought myself a MacBook pro because I like apple products and I thought I'd give illy and photoshop another try on a Mac. I just recently gave it to my sister for college, I couldn't stand using a Mac for designing plus macs hate Corel. So now I am looking for a laptop to take my designing on the go with Corel x6 As far as bookkeeping goes, I am just starting out with screen printing, and a new business. (just got my press today). But I ordered quick books and ryonets plugin for screen printers and i hope that will work out extremely well.

what kind of company do you work for that uses corel?

i'll guarantee it's not an advertising agency or a design house and i'll also guarantee they don't deal with fortune 500 clientele.

i'm not downing windows or the machines therezre pros and cons to each.

but you kind of showed your age in your post. you weren't around for the heyday of the big switch over from manual board work to the digital age of desktop publishing. apple revolutionized everything about how things were done. so a lot of us from back in the day learned everything on a mac and it became the industry mainstay.

most of the time people choose between macs and windows machines mainly due to their budget. and i've always said you get what you pay for.

don't believe my smarminess? you should watch the tv show 'the pitch' on AMC. you'll get a good idea what real life agency work is about. yeah there are some real tools that own and work for the companies....but check out their art departments. everything mac. everything adobe. everything final cut pro. graphics, video and sound.

now 3d is another story. -good luck.

 

[mustangFWL]

what kind of company do you work for that uses corel?

i'll guarantee it's not an advertising agency or a design house and i'll also guarantee they don't deal with fortune 500 clientele.

i'm not downing windows or the machines therezre pros and cons to each.

but you kind of showed your age in your post. you weren't around for the heyday of the big switch over from manual board work to the digital age of desktop publishing. apple revolutionized everything about how things were done. so a lot of us from back in the day learned everything on a mac and it became the industry mainstay.

most of the time people choose between macs and windows machines mainly due to their budget. and i've always said you get what you pay for.

don't believe my smarminess? you should watch the tv show 'the pitch' on AMC. you'll get a good idea what real life agency work is about. yeah there are some real tools that own and work for the companies....but check out their art departments. everything mac. everything adobe. everything final cut pro. graphics, video and sound.

now 3d is another story. -good luck.

Nope, I work as the graphic artist for a sporting goods store currently, doing all of the logos for our teams and companies we deal with. Ive got nothing against using any Adobe products or mac products, hell, I would love to be good at illy and photopshop too. (I used to be decent with photoshop) I just have not taken/had the time to sit down with them and play around and get to know them again like I learned to do with Corel. I would really love to be able to have the great capabilities of using Illy to create logos and things, and be able to use Corel too.

When I was at college I worked as a lab tech for the Brand Center which was where all of the digital media grad students did their work and that was all with macs and adobe.


Like I said, I love apple products, ive got the Ihpone, and Ipad, but I just couldn't fall in love with the MacBook, I guess I have just been accustomed to PC's for desk work.