The Mac Observer

Skip navigational links

You're viewing an article in TMO's historic archive vault. Here, we've preserved the comments and how the site looked along with the article. Use this link to view the article on our current site:
Sign Makers: Illustrator Plug-In For Making Signs Updated

Sign Makers: Illustrator Plug-In For Making Signs Updated

by , 9:00 AM EDT, August 17th, 2001

New Ceres Solutions has released an update to NCS MagiSign to version 1.2. NCS MagiSign is a set of plug-ins for Illustrator 8.0 and 9.0 that is designed to allow sign makers to use Illustrator to design signs and output the designs for specialized plotters. The new version includes new features, and the company has also released a set of plug-ins for older versions of Illustrator for free. According to New Ceres Solutions:

New Ceres Solutions today announced the release 1.2 of NCS MagiSign, its collection of plug-in's for Adobe Illustrator 8.0 and 9.0, and that SignofNCS, its first collection of plug-in's for Adobe Illustrator, will now be available as a free download on its Web site). French, Spanish, Dutch and Italian language versions of SignofNCS will be available on CD-ROM at a nominal fee.

Considering the price, high quality and number of features offered by Adobe in its leading vector-based design software program, we considered it to be a nightmare for sign makers and screen printers to be forced to buy expensive dedicated sign software, in order to import and to cut designs created in standard products like Adobe Illustrator. This belief led us, in 1995, to develop SignofNCS, the first commercial plug-in for Adobe Illustrator to serve the professional sign making and screen printing market.

Thanks to its unique open architecture, SignofNCS was designed to integrate itself into Adobe Illustrator 5.0 to 7.0, thus allowing it to drive vinyl sign cutting plotters directly from the menu of their favorite design sofware. Unlike bridge software programs, SignofNCS also eliminates the need to export and to import data from one application to another. Instead, the designer need only select the paths to reproduce and send them directly to the plotter through the SignofNCS dialog.

Our innovative solution transformed the European sign market, then spread worldwide as we increased the number of compatible cutting plotters; hundreds of signmakers, screen printers and designers now use it daily as an essential tool. The most recent version, 3.0, is compatible with Adobe Illustrator 5.0 to 7.0 and drives approximately 300 cutting plotters models.

The latest release of NCS MagiSign includes NCS MagiSign Server, a utility to plot in the background or on a network.

We are also pleased to announce a wonderful offer to the community of sign makers, designers and screen printers:SignofNCS, our first collection of plug-ins, using Adobe Illustrator 5.0 to 7.0 on MacOS, is now available for free! Download and use them with our compliments, and then come back to New Ceres Solutions to take advantage of the even greater benefits of NCS MagiSign, which is compatible with Adobe Illustrator 8.0 and 9.0.

You can find more information on NCS MagiSign at the company's Web site. The update is free to registered users, and the full version is priced at US$699.

Observer Comments

Show: Subjects Only | Full Comments
Close Name:Guest
Subject: Stuck Magnetic signs

The signs come apart and leaves material on truck doors. Anyone know how to get it off? I bought msg. blanks about 5 months ago from sign warehouse. They told me that You MUST remove signs and clean at least once a week. I left them alone for about a month. They can't help and don't want to hear about it. Notice was said to be shipped with magnetic material but was not.

Comment on this Article


You cannot edit your comments.   You cannot delete your comments.

Comments are currently closed. Please email the author instead.


Recent Headlines - Updated November 9th

Mon, 6:45 PM
Product News - MacUpdate Desktop Updated to 5.0.1 with New Features, Bug Fixes
5:16 PM
Apple Releases Mac OS X 10.6.2 - Guest Account Bug Fixed, Much More
4:12 PM
Games - New For iPhone: Star Rangers, Air Force Supremacy, Blood Beach, More
2:51 PM
Apple Stock Watch - Radio Shack Jumps 14% on iPhone Deal, Apple Up 3%
2:25 PM
Games - EA Scoops Up Social Games Publisher Playfish
1:51 PM
Deal Brothers - Western Digital 1TB SATA Intellipower Hard Drive:  $84.99
10:58 AM
News - StarHub Signs Singapore iPhone Deal
10:36 AM
Hot Forum Topic - Reader Speculation: What’s in Apple’s Tablet?
10:08 AM
News - Apple Kicks Off New Credit Program
9:26 AM
News - Apple Launches Reserve and Pick Up Program
8:49 AM
News - ikee Worm Rickrolls Jailbroken iPhones
8:14 AM
Product News - Client Folder Maker 3.5 Adds Snow Leopard Support

The Mac Observer Reader Specials

  • TypeStyler For Mac OS X is Now Shipping! Download The Free Fully Functional 60 Day Tryout at www.typestyler.com
  • RamJet Memory: Mac Pro 8-core 8GB Kit $199.99, 4GB Kits $109.99! Sale on MacBook and MacBook Pro 8GB kits $549.99! New MacBook DDR3 2GB for $49.99. iMac and Mac mini 4GB Kits for $79.99! 1TB SATA Hard Drives for $109.99! Click here
  • OWC: Mercury On-The-Go FW800+USB2 up to 1.0TB. Bus Powered, no external power supply needed. Macworld ‘Editor’s Choice’, CNET ‘Very Good’ Starting from $99.97, 500GB $159.99. Click here
  • Poker Mac If you're using a Mac, then you've gotta check out Full Tilt Poker for Mac. This Full Tilt Poker bonus code does the unthinkable, it actually rewards!
  • For the latest Apple products use Ciao, a price comparison website, to find laptops like MacBook Air. Then find the best prices on MP3 players and use our comparison tool to evaluate mobile phones like the Apple iPhone.

  • Laptop Hardware Provided by TechRestore - Overnight Mac & iPod Repairs.
  • __________
  • Buy Stuff, Support TMO!
  • Podcast: Mac Geek Gab
  • Podcast: Apple Weekly Report
  • TMO on Twitter!