Several File Interchange Formats Supported

Export Your Work to Other Operating Systems or Printing Houses:
Exchanging your work with others on OS X is can be done best with EazyDraw's native file format.  Anyone on OS X may download the latest version of EazyDraw and view files you have created - no license is needed to open, edit, or save the file you have sent to them.   The Export file formats are used to send your work to other operating systems like Unix or Windows, or for use on the World Wide Web.  Files sent to external printing services like a Newspaper, ad agency are best sent in a vector for such as PDF or EPS - both supported by EazyDraw.

Icon Support:
Two icon file formats are supported, ICNS for the Apple's OS X operating system, and ICO for Microsoft Windows operating system.  The ICO format is used by internet browsers for "favicon" files.  If you place a favicon.ico file on your web site, internet browsers will find the file and use the images contained to show an icon next to the web address or on the Favorites menu.  If you look up at the current page in your browser you should see a little yellow pencil icon - the pencil of the EazyDraw application icon.  This pencil was drawn with EazyDraw, exported as a favicon.ico file and rendered by your browser.

Apples' ICNs file format is also supported for both import and export.  These files are useful for installing thumbnail icons on your folders, or important files.  This process is automated by EazyDraw, just check a box on the export panel and your EazyDraw graphic content will be rendered appropriately and installed as the representative icon for the chosen file or folder.

Pre-Press:
If your drawing needs to be sent electronically to an agency, newspaper, publisher, or another printing service you will want to send a high quality format (eg 300 DPI) with a reasonable file size (generally excludes bitmap formats).  EazyDraw provides professional grade PDF and EPS export support for these purposes.  Our Graphic Details drawer shows the DPI of any bitmap images (photos and the like) contained in your drawing, so that you may be certain their quality is adequate for the intended publication.  You can also convert all text to Bezier paths; this is a common pre-press practice.  Converting text in this fashion prevents problems with Font Families that may surface when your drawing is reproduced with the publishing equipment.

Web Graphics:
JPG, GIF, and PNG are supported for publishing drawings to the World Wide Web.  Compression is supported to get files as small a possible for rapid emailing and web download.   For professional preparation of web content, color tables are supported, these are integrated with OS X's color list technology.  Or for just emailing photos to friends, EazyDraw can be used to package up a few JPG photos, do some cropping and perhaps add some text messages - the export and compress in one step for emailing.

Legacy Formats:
Extensive support is provided for MacDraw, MacDrawPro, Claris Draw, and PICT files.  These older formats (which includes BMP for the DOS and Windows platforms) are still important for bringing older drawings and graphics into the modern OS X technology.  Also many applications on OS X, such as Microsoft Word, and Power Point are actually based on OS 9, or DOS technology.  These applications do not properly render PDF as a vector format.  In these cases you need to export or Copy->Paste the legacy Classic PICT format.  Classic PICT is a vector format and was good cross platform format back in the late 80's and early 90's.  There is an extensive discussion of these issues and how to export high quality graphics to MS Word and Power Point in EazyDraw's extensive Help manual.

Keynote:
Export to APXL, Apple's Keynote version 1 XML file format.  These files may then be fully integrated into a Keynote presentation, as editable vectors, fills, and text.  Keynote II can also use these files, they are automatically converted to from the Keynote I format when imported into Keynote.  Copy and paste of PDF and full resolution TIFF between Keynote and EazyDraw provides another method to integrated high quality graphics drawn in EazyDraw into Keynote's advanced presentation capabilities.

EPS:
EPS is another fully vector file export format that is useful for electronic pre-press and LaTeX applications.  Support for color space control insures that older applications can accept the newer EPS format documents generated by EazyDraw and OS X.  PSFRAG is supported for combining other typeset fragments into EazyDraw graphics that are integrated into a LaTeX document.

PDF - optimal on OS X:
OS X provides full support for PDF which is finally becoming widely accepted on all operating systems and software applications.  This is a Vector format which means your graphics and text will be of the highest quality when viewed by your audience, no matter how they are viewing - or printing graphics you have created with EazyDraw.

GZIP compression:
EazyDraw integrates file compression for our native formats.  Vector graphics files are inherently smaller than bitmap (or raster) graphics formats, significantly so for larger drawing areas - such as a single page of content.  EazyDraw uses an XML like text based file format which is excellent for archiving and distant future useablity of EazyDraw drawings; however this style of data is verbose and will generate larger files than traditional binary file formats.  The verbose nature of this data form does compress significantly, typically 95% to 99% compressions, representing the natural compactness of vector information.  The bottom line is seamless integration of GZIP support provides very small files - perfect for email and other distribution over the internet.  NOTE: it is counter intuitive but wise to use the Verbose native text base format for archiving, the advantages of being able to "English read" the file far out weigh the minor space savings on present day digital archiving media.

SVG support planned:
SVG support is planned for future releases of EazyDraw.  The next generation of development will begin migration to full native support of the Scaleable Vector Graphic file format.  This is a defined data interchange standard for the exchange vector graphics.

Seamless With Other Cocoa Applications:
Of course if you are exporting or copy->pasting to another newer technology Cocoa application, like Business Card Composer , Mellel, or Cheetah this process should be seamless.   EazyDraw actually presents all these formats to the Mac OS X system pasteboard.  The receiving application then may choose the format best suited for the task at hand.