Artpro to Illustrator w/Deskpack (and some Packedge)

[geminianspark]

Appetizer:
One plant has Artpro but is being pushed by corporate to use Deskpack w/Illy
Two plants have Packedge but r pushed by corporate to use Deskpack w/Illy

Entree':
Designer is using Artpro.  Designer will not move to deskpack w/Illy. 
Corporate has tasked us to find the "best possible solution" to opening Artpro files into Illy w/Deskpack that will keep the transparencies/gradients, etc. in tact.   

Dessert:
What are your suggestions?

[G_Town]

I've always exported PDF's out of Artpro and opened them in illy with good results.

[David]

I like pie...


and what he said, the only way I know is to export from Artpro.

[geminianspark]

What versions of Artpro/Illy are you guys using and what file format do you export to? 

Do you run into instances where vector art has a gradient applied and when opening the exported file into illy, you get the empty vector art with pieced together images masked inside it? 

They are trying to take an Artpro file from a designer, open in illy for step/repeat without touching the file. 

It's my understanding that no matter how they attempt this there will always be cases where it may need to be tweeked but they are trying to avoid having to touch the file other than step/repeat. 

Any suggestions on what formats work best for export/import. 

[andyfest]

We do the same as the aforementioned - outputting a pdf out of Artpro in Nexus v9.5.3 and cracking it open in Illy. Yes, the grads are handled differently, but when you RIP a test thru to screened 1 bit tiffs and look at them in Dotspy, the grads look smooth.

[G_Town]

What versions of Artpro/Illy are you guys using and what file format do you export to? 

Do you run into instances where vector art has a gradient applied and when opening the exported file into illy, you get the empty vector art with pieced together images masked inside it? 

They are trying to take an Artpro file from a designer, open in illy for step/repeat without touching the file. 

It's my understanding that no matter how they attempt this there will always be cases where it may need to be tweeked but they are trying to avoid having to touch the file other than step/repeat. 

Any suggestions on what formats work best for export/import.

AP 9.6.5  exporting a PDF for press setting, no flattening opening in CS3. Out of curiosity WTH is a designer using Artpro?

[PrepressN00b]

Simple, use only Normalized PDF. Artpro can import it and export it. Deskpack and do both as well.