Icon CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X4 Icon

By Dale Farris
Golden Triangle PC Club
March 2008

 With this latest version X4, Corel releases their newest collection of creative tools designed for anyone involved in image creation and editing, and especially Web page design.

CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X4 is the ideal graphics solution. From creating illustrations, logos, brochures, newsletters, advertisements, flyers, and signs, this comprehensive suite has all the tools to transform ideas into professional results, fast!

CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X4 is ideal for:

Design-oriented professionals, either freelancers or those working in advertising industries

Production-oriented professionals working in business services, such as sign-making, screen printing, awards, engraving, and embroidery

Small businesses with a need to create or repurpose their business marketing collateral

Students and teachers at school or at home looking for creative ways to incorporate graphics into their curriculum, projects, and reports

Business professionals in government and commercial organizations such as technicians, sales support specialists, engineers, scientists and administrative support professionals

What's Included?

Main Applications

CorelDRAW X4
Corel PHOTO-PAINT X4
Corel PowerTRACE X4
Corel CAPTURE X4

Supporting Applications / Services

CorelDRAW ConceptShare
WhatTheFont
Barcode Wizard
Bitstream Font Navigator
Service Bureau Profiler
Duplexing Wizard

Content

10,000 high-quality clipart images, individually selected to meet the needs of design professionals and occasional users alike

1,000 high resolution, royalty-free photographs from iStockphoto

1,000 OpenType fonts, including Windows Glyph List 4 (WGL4) and single-line engraver fonts

80 professionally designed templates

Additional Documentation and Support Material

User Guide
CorelDRAW Handbook - Insight from the Experts
Digital Content Guide
Quick Reference Card
Help Files
CorelTUTOR User Tutorials

This program is targeted to professional graphics designers, Web designers, and desktop publishers who need the powerful creative tools built into this new release.

The retail, boxed package includes something that will surprise many customers. With this package, you will receive an extensive user guide book that walks you through helpful examples and suggestions, along with an additional handbook that includes nifty insight from experts on how to best maximize the many features of CorelDraw X4 AND a book that assembles all the many images, shapes, symbols and fonts that are available in the program. With today's emphasis by so many software vendors to NOT include with their software this type of documentation, the decision by Corel to actually include these helpful books is remarkable.

Summary of New and Enhanced Features

The following is a list of the new and enhanced features offered by CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X4.

Streamline your workflow

• Enjoy the new, more intuitive user interface with redesigned and modernized icons, menus, and controls.

• Use the new CorelDRAW ConceptShare to collaborate with colleagues or clients in real time.

• Save time and enjoy more control over bitmap-to-vector conversion with the enhanced Corel PowerTRACE X4.

• Closely match colors between Corel and Microsoft applications with the new Windows Color System.

• Easily match colors between Corel and Adobe applications with the new Adobe Color Management Module.

• Easily combine a drawing with text from a data source by using the enhanced Print Merge wizard.

• Let the customizable workspaces simplify the transition to CorelDRAW Graphics Suite, or choose a preset workspace that resembles Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, or Microsoft Office.

• Collaborate more easily with colleagues and clients by using the enhanced support for PDF Comments.

• Automate workflow with enhanced support for Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications 6.4.

• Gain more control over panning and zooming with enhanced mouse-wheel scrolling.

• Get immediate access to the latest product updates, new content, and special offers from within the application.

Find Your Design Assets

• Take advantage of the enhanced Windows Vista integration to easily organize projects and search for files.

• Leverage an abundance of new, editable content which includes 10,000 clipart images and 1,000 high-quality photos.

• Ensure that output is optimized for its intended audience with a collection of specialized fonts, including single-line engraving fonts and OpenType cross-platform fonts.

• Use the new, redesigned New From Template dialog box to find the right template for any job.

• Access 80 professionally designed templates with notes about design choices, output tips, and ways to maintain good design when customizing templates.

• Experience enhanced compatibility with Adobe products, including Adobe Photoshop CS3, Adobe Illustrator CS3, PDF 1.7, PDF/A, and Acrobat 8.

• Enjoy seamless compatibility with commonly used file formats, including new support for Microsoft Publisher, as well as AutoCAD DXF, AutoCAD DWG, and Corel Painter X.

• Easily find Corel PHOTO-PAINT files with new, high-quality thumbnail previews.

Accelerate Layout and Text Editing

• Use the new, interactive Table tool to provide structured layouts for text and graphics.

• Experience greater layout freedom with new independent page layers.

• Enjoy the convenience of new, live text formatting to preview formatting changes before they are applied.

• Save time by quickly identifying fonts with the new integration with WhatTheFont.

• Mirror paragraph text horizontally or vertically, or both.

• Customize quotation marks for specific languages.

• Save time with applications that use proper numeric formats by recognizing the operating system’s regional settings.

Get Inspired and Gain Knowledge

• Quickly access recently used documents, templates, learning tools, and inspiring designs from the new Welcome screen.

• View breathtaking projects and learn from seasoned design professionals with the new CorelDRAW Handbook — Insights from the Experts.

• Delve into the 2 hours of new DVD training videos.

• Access online, project-based instruction with new and updated tutorials from CorelTUTOR.

• Visit CorelDRAW.com and share designs, ideas, and inspiration with this growing online community.

Discover Advanced Image-Editing Features

• Experience new support for raw camera files with interactive controls that let users preview adjustments in real time.

• Use new, interactive controls to quickly and easily straighten images.

• Preview image-editing changes in real time by using histogram feedback, available with more features than ever before.

• Adjust images with more precision by using the enhanced Tone Curve dialog box.

• Get streamlined page sizes that better reflect the geographic location of the user.

Usability

The user interface in CorelDRAW X4 is now more intuitive, easier to navigate and more efficient and customizable. This interface and the features in the three main programs are more compatible, sharing the same look and feel, letting the user incorporate all three components into their work without having to learn a new structure for each application. For example, using the Drop Shadow tool will involve using the same interface, so users can create drop shadows and change drop shadow properties in the same fashion in each application. Also, the new color management approach allows users to access all the color management tool from the same dialog box.

Interoperability With Other Applications

In CorelDRAW X4, users will find quite a lot of compatibility with file formats of other applications on the market, a significant feature that unfortunately is not found in too many of these other programs. Exchanging files with others who may not be using the same program is a common need these days. For example, with CorelDRAW X4 users can set up a file in PHOTO-PAINT, apply special effects from KPT, integrate elements from an AutoCAD drawing, import text from a word processor, and finish it in CorelDRAW X4 and publish it as a Web file. Such popular formats as AutoCAD (.dxf and .dwg) and Macromedia Flash (.swf) can be created and delivered in this program.

Advanced Web graphics features include Rollovers, Publish as HTML, and the ability to export to .svg and .swf  formats. In addition, the program supports text in multiple languages in the same text box. 

System Features

Integrated within the key components of this powerful program are many exciting tools and features especially designed for professional graphics editors and folks heavily involved in creating dynamic Web page graphics that are now so important in getting and keeping the attention of the viewer.

Be sure you are certain about this program. This is an enormous package of highly sophisticated tools for designers with power systems involved in intense graphics editing for either print or online output.

This is a powerful, professional suite of tools that allows a user to pay close attention to the many details of graphics and image production. With the many improved time saving measures, the program can end up paying for itself, once the user becomes proficient with the program.

Minimum System Requirements
P-III 800MHz processor, or AMD Athlon XP processor
Win XP (SP 2 or later), Vista (32-bit or 64-bit editions)
512MB RAM
430MB free hard disk space
1,024 Χ 768 or better monitor resolution
DVD drive
Mouse or tablet

NOTE:
As you might expect with this high powered graphics editor, the more RAM and the faster the CPU, the better this program will work. Most all image editor programs are resource intensive applications that will severely challenge minimally configured systems. I strongly suggest folks considering this application seriously consider running this with 1GB RAM and a higher end processor. In addition, this minimum hard drive space is based on a typical install, and a user should remember storing numerous graphics files can easily eat up hard drive space.

Price

$429 full price
$199 upgrade price

Note: Shop around, as these prices may vary from one vendor to another.

Bottom Line

Over its many years of life, the CorelDRAW graphics suite program has evolved from a loose collection of graphics utilities with broad appeal, to now involve one integrated drawing and paint application focused on skilled users. In this continual process of improvement, CorelDRAW X4 Graphics Suite mixes latest industry developments with refinements to its already solid features. Fewer mouse clicks are now required, higher quality output can be produced, and Internet publishing capabilities have been improved. For the estimated 12 million current owners, upgrading to this newest version is a certainty. For new users, deciding among Corel's package and Adobe's premier Illustrator and Photoshop applications has become more difficult.

The PHOTO-PAINT component comes close now to what skilled Photoshop users have become accustomed to being able to do, but usually only in Adobe's high end application, and you can now open Photoshop files, with several layers intact, in Corel's PHOTO-PAINT. PHOTO-PAINT also includes an extensive array of file import and export filters.

This is a top-notch illustrator program that is now in its industrial strength version, and is more appropriately targeted for pros and Webheads. It is not designed for the Crayola creator market and will run very slow on puny Pentiums.

Corel Corporation

With the introduction of CorelDRAW in 1989, Corel helped to define computer-generated graphics. Since that time, the company has built a global reputation for excellence in software innovation and design, earning it the trust and loyalty of millions of users worldwide. With CorelDRAW Graphics Suite and WordPerfect Office, Corel continues to provide customers with two of the world's most recognized software titles.

Understanding that visual images power the communication of ideas, professional designers, students and business users alike turn to CorelDRAW Graphics Suite to accelerate their productivity and amplify the impact of their work. The premiere graphics suite for Windows, it delivers unrivaled value with three award-winning applications in one box: CorelDRAW for vector illustration and page layout; Corel PHOTO-PAINT for professional digital imaging; and Corel R.A.V.E. for motion graphics creation.

Corel's award-winning line of graphics products also includes Corel Painter, the digital sketching and painting tool of choice for fine artists, photographers, commercial designers and story-board artists, Corel KnockOut, the Corel KPT Collection and Corel DESIGNER, a set of precision tools for creating detailed technical drawings.

WordPerfect Office is Corel's office productivity suite. The company supports a high number of users worldwide who depend on the unique capabilities of WordPerfect Office—a feature-rich, value-priced suite that combines word processing, spreadsheet, presentation and address book applications. Widely deployed across government departments, legal firms and small-to medium-sized businesses, WordPerfect Office is compatible with popular file formats such as Microsoft Office, PDF, HTML and XML - making it easy for users to share information with their colleagues and clients.

Every day, millions of users depend on Corel software to capture and communicate their ideas. Although these individuals may have different priorities, they share a need for powerful, dependable software that enables them to easily capture and share their ideas with others. Corel is dedicated to addressing these needs with exceptional software that is responsive, efficient and enjoyable to use.

With its headquarters in Ottawa, Canada, and regional offices in the United States, Europe and Australia, Corel works with an established network of International partners to serve its customers around the globe.

Contact:

Kelly Manuel
PR Manager, Graphics
Corel Corporation
46430 Fremont Blvd.
Fremont, CA 94538, USA
613-728-0826, Ext. 1223
Cell: 613-668-5483
kelly.manuel@corel.com
www.corel.com

To order, call 1-800-772-6735 (Monday-Friday, 9:00am. - 7:00pm EST)