Others say...

"Different may be better."
I understand that software companies strive to give new versions of their products "new" or "better" appearances but in my opinion toos and defaults should be recognizable from version to version as much as possible. I have used versions of Corel since CorelDraw!3 I just moved to X3 from 10 and find that the trace tool works better but the mechanism is somewhat cryptic. I would have great sympathy for a buyer that is using it for the first time if they had never used an older version simply because I could only figure it out through past knowledge and trial and error. The results were great but the methodology lacks some of the intuitiveness of the past versions. The pallettes are far less comprehensive thn version 10's pallettes. I truly wish I had version 8's pantone pallette back even though it is incomplete it was so much better layed out. i will never understand why black has to be at one end of the pallette and white at the other, waste of time... The tools are all there but they appear different. I went to work in X3 fright away and found I could work effectively on day one but I did resort to version 10 (which I have kept on my system) a few times in the first week to perform operations that I coupdn't figure out in X3 which were simple in 10. The Help files are circuitous, apparently never actually getting to the point. The on line tutorials are great for the absolute novice but useless to anyone who actually has worked with vector art before. The Export to AI is still a little inaccurate even after all these years. (You cannot select a line terminus and expect it to be there in AI) The EPS export filter doesn't always want to be readable in Adobe either. The price is excellent, the product spectacular in its own right and I am happy with my purchase. I expected a little more in this version than I got but no less than I had with additional compatibility. I still need to have a copy of Illustrator on my machine to deal with people who have only that program.

"Improvements made software worse than previous versions"
If you are accustomed to using other versions of CorelDraw, you may not want this version. Fact is, they have made many so-called "improvements" which I find are incompatible with other software that I have used in the past. It does not convert to encapsulated postscript (eps) files properly, and will crash programs that traditionally work well with eps figures. By contrast, CorelDraw 11 worked well. Hence the "improvement" has rendered the software a nuisance. If you are accustomed to pasting figures into other software, forget it. CorelDraw X3 will not retain the integrity of the original figure, and it will look distorted and crummy. Any prior version of CorelDraw worked well. Again, the "improvement" has made the software a nuisance. On top of that, it crashes a lot.

I contacted their "customer service" about a year ago when I first discovered these differences. I was assured that they knew about the problems and were working on them. Well, a year later, with no patches to correct these differences, I am now being told that it is everyone else's fault (software manufacturers) that CorelDraw is not compatible. I was also told that they have no intention to correct these problems because they do not consider them problems. There is an example of their customer service for you.

I have been using CorelDraw for a long time, starting with 6, then 9, then 11. This is the worst of the bunch by far. I am going back to a previous version.

"Great Program ... if used in conjunction with others"
CorelDraw was my first foray into vector graphics back when version 3 showed up on my desk at the small "Mom and Pop" screenprinting shop i worked at. Back then, Corel came with OODLES of free fonts, clipart, manuals ... not to mention FREE technical support via a toll-free number.

i stayed with Corel exclusively until version 10 ... enduring countless patches, bugs and the dreaded "odd-numbered" curse (if you tried version 5 or 7, you feel my pain). Adobe Photoshop was always my photo-editing program of choice ... CorelPhotoPAINT just never quite "did it" for me.

Industry demands eventually delegated that i delve into Adobe Illustrator. Being already familiar with Adobe Photoshop's features, tools and "look and feel", Illustrator didn't present a huge, overbearing learning curve. In Illustrator, i found the same robust features as CorelDraw ... which wasn't what impressed me about Illustrator. Adobe's intuitive programs, and their ability to interact with one another ... seamlessly ... THAT is what won me over to Illustrator. Illustrator's ability to edit/create PDF's in their native format? WOW! Exporting LAYERED vector files to Photoshop ... with layers INTACT??? WOW!!! (i could go on)

Now, that being said ... there are STILL things that i prefer in CorelDRAW compared to Illustrator. The EXTRUDE function in corel is MUCH easier to utilize. The PowerClip function is more user friendly than Illustrator's "make clipping mask" function. The ability to customize/edit/add shortcut keys is an amazing feature. (again ... i could go on)

In regards to importing and exporting files from other applications, CorelDRAW wins, hands down. It boasts a ROBUST set of import and export filters, my favorite being the .eps import filter which lets you import an .eps while converting the fonts to curves DURING the import. This is a MUST HAVE if you work with an .eps file created on another computer whose fonts you lack. If i had a dollar for every .eps that pulls into Illustrator with fonts blown out ... i'd be independently wealthy. WHY Illustrator has never implemented this is beyond me.

So, to sum it up ... CorelDRAW is a great program ... but i can't imagine it being my ONLY vector drawing program. Just like in real life, you need a great team. This program, paired with Adobe Creative Suite, meets my needs perfectly.

"Even better! Great for bitmap - vector conversion"
Fantastic product. Great for CNC and laser engraving work. A great product even better!

"I like it!"
I am average when it comes to design, but the tutorial helped me in creating a logo and it's cheaper and better for me to create one myself than pay someone to do it. I like the tracing feature which allows you to remove parts of a photo to place in a new background. To get the most out of this software you really need to be familiar with a lot of the features already, and there's a lot I am missing. I will just have to take more time to keep practicing and learning from trial and error.