PRINT DESIGNER - IS COREL DRAW PROGRAMME SUITABLE FOR ME?

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dinny2579 Posted: 09-02-2008 11:58

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Hi there,

I am a freelance print designer and I need to find another software for me to easily draw up print artwork and change colours of artwork easily to create different colourways. Also is there a tool for repeating patterns so that you dont have to manually make a repeat unit?

Could someone kindly tell me which corel draw programme would be useful for what i need.

Thanks

Dinny

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Stefan Lindblad replied on 09-02-2008 14:50

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Hi Dinny,

My first respons is Yes. Of course it is.
And as it happens a spanish designer/illustrator who work with apparel, Anna Maria Lopez Lopez, a fellow coreldraw user, who frequent this very forum, have made a tutorial especially for this new version of CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X4. It comes with the Box.

And as it happens CorelDRAW is one of the most used softwares in the fashion and apparel business, as I understands it. This all means Yes for answering your question on making repeating patterns. Its a very easy task in CorelDRAW. I make patterns, and so do many others, using CorelDRAW. With repeating patterns, Reports.

Here is the Corel pressrelease about CorelDRAW and the Fashion industry.
http://www.corel.com/servlet/Satellite/us/en/Content/1153321430604?pressId=1176754511793

CorelDRAW will be a very good pick for you.

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dinny2579 replied on 09-02-2008 16:38

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Hi Stefan,

Thanks for the information.

So what package would I need to buy? as the press release was about c-design?

So all I need to buy is Corel draw graphics suite x4?

Lastly can this program be self taught, is there any dvds or books you can recommend for Corel draw?

Thanks again.

Best Regards

Winnie

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Ariel replied on 09-02-2008 22:59

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All you need is CorelDRAW. Of course, according with your work, perhaps do you need another software, but you can do all your work with CorelDRAW. Specially for printing industry, CorelDRAW is the best option. Of course, you must learn to use it, altough is easy and very intuitive

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Stefan Lindblad replied on 09-03-2008 1:52

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If you are making your own designed patterns, then CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X4 is a perfect fit. You will then have both CorelDRAW X4 itself, and Corel Photo-Paint. Two powerful programs at the same time (there are more in programs in the suite though!), which will make it possible for you to work with photos you can edit and image adjust (Photo-Paint) and the patterns for clothes, pillows, bags and ect. which is useally made with vectorillustration technique (CorelDRAW).

Yes as in all programs there is always a learning curve. But great thing is that on this very forum, there are a lot of people you can ask, who work in all kind of fields in the graphic business. Fashion, Design, illustration, photo, print and more than that. So you will have a lot of great people around you can ask. - So, yes you can learn this program yourself. Thats how I originally did. And I still learn new things.

If you like to learn the software from the beginning, if you havent worked with software like this before, there are numerous of books, but if I may suggest, have a look at the Corel DVD book & tutorials, which you actually get when you buy the Box. You can also buy a DVD book with video tutorials, written by Foster D Coburn. http://www.unleash.com/coreldrawx4unleashed/ 

But who knows, you might just need the Video tutorials, and the other tutorials  included and from within the program itself. Reachable both via a black, nice looking, book (paper) & the welcome screen inside CorelDRAW. With tutorials buy Ariel, who just answered this question of yours, and Anna Maria Lopez Lopez.

Yes there is C-Design but CorelDRAW Graphic Suite is perfect for Pattern Design. And its basically the same in my opinion. Maybe if you would work entirely in the Fashion industry, with a lot of pre-patterns, then C-Design could be a solution, but if you are doing your own pattern designs, then CorelDRAW is a good choice.

Lets see if we can get Gérard at Corel and Anna Maria Lopez Lopez to help out in this, I will send them an email.

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Gerard Metrailler replied on 09-03-2008 5:20

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Hello Winnie,

as mentioned by Stefan and Ariel, CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X4 is a great suite of graphics applications that should answer your needs based on the question above. The box of CorelDRAW X4 comes with over 2 hours of video tutorials, a user guide and great insights written by CorelDRAW power users to get you started and inspire you. And with the additional books from Foster (http://www.coreldrawunleashed.com) or the CorelDRAW X4 Official Guide from McGraw-Hill for example, there are many resources available when it comes to training.

C-DESIGN Fashion is a solution that builds on the CorelDRAW Graphics Suite engine to provide a package dedicated to the professional fashion design industry. It is highly specialized for its task (compared to CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X4 which is a more general package for creative graphics) and is used by many fashion design departments of big brands around the world. C-DESIGN also provides dedicated fashion design libraries of objects, on-site services and training, plus a lot more. But as you will certainly understand, there is a substantial price difference between CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X4 and C-DESIGN Fashion.

In summary, to get you started, as mentioned by Ariel and Stefan, CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X4 should be everything you need.

Gérard

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annaOMline replied on 09-03-2008 6:43

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Hello Dinny,

I work as a professional print designer and I am also specialised in CAFD ,( Computer Aided Fashion Design ) .Recently I wrote the book Tecnicas de diseño de moda por ordenador ( Fashion computer aided design Techniques ) published by Spanish Editorial ANAYA Multimedia, a book where I introduce all computer software avaliable in the market for apparel and fashion design  and I can tell you that CorelDRAW X4 is the perfect choice for you. On the apparel and screen printing industries, CorelDRAW is the most popular software because it is the only vector software that can preview print color separations ,and trace images with  color reduction on the fly (PowerTRACE) . Besides the interactive fill tool allows textile designers to directly preview the patterns on the designs. Also CorelDRAW drawing tools are ideal for creating flats, colourways and even the garment technical sheets for the whole fashion collection.

As my colleagues metioned before, you can find my tutorial about Pattern design with CorelDRAW X4 on the Insights from the experts option on the Welcome screen menu of CorelDRAW X4.
I am afraid that all books I´ve written about CorelDRAW and about CAFD are published in Spanish. The  Insights from Experts tutorial is the only learning material I can refer you in English. I hope it can helps you.

CorelDRAW is a very intuitive software and of course you can learn it by yourself or with the help of books or other material you can find on the Internet.

Regards from Spain and welcome to Corel world!