This tutorial introduces you to the basics of designing and setting up a drawing.

Select a topic:

Creating a new drawing

Opening an existing drawing

Importing files

Setting the page size

Using guidelines

Using the Navigator

Adjusting the view by zooming

Closing windows and drawings

CorelDRAW provides two ways to begin a new drawing. The New command creates a new drawing based on the CorelDRAW default template. The New From Template command lets you open a drawing, based on a template of your choice, using a wizard.

This procedure demonstrates the New command, which uses the default template (CORELDRW.CDT).

Click File menu, New.

You can use the Open button to open drawings that you've saved to disk. The Open command lets you browse for a file.

1. Click the Open button.
2. In the Look In list box, choose the drive where the file is stored.
3. Double-click the folder where the file is stored.

CorelDRAW lets you import several types of images, at the same time if you want to, and place them as desired on the Drawing Page.

1. Click File menu, Import.
2. In the Import dialog box, choose a drive from the list.
3. Choose a folder and filename.
4. Click the Import button.
5. On the Drawing Page click to place the image.

The Property Bar provides a series of controls that let you set up the Drawing Page quickly and interactively. For example, the Paper Size/Type list box lets you choose from 38 common page sizes, including North American and European sizes and envelopes.

1. Press ESC to deselect all objects.
2. Choose a page type from the Paper Type/Size list box on the Property Bar.

Note

The rectangle (Drawing Page) in the Drawing Window shows the size of the selected page type. The exact page dimensions appear in the Paper Width and Height boxes.

Tips

If you can't find a preset page size that suits your needs, type values in the Paper Width and Height boxes to define a custom size.

To set the units of measurement for the page size, choose a unit from the Drawing Units list box on the Property Bar.

To change the page orientation, click the Landscape button on the Property Bar

Guidelines are horizontal and vertical lines which you can put on the Drawing Page to help you align objects. Like objects, guidelines can now be multiselected, rotated, deleted or placed at precise locations using the nudge feature.

This procedure shows you how to create a guideline.

1. Click and hold on the vertical or horizontal ruler.
2. Drag a guideline onto the Drawing Page.

Located at the bottom of the window, the Navigator provides tools to add, remove, and select pages in your drawing.

1. Click the Add button to add a page to a drawing.
2. Navigate from one page to another by selecting one of the following:

Go to the first page, click First Page.

Go to the last page, click Last Page.

Go forward one page, click Forward One.

Go back one page, click Back One.

Tips

You can also add, remove, rename, or delete pages by right clicking any page tab and clicking Insert Page Before, Insert Page After, Rename Page or Delete Page.

You can go to a specific page by clicking the page number tab.

CorelDRAW provides various tools that allow you to view your drawing from a global to minute perspective.

Using the Zoom tool and View Manager you can apply precise drawing techniques.

This section describes how to use the Zoom tool and its enhanced features as well as how to access the View Manager.

Select an option:

Learn how to use the Zoom tool

Learn how to access the View Manager

The Zoom tool lets you quickly access and view precise portions of your drawing. The Zoom tool provides you with various zoom levels at the click of the mouse to facilitate your work.

Click here to open a sample file.

1. Click the Zoom flyout tool and select the Zoom tool.
2. Place the cursor on the Drawing Page and click the right mouse button.
3. From the menu select Zoom, then 400%.
4. Click the right mouse button again and select Zoom In until you can see the object. Use the scroll bars to bring the object into view.
5. To return to normal view click the Zoom Actual Size button on the Property Bar.

Tip

To create custom zoom levels, type a value in the Zoom Levels box on the Property Bar.

The View Manager Docker provides a full range of tools for changing your view of a drawing. For example, you can use the Zoom In and Zoom Out tools to get a better view of a general area, or use the Zoom To Selected or Zoom To Page Width tools to look at a specific area.

Click here to open a sample file.

1. Click the Zoom tool.
2. Click the View Manager button on the Property Bar.
3. Click the Add button in the View Manager Docker window.
4. Click the Zoom To All Objects button.
5. Click the Add button again. Notice that the roll-up lists a second view with the zoom factor as a percentage.
6. Click one of the Views in the View Manager Docker window.
7. Click , Switch To View.

You can close individual windows or drawings, or all windows and drawings, with single commands.

Select an option:

Closing windows

Closing drawings

You can easily close one, or all, viewing windows you have opened to view different sections of the same drawing.

Click here to open a sample file.

To open multiple viewing windows for the same file.

1. Click Window menu, New Window.
2. Repeat step 1.
3. Click Window menu, Tile Vertically.

You can easily close one, or all, drawings you have open.

Click here to open a sample file.

1. Click File menu, New to open a second file.
2. Repeat step one.
3. Click Window menu, Tile Vertically.
4. To close one drawing, click the drawing and click File menu, Close.
5. To close all the drawings, click Window menu, Close All.