is a
Vector Graphics Editor developed and marketed by
Corel Corporation of
Ottawa ,
Canada .
CorelDRAW was originally developed for Microsoft Windows and currently runs only on Windows. The current version is X3 (actually version 13), released in January 2006.
Versions for
Macintosh and
Linux were at one time available, but these are now discontinued. The last version for Linux was version 9, released in 2000. The last version for Macintosh was version 11, released in 2001.
In 1985, Dr.
Michael Cowpland founded Corel to sell Intel-based
Desktop Publishing systems.
In 1987, Corel hired software engineers
Michel Boullion and
Pat Beirne to develop a vector-based illustration program to bundle with these desktop publishing systems. That program, CorelDRAW, was initially released in 1989. The program was well received, and Corel soon focused on software alone.
CorelDRAW came into its own with Microsoft's release of
Windows 3.1 . The inclusion of
TrueType in Windows 3.1 transformed CorelDRAW into a serious illustration program capable of quality
Typography .
Over time, additional components were developed or acquired and bundled with CorelDRAW. The list of bundled packages usually changes somewhat from one release to the next. There are several mainstays that have remained in the package for many releases now, however: PowerTRACE (a bitmap to vector graphic converter),
PHOTO-PAINT (a bitmap graphic editor), and CAPTURE (a screen capture utility).
Several innovations to vector-based illustration originated with CorelDRAW: a node-edit tool that operates differently on different objects, fit text-to-path, stroke-before-fill, quick fill/stroke
color selection palettes, perspective projections, and complex gradient fills.
CorelDRAW differentiates itself from its competitors in a number of ways. The first is its positioning as a graphics suite, rather than just a vector graphics program. Second, the package consistently includes a large collection of fonts and clip art.
CorelDRAW's chief competitor is
Adobe Illustrator . Although they are both vector-based illustration programs, the user experience differs greatly between the two. For instance, CorelDRAW can work with multi-page documents; Illustrator only offers a single-page layout view, but it will allow you to divide that large layout in the print options so that it prints on multiple pages. Also, while Illustrator will read CorelDRAW's native file type and vice versa, the translation is almost never perfect. These facts make it difficult for users to move freely between these programs.
The current version of CorelDRAW Graphics Suite, X3 (actually version 13), contains the following packages:
- Raster image creation and editing software
- : Enables several methods of image-capture
- : Converts raster images to vector graphics.
- : Support for RAW file format
Corel Corporation also offers the popular
Corel Painter line of graphics software.
