Which design program do you prefer if you had to chose between these two, and why?

[chad.trent]

That's why we finally gave up on Quark. We kept it around because we had a few customers that still used it. Got an upgrade to 9, and it wouldn't install. No idea why. Would just get about 70-80% complete then crash or lock up. Over the course of a few months sent probably 15-20 emails and called at least that many times. Never got a single response from Quark.

 

[BarbWPP]

I have used both apps. My only real problem with Corel Draw was that the handles for selected art/objects were always so far away from it, I had problems knowing what I actually had selected. And in general the interface is just so different from the Adobe products, in terms of keyboard shortcuts for moving objects, zoom, almost anything but the very basic copy/paste etc. Drove me crazy. Even Quark uses shortcuts more in line with those in Adobe's.

I have the same issue with Microsoft's stuff, especially Publisher - on those not-rare-enough occasion that I am forced to use it. Can't even control - + to zoom. How irritating. Seems so essential to me.

 

[slush11]

I have used both apps. My only real problem with Corel Draw was that the handles for selected art/objects were always so far away from it, I had problems knowing what I actually had selected. And in general the interface is just so different from the Adobe products, in terms of keyboard shortcuts for moving objects, zoom, almost anything but the very basic copy/paste etc. Drove me crazy. Even Quark uses shortcuts more in line with those in Adobe's.

I have the same issue with Microsoft's stuff, especially Publisher - on those not-rare-enough occasion that I am forced to use it. Can't even control - + to zoom. How irritating. Seems so essential to me.

I customized all my keyboard shortcuts within Corel to match Illustrator.

 

[slush11]

The scroller on my mouse zooms in and out in Corel. That's a huge bonus. Can't believe Illustrator hasn't adapted that feature.

 

[BarbWPP]

The scroller on my mouse zooms in and out in Corel. That's a huge bonus. Can't believe Illustrator hasn't adapted that feature.

Good idea on the custom shortcuts in Corel. I don't seem to be patient or savvy enough to do that. And as I don't even have it installed for work any more, it doesn't really seem to matter much.

As for the scroll-to-zoom in AI, try holding down the alt/option key while you scroll, works on mine.

 

[chad.trent]

In Illustrator, I just hold Command+Space and that turns the cursor into the zoom tool. No need to switch between tools.

 

[rich apollo]

It's interesting that no one has mentioned color handling. From my limited experience, Corel's color management is pretty rudimentary.

Will Corel export a PDF/X file of any flavor? My information has been that Corel PDFs tend to be, on the whole, more problematic.

Does Corel license official spot color libraries? Pantone, Toyo, DIC, et cetera?

The biggest selling point for Corel is that it does not have the size limitation (217 in X 217 in) inherent in the Creative Suite. Two ways to look at that: 1) no need for scaling artwork, 2) Corel is not strictly following the PDF spec.

 

[chad.trent]

That's a good point too. It's been so long since I've used Corel I don't know the answer. And when I did use it, it was primarily for sign work, so color management wasn't a big deal.

One of the annoying things about Illustrator though is that you can have a 217x217 document, but a PDF can't be more than 200 inches wide. Here in the packaging world, it's not unheard of to have documents that wide. We always send out 100% PDF proofs, but on those cases we have to scale them down before saving as a PDF.

 

[bean66]

The last I heard of Corel is that you could get a free copy if you paid for and upgrade to Quark. Well who wants an upgrade to Quark anyway. I haven't used Quark for years either.

 

[Russ_G]

I would think you'd want the entire Adobe CS, photoshop for images, illustrator for vector graphics and indesign to put it all together. I haven't seen Corel in probalby 15 yrs so I can't really comment on that.

 

[Keith]

It's interesting that no one has mentioned color handling...

And no one has mentioned this program - Inkscape. It's an open source vector program that I have on my Ubuntu laptop at home. I created a calling card for myself with it and there were some features in it that were great and I wondered why Illustrator didn't have it. There was also features it didn't have and Illustrator does. The big one was Pantone spot colors. As soon as I discovered that missing piece I have not opened the program since. Sad really, because I did like it.

 

[slush11]

It's interesting that no one has mentioned color handling. From my limited experience, Corel's color management is pretty rudimentary.

Will Corel export a PDF/X file of any flavor? My information has been that Corel PDFs tend to be, on the whole, more problematic.

Does Corel license official spot color libraries? Pantone, Toyo, DIC, et cetera?

The biggest selling point for Corel is that it does not have the size limitation (217 in X 217 in) inherent in the Creative Suite. Two ways to look at that: 1) no need for scaling artwork, 2) Corel is not strictly following the PDF spec.

I've never had an issue with a Corel PDF unless it was over 200" which is a hassle. I know they license a butt load of Pantone libraries. Not sure about the others. Scaling art is for proofing purposes only in Corel.

 

[arkay_desai]

Illustrator and only illustrator

 

[PDL]

One other major difference in Corel is the way you select objects. The cursor doesn't just select everything it touches. It selects everything it encompasses instead.
I agree that Illy is a far more advanced program, especially for illustrating and editing, but for practicality in the print world, I'd give it to Draw if I was forced to make the choice.

Esko's DeskPack Tools for Ai, in addition to other things, can add a select tool to your tool bar that will select only items that you marquee. One of my favourite tools. Here's the link to download a trial copy. DeskPack: Tools for Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop - Esko

 

[lynnic]

Illustrator all the way

 

[Possumgal]

I think a lot depends on what programs you first started out with - those you tend to favor. Also, each program has some features another may not. It all depends on your work and what you need.

I know some who still lament the demise of Freehand.

 

[rich apollo]

i know some who still lament the demise of freehand.

Thanks, now I'll have nightmares for a week.

 

[dabob]

I think a lot depends on what programs you first started out with - those you tend to favor. Also, each program has some features another may not. It all depends on your work and what you need.

I know some who still lament the demise of Freehand.

Then . . . I guess I'm outta luck . .. started with page maker and freehand . . . and yes I still miss (actually still use Freehand for some jobs . . . .)