CorelDRAW Basics

This chapter introduces you to the CorelDRAW workspace and provides an overview of basic tasks, such as starting and viewing documents, modifying and organizing objects, and creating page layouts. Additional topics include sharing work and setting preferences. As you learn to use CorelDRAW, this chapter can help identify tasks and features that you may want to explore further in the Help. Workspace overview The CorelDRAW workspace provides a wide range of tools and commands for creating unique graphic designs. This section describes the application window and the toolbox.

Application window

The following list describes the main components of the CorelDRAW application window.

• The toolbox contains tools for creating, filling, and modifying objects in a document.
• The standard toolbar contains shortcuts to basic menus and commands, such as opening, saving, and printing documents. Additional toolbars contain shortcuts for more specific tasks.
• The menu bar contains drop-down menus of related commands.
• The title bar displays the title of the current document.
• The property bar contains controls that change according to the active tool. For example, when you use the Text tool, the property bar changes to display controls for creating and editing text.
• A docker lets you access commands and settings that are associated with a specific tool or task.
• The horizontal and vertical rulers let you determine the size and position of objects in a document.
• The document navigator lets you add pages to a document, or move from page to page within a document.
• The document window is the workspace area that is bordered by scroll bars and other controls. It includes the document page and surrounding area.
• The document page is the rectangle that represents the printable section of the document window.
• The Document palette lets you keep track of the colors that are used in a
• document.
• The color palette is a dockable bar that contains color swatches.
• The status bar displays information about the properties of an object, such as type, size, color, and fill. Color proofing status, color profiles, and other information about document colors are also displayed.