How many times have you brought an object into CorelDraw only to see a low resolution rendition of the image. I know I have have and there is a reason. Typically to try and get all the objects on the screen our default view is 100%. 100% view is based on the document not the image. To be able to view the image and see a good quality image we will need to zoom in it. Note: this is different in Corel PhotoPaint where the zoom view is based on the object not the document.

One of the new features to come out of Corel X4 and X5 is the ability to see what direction your machine will be moving based on the object. Typically when it comes to engraving whether it is with a laser or with a rotary our direction was controlled via two main nodes on the object you are working with. The home node is where you object begins to engrave. The end node is where the engraving ends. In earlier versions of Coreldraw X3 and before the way we had ot check for the beginning of an object was to select the shape tool click on the object and press the HOME key. This would take us to the beginning. The END key on your keyboard would take you to the end. Now with X4 and X5 we actually see the direction of the path by a set of arrows.

One of the problems that you will encounter after you install CorelDraw X4 or X5 is that your default pen width is set to .007. This creates a problem when you want to create a cut line for your laser. This is because most lasers will only cut a vector line that is less that .007. A vector line that is thicker than .006 is considered to be a raster line. For this reason it is advantageous to set the default pen width at hairline. This is easy to do in CorelDraw.

I had a customer call in and needs a job done as he is unsure of doing the job on his laser. So as a favor to him I will do the job. Here are the specs of the job:
The oval disc is a theater seat number & they are matching previous discs.
The size is 5/8 inches high by 1 5/16 inches long.
It is black plastic with white number engraved.
I need numbers from 1 to for 130 pieces.
I do not need the holes drilled in them.
My note he has not provided me with a text size

This lesson offers a quick tutorial on doing a photograph on the new Laser it Material with your CO2 laser machine. This material is available from Engravers Express of Caldwell Recognition

There are two types of text in CorelDraw. The first and the one that is used a lot is Artistic Text. The second type which we discuss later is Paragraph text.

This lesson will look at what is a raster image and what is a vector image. Many people get confused with the tow. A good thorough knowledge of both is essential when you are looking at working with computers and graphics. In computer graphics, a raster graphics image or bitmap is a data structure representing a rectangular grid of pixels, or points of color, viewable via a monitor, paper, or other display medium. On the other hand vector graphics files store the lines, shapes and colours that make up an image as mathematical formulas.

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When you are doing laser engraving or sublimation (sawgrass driver) you need to turn off your colour correction and work in the RGB colour space. In this article we will address this setup.

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Using the CutOut Lab in CorelDraw / PhotoPaint to get rid of an images background

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