If you’re new to both CorelDRAW and Windows 7, note some areas of interest in the
Open dialog, some of which are standard Windows conventions, while others are
CorelDRAW enhancements to the Open dialog:
●
Windows View Click the drop-down list (as was done in Windows XP) to set how
a folder you open displays its contents. You can usually get a good view for locating
a file you need to open using the Large Icons view. Another useful view configuration
is to use Details view in combination with the preview pane (the button directly to
the right of the Windows View drop-down list). With the Details view enabled, you
can then sort files by date, type, and size.
●
Filter By default, CorelDRAW will show you all files within a folder. If you’re not
organizationally fastidious with your hard disk(s), finding the CorelDRAW file you
seek can be a nightmare, but not if you choose, for example, CDR-CorelDRAW (*.CDR)
from the file formats list. The list of files that can be opened is a comprehensive one
in version X5, with over two dozen vector-type files recognized, not simply CorelDRAW
native files. See the section later in this chapter about the important differences
between opening a non-CorelDRAW file and importing one to an open file in
CorelDRAW’s workspace.
CorelDRAW X5 can open files that are saved in CorelDRAW 1 or later in the CDR
file format, although if you used CorelDRAW version 1’s proprietary WFN fonts, the
PANOSE Font Substitution box will pop up; Corel doesn’t support WFN typefaces
today. CorelDRAW X5 can also save as far back as version 7 in case you need to
share a file with a coworker who hasn’t upgraded to the 21st century.
●
Recently Opened Files If you do filter for only CDR files and then click the down
arrow at the right of the File Name field, you can access several of the most-recently
opened CorelDRAW files that can be located anywhere on your hard drive(s), not
just in the current folder’s contents. If you click to select a file, its name appears in
the File Name area, and if you type in the wildcard characters *.*, the filter list
resets to display All File Formats.

using modifier keys. You can open neighboring files on the directory list (in the same folder)
by holding
SHIFT while selecting your files. Open nonadjacent files in the file list (in the same
folder) by holding
CTRL while clicking to select the filenames, and then click the Open button.
This is a standard Windows convention, as is marquee-dragging to select multiple file icons.
Opening Files from Other Applications
You can open many other files that are not native to CorelDRAW, such as Adobe Illustrator
or Microsoft PowerPoint, in CorelDRAW. When a file originally created in a different
application is opened, CorelDRAW automatically converts its contents to CorelDRAW
format. If you look at the title bar of the drawing window, you will see that CorelDRAW
has opened the file, preserved the filename, but has given it a .CDR extension. The original
application file remains on the hard disk unchanged. In a way, opening a nonnative CorelDRAW
file is similar to importing nonnative graphics data.
When you open nonnative application files supported by CorelDRAW’s Import filters,
the graphics and text objects contained in the file are converted as closely as possible to
compatible equivalents supported in CorelDRAW. Although the Open command is like an
Import operation, certain file formats might not open flawlessly, depending on their type
and contents. You might get better results if you import the files as objects into an open
CorelDRAW document by pressing
CTRL+I (File | Import). If CorelDRAW is unable to
interpret a file’s contents while trying to open it, an alert dialog appears.
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Warning Messages
When you open files—especially older files or files created on a different system or using a
third-party application—warning messages might appear before the file actually opens. For
the most part, these messages aren’t meant to cause alarm, but instead to advise. Two of the
most common messages warn of inappropriate data types and fonts.
If, for example, you try to use the Open dialog to open a GIF bitmap, CorelDRAW alerts

saves, and to practice good hard-drive housekeeping by saving to user-defined folders. When
you know you’ll want to retrieve a document in the near future, setting a save location,
applying a name, adding user data, and other options go along with the job.
Saving Your First Document
You can save an existing document simply by clicking the Save button on the standard
toolbar or by choosing File | Save (
CTRL+S), which causes your most recent changes to the
page to be saved immediately without opening any dialogs.
CorelDRAW X5’s Save Drawing dialog contains more than just options on where to
save and what name to use when saving the file. For a practical exercise that explores the
additional options you have when saving, follow these steps.
Saving Files with User Info
1. If you’ve just started a new document and want to save it, click the Save button in
the standard toolbar, use the
CTRL+S shortcut, or choose File | Save. The Save
Drawing dialog appears, as shown in Figure 3-3.
2. With the Save Drawing dialog open, use the dialog options to set a location for your
document, and type a unique name in the File Name box. If you’re saving your
document to a format other than CorelDRAW’s native CDR format, choose a file
format from the Save As Type menu. Doing this is similar to choosing File | Export.
The disadvantage to saving in a non-CorelDRAW file type is that it’s usually going
to be hard to open this file again and edit it using all of CorelDRAW’s features.
3. Saving as a CDR file gives you the option to choose a version from the Version
drop-down. Unless you must save to an older file format to allow the saved file to be
used with legacy software, always choose the most recent (highest number) version.
If you choose an older file version, some of the work you did in your file may not
save as you expect, because an effect or other feature used may not have existed in
the file version you selected.
4. If saving your document in CorelDRAW file or template file (CDT) format, you can
enter (optional) Title, Subject, and a star rating as part of the file’s metadata. If you

intended to be output for the screen and for printing. The only time you wouldn’t
want to embed the color profile is if the document was created with the wrong
profile for a printing job, for example. To change a document’s color profile before
saving it, choose Tools | Color Management | Document Settings.
Advanced Save Drawing Options
The Save Drawing dialog sports still more refinements you can make when saving a file.
Clicking the Advanced button opens the same Options dialog that you can navigate to at any
time by choosing Tools | Options (
CTRL+J), expanding the tree directory under Document,
and then clicking the Save item. In this area you can make choices about File Optimization,
Textures, and Blends And Extrudes. These options are set on a document basis, not a global
one, so you can make different choices for each file you save.
●
Save Presentation Exchange (CMX). Check this box if you want to place or edit the
file in other applications that accept this file format, such as Corel WordPerfect or
Xara Xtreme, and older versions of CorelDRAW. For example, CorelDRAW 5 can’t
open an X5 CDR file, but version 5 can open a CMX file. The CMX file format can
hold both bitmap and vector data. It is a subset of the CDR format and as such is not
as capable of certain recently added features, but it is a good way to use graphics
created in CorelDRAW in other applications and for users of previous versions to
open your files in case you saved to version X5.
●
Use Bitmap Compression. Bitmaps and bitmap effects in a drawing can really plump
up the final file size of a document. To save precious hard disk storage space, put a
check in this box. The compression used is lossless, so you don’t have to worry that
choosing this option will degrade the quality of your file onscreen or when printed.
●
Use Graphic Object Compression. Checking this box reduces saved file sizes by
compressing the vector elements in the file. This is particularly welcome if you’ve
created a lot of extrude objects in a document whose component objects can number

when saving native CorelDRAW files.
The Export command (File | Export) is best for saving your document or selected objects
as any other type of file format, particularly bitmap formats like CPT, GIF, JPEG, PNG, or a
wide variety of text formats as well as other specialized vector formats such as EPS and
SVG. In CorelDRAW you can save—but not export—files in CorelDRAW (CDR), Corel
Pattern file (PAT), and CorelDRAW Template (CDT) format.
Using File Backup Options
Countless hours of work can be saved using CorelDRAW’s Backup feature. When it comes
to saving and backing up your document files, CorelDRAW lets you take full control over
how, where, and when backup files are created. Backup files let you retrieve recent changes
made to documents should something unfortunate (such as a power failure) occur while
you’re working. Backup files created automatically are named auto_backup_of_ filename.cdr,
where FILENAME is the name of your original CorelDRAW document. It’s best to specify
a custom folder for your auto-saves instead of accepting the default location, so you can
quickly locate and proceed with your work after a mishap.
60 CorelDRAW X5 The Official Guide
If CorelDRAW closes unexpectedly, the next time you open CorelDRAW, the File
Recovery dialog prompts you to open the Auto-Backup file that it found. Click OK
to open the file. If you click Cancel and do not open the file, the Auto-Backup file
will be deleted when you exit CorelDRAW. So open and save the file when you
can—you won’t be prompted to do so again.
At your command, backup files can be created every time you save a file. The naming
convention for these files is in the form of backup_of_filename.cdr, and these backup files
are stored in the same folder location as the file you saved. You can open backup files the
same way as with any CorelDRAW document file, by using the File | Open command
(
CTRL+O).
To access CorelDRAW’s backup controls, use the Workspace | Save page of the Options
dialog (shown in Figure 3-4). Choose Tools | Options | Workspace | Save.
CHAPTER 3: CorelDRAW’s Ins and Outs: Importing, Exporting, and Saving Design Work 61

professionally designed templates that came with CorelDRAW. Additional templates are
found on the CorelDRAW DVD and on CorelDRAW.com.
Some of the templates use typefaces you might not have installed from the
CorelDRAW CD. If you choose to open a new document based on a template
containing text, it’s possible you’ll get the Font Substitution dialog, discussed
earlier in this chapter. If this happens, you can certainly open a new file based on
the template, and then replace the typeface used in the document. Alternatively, you
can install the fonts listed in this dialog and come back to the document later.
Templates are organized in two general groups: Type and Industry. Choose Type in the
View By drop-down to see a list of template categories that is broken down by kind of
document produced—a catalog, a flyer, a letterhead, and so on. Choose Industry to see the
62 CorelDRAW X5 The Official Guide
templates arranged in categories that correspond to various industries such as Hospitality,
Retail, or Services. To use any templates you’ve created and saved, either search the list in
the My Templates section on the left side of the dialog, or, if you didn’t specify the Type or
Industry of your own template, choose All, and then go to Not Specified.
Clicking a category such as Business Cards or Brochures in the list on the left opens
(in the center of the dialog) thumbnail views of the templates available. Click once on a
thumbnail to load information about the template into the Template Details section at the
bottom of the dialog and into Designer Notes on the right of the dialog. To increase the size
of the thumbnail for a better view or to decrease the size of the thumbnail to view more
thumbnails, click-drag the slider at the bottom of the dialog.
While a template is selected, the preview window displays a thumbnail of the first page
of the template. Click Open or double-click the file to open a new (unsaved) document using
the template’s content and page layout.
The Browse button opens a Windows standard file Open dialog that you can use to
locate, select, and open a new document based on a template somewhere on your computer
or network other than CorelDRAW’s default location for templates.
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