Tutorial: Working with layout

Welcome to CorelDRAW, a comprehensive vector-based drawing program for the graphics professional.

This tutorial introduces the layout and organization tools in CorelDRAW. These tools are essential for any kind of
project, whether it is an advertisement, newsletter, logo, poster, or any kind of artwork. Guided by your sense of
layout and design, you can use guidelines, preset alignments, and absolute values to organize text and images
for optimum results.

During the course of this tutorial, you will create an advertisement for The Coffee Shop. You will create some of
the design elements and text, but you will also learn how to import images and text.

Click here to view what your final project should look like.

What you will learn

In this tutorial, you will learn how to

§ create backgrounds
§ use guidelines and snapping options
§ create frames
§ import images
§ use the PowerClip tool
§ apply preset drop shadows
§ work with artistic text
§ import and format paragraph text
§ apply alignment options

Creating the background

You’ll start by opening a new document and customizing the drawing page dimensions. Then, you’ll create the
background: a gold colored rectangle with rounded corners. After you create the background, you’ll apply the rest
of the advertisement’s graphics and text.

In this project, you’ll use the default units of measure in CorelDRAW: inches. However, you can use many others,
including points, pixels, and centimeters.

To create a drawing page

1 Click File menu } New.
2 On the property bar, ensure the Portrait button is enabled.

3 In the Paper size boxes on the property bar, type the following dimensions:
Ÿ Width: 7
Ÿ Height: 10
4 Press Enter.

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To create the background

1 Double-click the Rectangle tool .
A rectangle the size of the drawing page is created.
2 If the CMYK color palette is not displayed, click Window menu } Color palettes } Default CMYK palette.
3 On the color palette, click the Gold color swatch.
4 Hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS), and click the White color swatch 3 times to lighten the
background color.

5 Open the Outline flyout , and click No outline .

6 With the background rectangle selected, ensure that the Round corners together button on the property
bar is enabled.
7 In one of the Rectangle corner roundness boxes on the property bar, type 14.
8 Press Enter.

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Adding a bottom border

First, you’ll create the bottom border. Then, you’ll import a design and add it to the border. Finally, you’ll use the
PowerClip tool to position and align the bottom border in the layout.

To create the bottom border

1 With the Rectangle tool still selected, drag outside the drawing page (background) to draw a rectangle.

2 In the Object(s) size boxes on the property bar, type the following dimensions:
Ÿ Width: 7
Ÿ Height: 1.5
3 Press Enter.
4 On the color palette, click the Red brown color swatch to add a fill to the rectangle and right-click (Windows)
or Control + click (Mac OS) the Red brown color swatch to color the outline.

To add a design to the bottom border

1 Click File menu } Import.
2 Choose the folder where CorelDRAW is installed.
3 Choose the folder Corel Graphics 11\Tutorials\Sample files.
4 Double-click the filename steam.cdr.
5 Click outside the drawing page.
6 With the imported image still selected, drag the center X handle to position the steam within the red-brown
bottom border as shown in the example after the procedure.
7 Hold down Shift, and click the red-brown bottom border to select the two objects together.
8 Click Arrange menu } Group.

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To position the bottom border in the background

1 Click Effects menu } PowerClip } Place inside container.
A black arrow displays in the drawing window.
2 Click the background.

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3 Click Effects menu } PowerClip } Edit contents.

4 Using the Pick tool , select the bottom border.
5 Click Arrange menu } Align and distribute } Align and distribute.
6 In the Align and distribute dialog box, enable the following options:
Ÿ Vertical alignment: Bottom
Ÿ Horizontal alignment: Center
Ÿ Align to: Edge of page
7 Click Apply, and click Close.
8 Click Effects menu } PowerClip } Finish editing this level.

Setting the guidelines

You will compose the advertisement using graphics and text in an interesting and effective layout. Guidelines will
help you align and position objects on the page.

In this tutorial, you’ll set guidelines using two methods: specifying values and dragging guidelines to the drawing
page. After you set your guidelines, you’ll lock them into place.

Before you begin, ensure that guidelines are enabled. Click View menu } Guidelines. A check mark beside
Guidelines indicates that the guidelines are enabled.

To set the center guidelines using alignment options

1 If the rulers do not display, click View menu } Rulers.
2 Click inside the horizontal ruler, and drag a guideline to anywhere on the drawing page.
3 Click inside the vertical ruler, and drag a guideline to anywhere on the drawing page.
4 Hold down Shift, and select both guidelines using the Pick tool.
By default, a selected guideline displays in red.

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5 Click Arrange menu } Align and distribute } Align and distribute.

6 In the Align to area, enable the Center of page check box.
7 Click Apply, and click Close.

To set guidelines using the property bar

1 Click inside the vertical ruler, and drag a guideline to anywhere on the drawing page.

2 In the x Object position(s) box on the property bar, type 5.

3 Press Enter.
4 Click inside the horizontal ruler, and drag a guideline to anywhere on the drawing page.

5 In the y Object position(s) box on the property bar, type 5.5.

6 Press Enter.

To set guidelines using the main menu

1 Click View menu } Guidelines setup.
2 In the Options (Windows) or Preferences (Mac OS) dialog box, click Horizontal in the list of categories.
3 In the numeric field, type 7.5, and click Add.
4 Type 3.5, and click Add again.
5 Click OK.

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To lock all guidelines

1 Click Edit menu } Select all } Guidelines.
2 Click Arrange menu } Lock object.
3 Save your file.

Adding an image
The advertisement’s message is that the Coffee Shop’s product starts with high quality beans. An image of a
coffee cup resting on a bed of coffee beans visually makes the point.

Here, you’ll create a rectangular frame and import an image into it. Then, you’ll use the guidelines to align the
framed image. Finally, you’ll add a drop shadow to the frame.

To create the frame

1 Click the Rectangle tool, and drag outside the background to draw a rectangle.
2 With the rectangle selected, type the following dimensions in the Object(s) size boxes:
Ÿ Width: 5.25
Ÿ Height: 4
3 Press Enter.
4 Open the Outline flyout, and click 16 point outline (medium-thick) .
5 On the CMYK color palette, click the Red brown color swatch to fill the rectangle and right-click (Windows) or
Control + click (Mac OS) the Red brown color swatch to color the outline.
6 In a Rectangle corner roundness box on the property bar, type 20.
7 Press Enter.

To import the image

1 Click File menu } Import.
2 Choose the folder where CorelDRAW is installed.
3 Choose the folder Corel Graphics 11\Tutorials\Sample files.
4 Double-click the filename coffee_photo.jpg.
5 Click below the red-brown rectangle you created earlier.

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To insert the image in the frame

1 Click Effects menu } PowerClip } Place inside container.
2 Click the red-brown rectangle.

To align the framed image

1 Click Effects menu } PowerClip } Place inside container.
2 Click the background.
3 Click Effects menu } PowerClip } Edit contents.
4 Click View menu } Snap to guidelines.
A check mark beside Snap to guidelines indicates that snapping to guidelines is enabled.
5 Click the framed image, and drag it, so that its right border snaps to the 5" vertical guideline and its bottom
border snaps to the 5.5" horizontal guideline.
The frame nodes snap to the guidelines.

6 Open the Interactive tools flyout , and click the Interactive drop shadow
tool .
7 From the Presets list box on the property bar, choose Flat bottom right.
8 Click Effects menu } PowerClip } Finish editing this level.

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Adding artistic text

You’re ready to add copy to the advertisement. You’ll start by adding two headings in artistic text to the
advertisement. Because the headings are brief, you’ll type the text directly in the drawing window. Then you’ll
format and align the text to the guidelines.

To add the first heading

1 Click the Text tool .
2 Click in the blank area under the coffee image, and type What do you take in your coffee?.
3 Triple-click the text to highlight the entire line.
4 On the property bar, do the following:

Ÿ choose GoudyOlSt BT from the Font list list box .

Ÿ choose 48 from the Font size list box .

Ÿ click the Bold button .

Ÿ click the Horizontal alignment button , and click Right.

5 On the CMYK color palette, click the White color swatch.
6 Insert the cursor before the word take, and press Enter.
7 Insert the cursor before the word your, and press Enter.
8 Highlight the letter W.
9 On the property bar, do the following:
Ÿ choose TypoUpright BT from the Font list list box.
Ÿ type 104 in the Font size list box.
10 Press Enter.

To align the first heading

1 Using the Pick tool, select the text.
2 Drag the center X handle to the intersection of the horizontal 7.5" guideline and the vertical 5" guideline.

The center X handle snaps to the intersection of the two guidelines.

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To add the second heading

1 Click the Text tool.
2 Click outside the background, and type the following text:
THE FINEST BEANS. (Thank you)
3 Insert the cursor before (Thank you), and press Enter.
4 Click at the beginning of the text, and drag over it to highlight it.
5 On the property bar, do the following:
Ÿ choose GoudyOlSt BT from the Font list list box.
Ÿ choose 24 from the Font size list box.
Ÿ click the Bold button.
Ÿ click the Horizontal alignment button, and click Center.

To align the second heading

1 Using the Pick tool, select the text.
2 Drag the center X handle to the vertical 3.5” (page center) guideline, and snap the text’s top select handles to
the horizontal 5" guideline.

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Adding paragraph text

Earlier, you added artistic text, a text format suitable for short lines such as headings, or if you want to apply
effects to the text. Paragraph text is a text format suitable for larger bodies of text as it allows you to specify
formatting attributes such as bullets, tabs and more. Paragraph text can be either imported from a text file or
copied into a text frame directly.

Here, you’ll import copy from the text file provided, and place it into a rectangular light-golden frame. Then, you’ll
align the framed text in the layout.

To import the paragraph text

1 Click the Text tool.
2 Drag outside the background to draw a text frame approximately 4.8” wide and 1.3” high.
3 Click File menu } Import.
4 Choose the folder where CorelDRAW is installed.
5 Choose the folder Corel Graphics 11\Tutorials\Sample files.
6 Click the filename ad_copy.txt.
7 Click OK.

You can also open the text file in a text editor, and copy and paste the text into the text frame.

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To format the paragraph text

1 Click at the beginning of the paragraph text, and drag over to highlight it.
2 Click Text menu } Format text.
3 In the Format text dialog box, click the Character tab.
4 Set the font to GoudyOlSt 12 pt.
5 Click the Paragraph tab.
6 From the Alignment list box, choose Center.
7 Click the Columns tab.
8 Enable the Automatically adjust frame width option.
9 Click OK.
If necessary adjust the text frame height by dragging the bottom dotted line up.

To create a frame for the paragraph text

1 Click the Rectangle tool , and drag outside the background to draw a rectangle.
2 In the Object(s) size boxes on the property bar, type the following dimensions:
Ÿ Width: 5
Ÿ Height: 1.5
3 Press Enter.
4 On the CMYK color palette, click the Gold color swatch.
5 Hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS), and click the White color swatch 6 times to lighten the
color of the rectangle.
6 Open the Outline flyout, and click No outline.
7 In one of the Rectangle corner roundness boxes on the property bar, type 40.
8 Press Enter.

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To align the framed paragraph text

1 Using the Pick tool, click the text frame containing the paragraph text.
2 Click Effects menu } PowerClip } Place inside container.
3 Click the light-golden rectangle.
The paragraph text is positioned in the light-golden frame.

4 Click Effects menu } PowerClip } Place inside container.

5 Click the drawing page.
6 Click Effects menu } PowerClip } Edit contents.
7 Click Arrange menu } Align and distribute } Align and distribute.
8 In the Align to area of the Align and distribute dialog box, enable the Center of page check box.
9 Disable the vertical alignment Center check box.
10 Click OK.
11 Drag the framed text, so that the top edge snaps to the horizontal 3.5" guideline.
12 Click Effects menu } PowerClip } Finish editing this level.

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Importing and positioning the logo

You’ll finish the project by importing The Coffee Shop logo and positioning it at the bottom of the advertisement
page.

To import the logo

1 Click File menu } Import.
2 Choose the folder where CorelDRAW is installed.
3 Choose the folder Corel Graphics 11\Tutorials\Sample files.
4 Double-click the filename coffee_logo.cdr.
5 Click the drawing page.

To position the logo

1 In the x Object(s) position box on the property bar, type 3.5.
2 In the y Object(s) position box on the property bar, type 0.7.
3 Press Enter.
4 Click View menu } Guidelines to hide all guidelines.
5 Save your project.

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From here…
There are more layout and organization tools available in CorelDRAW. You can use grids, slanted guidelines,
customization of snapping options, object nudging, drawing scales, and customized ruler parameters.

You can continue to experiment with other images and different settings to create other unique projects, or you
can complete another CorelDRAW tutorial.

You can access the CorelDRAW Help, by clicking Help menu } Help topics.

ã 2002 Corel Corporation. All rights reserved. All trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of their
respective companies.

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