The new suite was launched today (11 April) and is available for purchase or upgrade from the previous suite, CorelDraw X8, with shipping beginning on 18 April. CorelDraw has around 15 million users worldwide.
Corel vice-president of products Gerard Metrailler said from now on the suites will be released as upgrades annually instead of biennially.
The new suite costs £599 for the full version and £299 for existing customers to upgrade. It is also available for £29.99 as a 30-day subscription and £199.99 for a yearly subscription. Corel also offers an automatic upgrade option, whereby customers can add an upgrade fee of £109.99 per year and they will automatically receive the upgrade when the next version is issued.
The 2017 version offers a range of updates from the X8 version, with the main one being its LiveSketch vector tool, which is grounded in Corel’s artificial intelligence and machine learning research.
Metrailler said: “When you look at vector graphics today designers are limited by mathematical formulas. In the vast majority of cases, graphic designers are still using pen and paper, which they scan in and trace on top of CorelDraw. But the latest developments enable us to make sketching straight on to the computer a tactile and fun experience.”
Other main developments include Corel’s PhotoPaint module enhanced with pen support and plug-in, an upgraded Font Manager module, advanced stylus support, improvements on ways of importing and exporting media and an advanced user interface.
The suite also has five hours of training videos, targeted at self-taught users not operating in the design field. It is mainly aimed at graphics professionals, along with more production-oriented professionals, such as printers, signmakers and engravers.
It has 10,000 clipart and digital images, 2,000 high-resolution digital photos, more than 1,000 fonts and 350 templates.
Metrailler said: “We offer a complete professional graphics suite of applications and are offering unique tools that will change how graphic designers interact with graphics and create graphics on a computer.
“CorelDraw is known on the market as being the easiest graphics package to use and this is very important for us. We focus on creativity and enabling our tools to be as creative as possible and also productivity, which only happens when you can do things as easily as possible and as intuitively as possible.”
Metrailler added that he had attended last month’s Sign & Digital UK trade show to discuss the merits of the suite. He stressed the importance of the UK market to Corel’s products.
“We are really excited about this in the UK and have a growing and loyal customer base,” he said
Headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, Corel was founded in 1989. It has a number of other global offices, including one in Bedfordshire.
