Is Corel superstitious?  I only asked as the company has chosen to identify the latest versions of two of its products as X3 rather than by what some would regard as the unlucky 13.  Whatever the reason for this style of product numbering, it does have the effect of concentrating attention on the new versions of CorelDRAW and WordPerfect Office.

This latest version of CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X3 targets a wide range of users from design professionals to small business owners and enthusiastic amateurs keen to develop their creative skills and output.  Building on its already impressive feature set, Corel has added more than 40 new enhancements spread over different aspects of this product.  However before getting down to the actual content of this collection of graphics power, I should point out that this is not a review of the product.  Instead it is more a brief summary of the features that Corel believe users can look forward to put to creative use in the near future.

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So what is in store for prospective Corel customers with CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X3?  As we have come to expect from Corel, this product contains a range of applications.  Along with the main CorelDRAW product, you get Corel PHOTO-PAINT X3; Pixmantec RawShooter essentials; Corel Capture X3; a CorelDRAW handbook; more clipart and fonts that you could shake a stick at; a training video and various items of documentation.

The enhanced Corel PowerTRACE feature can convert bitmaps into editable vector graphics with the user able to select which colours will appear.  A new Image Adjustment Lab provides the means to compare and adjust colour and contrast settings within an easy to use environment.  Fitting text to a path has been made easier and a hints docker provides context-sensitive information regarding the currently selected tool.  This latter feature can be turned off if you find it too intrusive.  Bevel effects, cropping, smart fill, spot colour support, and PDF options have all been enhanced in various ways as has the cutting out of sections from an image.

New users to the product will need to pay £329.  An upgrade, costing £149, is available.  There is also a special edition for students and teachers which has been priced at £85.

Once the leading word processing package, WordPerfect has struggled to make inroads into the domination of the market that Microsoft Word has built up over the years.  The same is also true of WordPerfect Office when measured against Microsoft Office.  However Corel feel that WordPerfect Office X3 can give the Redmond offering a run for its money.  As with the graphics product, I am relying on Corel for information regarding this latest release rather than any personal experience with the software.

Different versions of this suite will be made available for different market sectors.  While there is a Professional Edition, this is aimed more at the Enterprise market, of more general interest will be the Standard and Home editions.

The Standard edition of the suite consists of X3 versions of WordPerfect word processor, Quattro Pro spreadsheet and Presentations plus WordPerfect MAIL and Presentations Graphics.  The suggested retail price is £235.  Those opting for the Home edition will get special Home versions of WordPerfect X3, Quattro Pro X3, Corel Photo Album 6, Norton Internet Security 2006 plus two template packs.  Pricing has been set at a very competitive £59.

Hopefully reviews of both CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X3 and WordPerfect Office X3 will appear on this site in the near future.

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