CorelDRAW! for OS/2

READ ME file for CorelDRAW 2.5 Maintenance Release Release Notes: December 16, 1992 Please read this file carefully. It contains information on features that have changed or are not documented in the CorelDRAW 2.5 manuals supplied with your purchase. **************************************************************************** **************************************************************************** (A) General Notes ****(1) Your OS/2 Operating System software This maintenance release of CorelDRAW 2.5 for OS/2-PM supports the new IBM OS/2 32-Bit graphic engine. In order to access CorelDRAW's full functionality, you should be running OS/2 version 2.01 or later, which incorporates this engine. Some of the features in this maintenance release will not be available to you if you're using OS/2 2.0. The necessary upgrade files are available free on the IBM OS/2 BBS and are also on Compuserve. Alternatively, a disk set is also available from IBM at a nominal cost. ****(2) Running CorelTRACE, WFN Boss, CorelPHOTO-PAINT, CorelCHART and CorelHELP In order to run these applications, you must have the WIN-OS/2 Support files installed as part of your operating system. If you have not done this, consult your OS/2 documentation and install the necessary files. The first time you try to run these applications, a CHANGE SETTINGS dialog box will appear on screen. Select "SETTINGS", then "SESSION". One of the "WINOS2" buttons (WINOS2 FULL SCREEN or WINOS2 WINDOWED) will appear to be selected. It is actually not selected. Re-select that button so that a rectangle appears around the description, then close SETTINGS. To save RAM space, you can also change the XMS and EMS to "zero" (0) in the WIN-OS2 settings. SPECIAL NOTE for CorelCHART: (1) In addition to the screen settings, you will have to modify a session setting using the "WIN-OS/2 SETTINGS". Only one(1) modification is needed: highlight the "DPMI_MEMORY_LIMIT" and increase the value to a minimum of six (6). Save the settings and exit the SETTINGS menu. (2) Since CorelCHART requires Adobe Type Manager fonts, the "ATM" utility must be active, and the ATM cache value should be set to a minimum of 256K. (ATM, is supplied with the OS/2 2.0 operating system. Refer to your OS/2 manual). Remember to SHUTDOWN and reboot your system after installing CorelDRAW, since changes are made to the OS2.INI and CONFIG.SYS files. ****(3) Running CorelHELP! CorelHELP may not work properly on systems that use 800-by-600 or 1024-by-768 SVGA drivers. This is a known problem with OS/2 and certain video drivers. We anticipate this situation to be fixed in the near future. In the meantime, run the HELP! under WINOS2 FULL SCREEN. ****(4) Your CORELDRW.INI file The following variables have been added to the list of functions you can customize in your CORELDRW.INI file: (a) "PSComplexityThreshold". This variable is used to alter the threshold at which CorelDRAW decides a filled path is too complex for successful printing on a PostScript device. It is a count of the number of nodes in an individual path and should be set for a value between 20 and 3000, with the default being 3000. If an individual path contains more nodes than the limit set here, the program will break it up into simpler ones, without modifying the appearance. Note that even shorter paths (eg/ 300 nodes or less) containing complex fills such as fountain fills, vector/bitmap fills, can cause problems with a PostScript printer (typically indicated as a "Limitcheck Error"). If this occurs, reset the variable to a lower value, such as 200 or 300. (b) "32BitEngine". This variable is used to specify whether or not you're running the 32-bit graphic engine supplied with OS/2 version 2.01. The default setting is 1, which assumes you are. If you have not yet upgraded to OS/2 version 2.01, then you must manually edit the CORELDRW.INI file after installation and set this variable to 0. ****(5) Your WIN.INI file The installation procedure updates and adds the following two sections to your WIN.INI file (found in your OS2\MDOS\WINOS2 directory). [CorelDraw3] PhotoPaintDir=C:\COREL32\PHOTO [CorelDraw] Dir=C:\COREL32 The directory names shown here assume installation on C-drive and use the default names. They may be different on your system. These sections are required for proper operation of some of the CorelDRAW utility applications. **************************************************************************** **************************************************************************** (B) Filters (1) The following changes have been made to existing export filters: ****General In the Technical Reference Guide supplied with your purchase, the text concerning a number of the export filters mentions an export option named "Include All Artistic Attributes". This can be ignored wherever it occurs, since the export filters now handle this function internally. In addition, you have the option to export only selected objects from your CorelDRAW file by selecting the checkbox that appears in the Export format dialog box. However, you must be running OS/2 version 2.01 or later to make use of this feature. While references to this function exist in the Technical Reference Guide, this feature did not work under version 2.0 of OS/2. ****TIFF Format A switch may now be set in your CORELDRW.INI file which allows you to save TIFF files to the version 4.2 specification. Certain software applications are known to have difficulties reading TIFF files conforming to the newer 5.0 specification. This includes EPS files that contain a TIFF display header. The switch in the CORELDRW.INI file is called "ExportToTiff42" and its default setting is 0 (zero). If it is left set to zero, the TIFF file will be exported conforming to the version 5.0 specification. If you set it to 1 (one), the file will be exported conforming to the version 4.2 specification. If your application has problems reading an exported TIFF file, set this switch to 1 and then re-export the file. ****Encapsulated PostScript EPS Format When specifying the "Image Header Size" for this format, the choices have been altered from "None", "128x128", "256x256", or "512x512" to read: "None", "Low", "Medium" or "High" resolution. ****SCODL SCD Format The description for the SCODL export mentions a dialog box that appears, allowing you to change "Background Color" and "Send end of Image" information. Ignore that section completely. The export filter has been modified to determine the slide's background color from your drawing file's page frame color. (2) The following file export options and filters have been added: ****CorelDRAW 16-Bit Format The CDR format used in CorelDRAW 2.5 for OS/2-PM is a 32-bit file. However, you may save the CDR in the older 16-bit version by selecting the checkbox in the "Save As" dialog box. This produces a 16-bit version of the file that may be read by the previous release of CorelDRAW for OS/2-PM and by the Windows version of the program. This feature can be useful when sharing files with someone who is running one of those versions of CorelDRAW. There will be no alteration in the appearance of your image when saving it in the 16-bit format. You may now also choose to save only a selected portion of your image by using the "Selected Object(s) Only" option. Simply select the objects you want to save as a new CDR file and then click on the "Save As" item under the File menu. Check the "Selected Object(s) Only" box and assign a name to the file. Then click on OK. Note that you must be running OS/2 version 2.01 or later to make use of this feature. Applications for this option include building sets of smaller files from complex ones, or splitting up large, complex files into more workable pieces. When each of the pieces is finished, you can then bring them all back together by importing one after another into a "final" version of the drawing. ****AutoCAD DXF (DXF) Drawings created in CorelDRAW may be exported to CAD/CAM devices or software that accept the DXF format. This includes packages such as AutoCAD and certain computer-driven glass and sign cutters. Note that the DXF Export filter only supports the export of outlines. All line weights and line types are exported as 0.003" thick solid lines. >> CorelDRAW Features not supported in the DXF format The following CorelDRAW features are not supported on importing DXF files into AutoCAD: - Fills of all types are ignored. - Calligraphic pen effects, dashed and dotted lines, and all line weights are converted to solid lines 0.003" thick. - Bitmaps are not exported. - Curves are exported as polyline segments. >> Objects with no Outlines Filled objects that have no outlines will have an outline appended to them in the DXF export process. >> File Size DXF files created with this filter can become quite large, especially since text is exported as curves. A complex drawing occupying only 20 or 30 K in CorelDRAW may easily balloon to 500 K or more in the DXF format. >> Colors Options in the Export DXF dialog box control how colors in the CorelDRAW file are translated and defined in the DXF file. Standard Colors (7): Matches colors in the CorelDRAW file to the seven colors available in DXF. The configuration of your system determines what colors are actually used. As a general rule, you'll get better results when your drawing contains primary colors. Full Colors (255): May yield a truer representation of your CorelDRAW file. But because results vary depending on the video adaptor and driver used in Windows, colors may turn out to be very poorly matched. >> Text Text exports as curves so that it's appearance is maintained in the exported file. Note however that text exported as curves cannot be edited as text in the destination application. ****HP Plotter HPGL (PLT) This filter saves drawings in a vector format used primarily by computer-driven sign and glass cutters. Only the outlines of objects are exported. >> CorelDRAW Features not supported in the PLT format The following features are not supported in the exported PLT file: - Fills of all types are ignored. - Bitmaps - Calligraphic outlines (these are exported as solid outlines of uniform width) >> Limitations The following limitations occur on exporting to the PLT format: - Dotted and dashed lines are mapped to HPGL's standard line types - Bezier curves are converted to line segments >> Colors HPGL files contain "pen numbers" that correspond to the drawing pens available in a plotter. These pens are installed by the user and can be any color. The pen numbers and color assignments selected in CorelDRAW's HPGL Pen Color Selection dialog box should be paired with the pen assignments in the plotter. When the file is exported, the colors it contains are analyzed for their CMYK content. They are then matched as closely as possible to the pen number and color definitions in the [CorelHPGLColors] section of the CORELDRW.INI file. As many as 256 pens can be defined, but most plotters use eight or fewer pens. For this reason, the initial configuration of CorelDRAW only defines the eight most-widely used pen colors as follows: [CorelHPGLPens] [CorelHPGLColors] P1= Black Black=0,0,0,100 P2= Blue Blue=100,100,0,0 P3= Red Red=0,100,100,0 P4= Green Green=100,0,100,0 P5= Magenta Magenta=0,100,0,0 P6= Yellow Yellow=0,0,100,0 P7= Cyan Cyan=100,0,0,0 P8= Brown Brown=0,50,100,25 NOTE: The [CorelHPGLPens] and [CorelHPGLColors] sections will not appear in your CORELDRW.INI file until after you export your first PLT file. In the [CorelHPGLColors] section, the color's name appears, followed by a string of four numbers (separated by commas). These numbers define the CMYK colors associated with a particular pen number. For example, the Pen #3 definition is "Red". Within CorelDRAW, this is defined as: 0% Cyan (the first numeric value after the second quotation mark), 100% Magenta (second numeric value), 100% Yellow (third numeric value) and 0% Black (fourth numeric value). All color values must lie in the range 0 to 100. Any objects in the CorelDRAW file that have a outlines colored Red will have their outlines assigned as Pen #3 when exported as a PLT file. Note that if you define and export a pen number in the PLT file that is not in your plotter, that undefined pen will usually default to Pen #1 in the plotter. When adding a new pen definition, the name to the right of the equals sign in the [CorelHPGLPens] section (eg/ "P9=Purple") must be identical to the name you assign in the [CorelHPGLColors] section, otherwise the pen will default to black. Color names may be up to 14 characters long. >> Stretch Factor You may also alter the horizontal and/or vertical scaling of your exported image by changing the Stretch Factor in the HPGL Pen Color Selection dialog box. Values must lie in the range of 1 to 1000. To maintain the aspect ratio of the original CorelDRAW file, set both Horizontal and Vertical stretch factors to equal amounts within the range. >> Page Size and Orientation So that the image is properly positioned when plotted, make sure the page size and orientation of your CorelDRAW file match the plotter page. If the plotted image appears distorted, try changing the orientation of the CorelDRAW page then re-export the file. >> Unoutlined Objects Since this filter deals with outlines only, any filled objects in your CorelDRAW file that have no outlines will have an outline appended to them in the HPGL export process. >> Text Text exports as curves so that it's appearance is maintained in the exported file. Note however that text exported as curves cannot be edited as text in the destination application. ****Mac PICT (PCT) This filter saves drawings in PICT2 (color) format for use in many Macintosh graphics programs. Only vector objects can be exported in this format. Any bitmaps in the drawing will be ignored. >> CorelDRAW Features not supported in the PCT format The following features are not supported in the exported PCT file: - Bitmaps - PostScript texture fills. These are exported as a gray fill. - Two-Color and Full-Color pattern fills >> Outline Attributes CorelDRAW will export calligraphic pen effects and uniform width pen outlines to the Mac PICT format. Butt-end line caps are also supported. >> Objects with Fills and Outlines Filled objects with an outline export as a group of two objects. One object will be the outline and the other the fill. Outlines on text will export, provided the text is converted to curves prior to export. Convert the text by choosing the "Convert to Curves" command in the Arrange menu. Note that text converted to curves cannot be edited. >> Fountain Fills The number of bands used to represent fountain fills in the exported file is determined by the Preview Fountain Stripes setting in the Preferences dialog box. >> Colors The colors available on the MAC are device-dependent, varying with the type of display you're using. If you have a display that uses 8-bit color, you are limited to a total of 256 colors. The colors in your CorelDRAW file will be matched as closely as possible. A display that uses 24-bit color will display colors that are virtually identical to the ones you used in CorelDRAW. >> Text Text exports as curves so that it's appearance is maintained in the exported file. Note however that text exported as curves cannot be edited as text in the destination application. ****WordPerfect Graphic (WPG) This filter saves drawings for printing on non-PostScript printers from WordPerfect Version 5.0 and later. Note the following information concerning differences between a CorelDRAW file and the same file exported to the WPG format: >> CorelDRAW Features not supported in the WPG format - Calligraphic pen effects (exported as hairlines) - Line cap types - PostScript textures fills and halftone screens - Bitmaps >> Outline Attributes Outlines of any thickness are exported as hairlines in the WPG format. Arrowheads and the various CorelDRAW dotted and dashed line types are supported by this filter. >> Fountain Fills Note that fountain fills may tend to contain coarse banding. >> Colors When exporting to the WPG format, a dialog box will appear that lets you control how colors in the CorelDRAW file are treated. The two options are: 16 Colors and 256 Colors. 16 Colors: Matches colors in the CorelDRAW file to a standard set of 16 colors. Choosing this option usually yields acceptable results on a VGA display. 256 Colors: This option may yield a truer representation of your CorelDRAW file. However, since the results vary depending on the video adaptor and driver used in WordPerfect, colors may appear as shades of gray. If this happens, go back to CorelDRAW and export the file again with 16 colors selected. >> Text Text exports as curves so that it's appearance is maintained in the exported file. Note however that text exported as curves cannot be edited as text in the destination application. >>Rotations When creating a drawing in CorelDRAW for use in the WPG format, a word about rotating your drawing once you're in WordPerfect: DON'T! You should create your drawing and the final rotational orientation you intend to use in WordPerfect while you are in CorelDRAW. If you rotate a CorelDRAW WPG file in WordPerfect, it may not print correctly because of the way WordPerfect handles bounding boxes and rotations. **************************************************************************** **************************************************************************** (C) Fonts Over 50 new WFN typeface and symbol fonts have been added to this maintenance release: They include: ****New Typeface Fonts: Alefbet, Algiers, Amherst, Bigtop, Bosanova, Bravo Engraved, Busker, Castanet, Charlesworth, Crescent, Envision, Euromode, Golden Old Style, Hollow, Indiana, Indiana Solid, Kastler, Kids, Liquid Crystal, Lithograph, Lithograph Light, Merlin, Nuance, Pepper, Playwright, Powerline, Quantum, Scott, Scribe, Shogun, Trafalgar, and Vivienne. ****New Symbol Fonts: Sports&Hobbies, Keystroke, Landmarks, Military, MilitaryID, Music, People, Plants, Science, Signs, Technology, Tracks, and Weather. Please note that these new fonts are only available on the CD-ROM disk supplied with your kit. ****END-OF-FILE****