Review by A. H.

I’ve used prior versions of CorelDRAW, most recently (and somewhat obviously) X6. X7 represents a substantial upgrade.

I’m running the software on a machine I built that has an AMD FX-8320 processor. That’s an eight-core processor with 64-bit capability that runs at 3.5 ghz. I’ve got it paired with 8gb of low latency Crucial memory. The program resides on an SSD.

X7 launches almost instantly, and even with large files, it runs smooth as silk on this setup.

Corel actively supports this software. On June 16, Corel released the X7.1 update, which is downloadable from their website for free. (You have to have started at least a standard Corel account. X7 requires that you start at least a free standard account in order to use templates and receive certain other benefits. You can upgrade to a premium account, but that costs extra.) I’m still toying around with this new X7.1 update. In addition to general stability fixes, the main features it adds are the ability to customize elements of user interface (e.g., colors of borders and dialog boxes, location of status bar) and enhancements for the Object Model that make it more powerful.

Workflow in the product is good and intuitive. Others have addressed that thoroughly and I don’t have much to add there.

You get a large number of high quality fonts with X7, almost all from the Bitstream type foundry, which has been around for decades producing excellent fonts. If you were to buy the fonts separately, the cost would easily surpass the entire price of this package.

Overall, I have found this to be a great upgrade. The 64-bit core allows the program and computer to exploit full memory resources and gives a great boost to stability and speed in my experience.

This is a powerful tool for graphic design and isn’t too daunting to learn to use. Highly recommended.