User Profile

Building Success at a Graphic Design and Imprinting Business

"The new features added to CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X3 have become invaluable for completion of every day tasks – from the creation of art for print and embroidery, to sending customers a PDF proof for approval. CorelDRAW is a true behind-the-scenes asset to my business. It is, and will always be, the reason Fluid Designs is where we are today."

Richard Reilly depends on CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X3 for the day-to-day operation of his screen-printing and embroidery business. His artistic projects range from recreating customer graphics to developing custom-made artwork.

Founded in 1996 by Richard and his wife Courtney, Fluid Designs is a full-service artistic design and imprinting business. "I started my own graphic design business at the same time that computers really took off. After dabbling in CorelDRAW and working in the imprinting business for a short time, I saw the potential to harness my love of art and create a business venture. It turned out to be a great move!"

The Driving Force Behind The Designs
Like many members of the imprinting industry, Richard experimented with a number of graphic design software packages. Most packages required excessive time to learn terminology and methodology – time that he felt was better spent fulfilling customer needs. He picked CorelDRAW Graphics Suite because it offered him the ease of use and productivity he was looking for. "There are just too many features to mention that make CorelDRAW our tool of choice," Richard exclaims. "We have yet to come across a task that the suite would not enable us to do."

As a long-time user of CorelDRAW, Richard welcomes the launch of CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X3. The new software suite introduces a variety of features that have simplified the design process at Fluid Designs.

Richard's clients often provide him with bitmap logos and graphics for imprinting. These files are often small or poor quality, presenting a significant challenge. New to CorelDRAW X3, PowerTRACE eases the challenge of repurposing a low-quality bitmap image into a vector graphic, saving Richard time so he can also focus on delivering special details that will get a client noticed. "PowerTRACE allows me to simply outline an existing image and make a vector-based copy in just a few clicks. This powerful feature alone makes CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X3 a must-have upgrade for designers who need to get the job done right every time."

The Mesh tool, another of Richard's favorites, allows for the creation of images so realistic that they are often mistaken for photographs. "Sometimes people think a graphic is a 'doctored photo' when they see an image created with the Mesh tool. They can't believe their eyes when I click a button and expose my vector artwork created in CorelDRAW."

CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X3 also simplifies the workflow for Richard and his clients by providing extensive import and export filters. Using CorelDRAW X3, Richard is confident that he can open whatever file formats his clients choose to send him. In addition, the extensive export options in CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X3 also help him ensure compatibility between his design shop and customers. By saving to PDF from CorelDRAW, Richard guarantees clients receive accurate and professional results.

"Unlike many vendors, Corel acknowledges the wide variety of platforms and software in the graphic industry. The ability to open files created in a variety of formats, combined with the power to save as PDF, ensures there is never any misunderstanding between the business and our clients. This attention to detail makes CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X3 the best graphics product available on the market today."

User Contribution Results in Product Improvement
During the development process for CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X3, Richard was one of many customers who worked with Corel to provide direct feedback about how he used the software and what improvements would have a positive impact on the way he worked. This in-depth customer interaction was immensely valuable – enabling developers to add new features and enhancements to CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X3 that will dramatically impact the day-to-day productivity of professional customers.

"CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X3 introduced many impressive new tools that complement my tried and true favorites," Richard states. "This new suite is an exciting update for our industry. By working directly with Corel's staff during the development cycle, I was able to ensure the interests of my industry were addressed. Corel has delivered a powerful and easy-to-use tool that delivers outstanding value to a small business owner like me."