When I first got into graphic design several years ago, I was encouraged to buy a Macintosh and the Adobe line of graphic software. In high school journalism classes I had been taught to use Macintoshes, and the prevailing opinion was that PCs were not good for graphics.

So when I prepared to buy my first computer, I was convinced that I get a Mac. But Macs were more expensive than PCs, and I opted for the PC. I was happy to learn that all the touted Adobe-line of software was available in a PC.

But when I went shopping, I found that Adobe wasn't the only image-editing developer on the market. Despite the constant label as the "industry standard", it quickly became apparent that Adobe was not the only choice for graphic professionals.

I opted to go for the Corel line of products. The CorelDRAW Graphics Suite packages have always come bundled with photo-editing, vector-illustration and layout programs (as well as font management systems, texture creating programs, image capturing programs and more) all in one. While the bundle currently runs up to $350, it's actually much less expensive than Adobe products have been over the years—Adobe's photo-editing software Photoshop alone (without the vector and layout programs) runs around $500 right now.

While I will argue with anyone that CorelDRAW Graphics Suite is better than Adobe's software in many areas, I know that in the end it's simply a matter of choice. Both companies have built solid packages that can handle the needs of professional designers. What follows is a set of tutorials on how to use Corel's line of software both effectively and efficiently. Why I've focused on Corel boils down to the fact that Corel is where I've put my faith in the last few years, and I want to dispel some of the propaganda that the Corel products are less powerful than Adobe. What follows will surprise many of you.