what version of Coreldraw?

[Nick Andraka]

So I have the Epilog Radius up and running, finishing up the exhaust and air system, etc.
I have Illustrator and did learn some of it a few years ago, but still find it to steep for my basic needs with the laser.
I have also found that the old (1999-2000) Epilog driver "Really" does not like AI. And from my reading works well with CorelDraw.

I want to buy a legal copy(s)
I need to load on 3 machines (the laser computer for burning, my office computer, and Laptop for traveling)

At what point (version) did corel stop allowing you to load on 3 machines?

How far back (version wise) can I go and not take a big hit in function?

I am thinking ver X6, X7, X8 ??

Any words of wisdom?

Slack

[Trevor HinzeNE]

I have the full blown....not student version of x7. 3 installs are allowed for sure. I was not aware that had changed. I have considered an upgrade to x9 but that would Definately stop me!

[Kev Williams]

My preference is x4- I have x3 also, but x4 is a nice step up if for no other reason than the expandable open and save window and the better 'saved tables' list, which keeps favorites on top. Nicer icons too, but not a big deal.

My BIL has x6, he says it's WAY better than x4, but for what I do, which is create simple, mostly black vector/toolpath graphics, logos and text the laser can use, as fast as possible, I don't see much use in moving up to x6. My BIL is getting into 'artsy' stuff, for that x6 IS better.

Found this ad on ebay:
-- this is a download, and the description notes '3 years', and that the programs were 'extracted from broken computers' and 'comply with all digital policies'... I've bought 2 'extracted' win7 pro programs that came with ID numbers from the original computers, and they're legit, MS passed them with flying colors. The '3 years' thing sounds like Corel is on board with this and is extending a 3 year license. Anyway, it's $20, hard to pass up. At least Ebay tries (ahem) to keep the pirates to a minimum, and you can contact the seller to see what they have to say...

[Nick Andraka]

Looks like starting with 2018, the EULA changed to 1 computer.
Then there was an uproar and they bumped it to "a desktop and a laptop"

I have the full blown....not student version of x7. 3 installs are allowed for sure. I was not aware that had changed. I have considered an upgrade to x9 but that would Definately stop me!

[Nick Andraka]

Thanks Kev, great info as usual.
I had seen this persons Ebay ads, they had some "extracted" coreldraw 2017 and X8, BUT was 64bit only.
I am running a 32bit win7 machine as the old Epilog driver is 32bit only.

Using you BILs info, I think I will look for a used full copy of X6 or X7/8.

My son and I are basic shapes and text, so X4 would probably work, but I may want to get slightly "artsy"

My daughter is hard core graphics designer and used AI/PS,, hoping she can export AI in a format that CD X6 will play nice with.

Nick

My preference is x4- I have x3 also, but x4 is a nice step up if for no other reason than the expandable open and save window and the better 'saved tables' list, which keeps favorites on top. Nicer icons too, but not a big deal.

My BIL has x6, he says it's WAY better than x4, but for what I do, which is create simple, mostly black vector/toolpath graphics, logos and text the laser can use, as fast as possible, I don't see much use in moving up to x6. My BIL is getting into 'artsy' stuff, for that x6 IS better.

Found this ad on ebay:
-- this is a download, and the description notes '3 years', and that the programs were 'extracted from broken computers' and 'comply with all digital policies'... I've bought 2 'extracted' win7 pro programs that came with ID numbers from the original computers, and they're legit, MS passed them with flying colors. The '3 years' thing sounds like Corel is on board with this and is extending a 3 year license. Anyway, it's $20, hard to pass up. At least Ebay tries (ahem) to keep the pirates to a minimum, and you can contact the seller to see what they have to say...

[Mike Null]

I would advise buying Corel directly from Corel. Buying software on ebay is a risk.

I use X5 and I have X7. Both permit installation on 3 machines. Differences between versions are usually not too significant and my reason for upgrading is usually improved file importing features. I can do almost anything with my old version 8.

[Trevor HinzeNE]

Agreed, directly from corel as a download, or a physical copy from Amazon, that is what I did. EBay and software is almost never legit IMHO.

[Kev Williams]

We had a thread recently that brought up the fact that Corel has been flagging legal copies as pirated; they do this by placing a start-up message in 'their' message folder on YOUR computer that informs you that you're using an unauthorized copy of Corel. Since the program 'checks its messages' before actually loading the program, the message can, and does, contain a 'stop' command to prevent the program from fully loading.

Ok, a warning message is one thing, but putting a don't-run command on your computer is quite another, especially if your software IS legal. I have serious doubts about the legality of using port 80 to shut down a person's livelihood because you THINK their pirating your software. And dealing with them about it can be frustrating, ask Bert...

[Nick Andraka]

Problem with buying directly from Corel is,, I don't think they sell older copies such as X6 or X8?

The computer that will be driving the laser will NOT be on the internet, will an X6-X8 version work without internet connectivity?

[Mike Null]

All versions that I know of work without internet. Finding older versions will be difficult. Be careful not to buy an upgrade version as it won't work.

[Rob Damon]

I just purchased CorelDraw Graphics Suite 2018 directly from the CorelDraw's website a few months ago. The perpetual version. You will need to let the computer you load it on connect to the internet to register but after that it can stay offline forever. You can also get a dvd so you can do the complete install without the internet but you will still need to let your computer access the internet to register the program the one time.

Also, when I bought mine I had gotten a email discount coupon listing it for $465 ($30 off plus additional software). I went to the CD website and click on "chat now" and verified this before ordering it to and told the sales person above the coupon. She said she could do a better deal and gave it to me for $398.65 + $14.99 for the DVD backup disk. This was just before CD 2019 was released. I would suggest you if you order it from CD directly that you open up a chat and ask a few questions and suggest you are wavering between AI and CD and they may give you a discount of the $499.00 price. Can't hurt. I have used this technique a number of the times in the past 20 years and it sometimes works and sometimes doesn't.

[Paul Phillips]

Once again I will advocate for the subscription service and paste my recent response.
I've been using the subscription service since 2016, $198 per year comes out to $16.50 per month for the latest version with free tech support, free automatic updates as they become available including free upgrade to latest version, access to online database of fonts and clip-art. Never had a problem with it and I like staying on top of the latest version as I work with other designers who often forget to save down to lower versions. And I like not having to deal with those licensing issues I used to have with older discs. Also, you can install one license on up to three computers. My two cents.