Crop Marks

CorelDraw 9 since 1989. Now I'm going to sound like a real dummy.
How can I make crop marks easily without having to draw them by hand? I know there must be an easier way.
Most of my output goes to a printer with letter/legal/11X17 paper sizes and I convert them to .pdf then email the file(s) to the print shop. So that leaves out using the 'finished' paper size and letting Corel insert the crop marks using the Imposition Tool that I used to use when sending a .prn file to a dedicated printer with dedicated hardware/software that would print a .prn file.

Thank you so much for your time.

If you are sending him a .pdf anyway, you could have the .pdf add the crop marks for you but I just openned my version 9 and there is no option for that.

When I have to make crop marks and want to make them on my own I draw a square tangent to the page corner point. Then convert outline to object, erase where it needs it and in the corner point so that doesn't show. Then I use the transform palette, I put in the numbers and tell it to duplicate. However if you flip it now. it is on the wrong side of the corner. Holding down the ctrl & the alt key, grab the left-middle edit handle and drag and it will flip it in proportion just like that.

Now you have two crop mark. Marquis select, then ctrl "G" for group. Transform and tell it how far to duplicate. Again the marks are facing the wrong way. Do the ctrl + alt trick again and you are done!

BTW, just holding down ctrl or alt individually, you can drag but it is not constained to the same size flip.

Hope this helps. Now if you upgrade to 12 which I use all the time, the .pdf export puts your crops on for you. It has the standards for professional .pdf built in. Quite handy.

Thanks so much Sally. I'll try that.

Sallybode,
I purchased the CD12 upgrade, installed and tried to figure out how to make 5 pages of business cards on one page w/crop marks in a .pdf file. I've also installed Adobe Acrobate 7.0 Professional.

Can you help me. I've read the help and found nothing. I maybe using the wrong nomenclature to find the correct help.

Also, I wish Corel would get it's act together. After installing the 12 upgrade I selected the 'check for upgrades' option and of course there were upgrades. Well the upgrade would not finish because of an IE file the Corel opens when downloading/installing the upgrade(s). I kept getting that a file was busy that needed upgrading and to close the window........ well.......... I'm not sure of the outcome now, hahahah


Thanks, Sallybode

I know its weird, but actually the upgrade installs nevertheless. I do not work for Corel though I use their software at my work all the time.

To add crop marks using Acrobat professional, look for the "Advanced" button at the bottom of the dialogue box for "Print", then inside of "Advanced" check on "Marks and Bleeds" and you can turn on your crop marks.

Regards,
Sally

I have done that but if I want to print multiple (ie: business cards) on one page with crop marks inbetween the only output I can get from .pdf is each card on it's own 3.5 X 2 page w/crop marks.

What I'm trying to accomplish is very similar to the imposition layout in CD where all the forms are on one page.

I guess I mis-stated my original problem. But, now I have CD 12 which I probably would not have had otherwise.

You can do your imposition in CorelDRAW. I guess you are doing several up on the page. If they butt right up against each other, the printer doesn't then need a gutter, just trim marks.

Under the Arrange Menu, choose Transform/Position.

This lets you make duplicates of your artwork specifying the vertical and horizontal offset. Easiest to just offset in one axis at a time.

So if you were imposing business cards and wanted them 8-up, you'd transform the position horizontally by 3.5" and tell it to apply to duplicate. Then selecting both business cards (now 2 side-by-side), you'd transform the position -2.0 and hit "Apply to Duplicate" three times.

If you have bleed or if your printer uses a slitter or other equipment, your offset will be different. You can also copy your crop marks in the same manner.

Acrobat will not do your imposition for you. But it can add crop marks. Once you have set your document up in the correct multiples, and if there is a reverse side, you have to reverse your spacing unless you have center stacked. Often times you will print to the edge to make one less cut. In which case, if you don't flop your layout, it won't back up properly.

Hold up single-sided proof pages to the light or on a light table to be sure that it backs up alright. Sometimes you want a work and turn, other time work and tumble. It depends upon the run. Most jobs are head to head.

If you have a specific run you must tell the printer how the output must be.

Here's a crazy thing. I don't even have the 'arrange' option on my menu bar. I've checked out the 'optins' to add it but there is no 'arrange' by itself. The list is only all the options I've ususally seen when I drop down 'arrange'.

But I don't think this method will work for business cards with different names. In imposition I choose page(s) first then imposition on the page.

I'll keep trying stuff though.

There is also a docker so you can either get at it as I had describe or turn on the docker.

The docker allows you to change position, duplicate and move, rotate, skew, mirror and reflect.

If you can't find these tools go to help.

Sometimes I get tired and just zone out and can't see what I am looking for just out of frustration

Hello All,

I, myself am having problems creating a pdf out of a prn file. The main reason I need to do this is so i can have the impositioning and crops how I want it, so i can easily email the printers a pdf that needs only to be printed and cut.

Now the funny thing is, is that I was always able to do this with Acrobat Distiller 6.0. I would normally print to file out of CorelDraw 12 and then using distiller, create the pdf from my prn file. Now for whatever reason I havent been able to create one this way. What Could Possibly Be Wrong????