Crop Marks

**inphoenix** · 05 December 2005, 11:44 PM

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.

**sallybode** · 06 December 2005, 01:25 AM

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.

**inphoenix** · 06 December 2005, 01:54 AM

Thanks so much Sally. I'll try that.

**inphoenix** · 17 January 2006, 03:00 PM

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

**sallybode** · 18 January 2006, 04:07 AM

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

**inphoenix** · 18 January 2006, 02:03 PM

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.

**David Robson** · 04 March 2006, 02:20 AM

Originally Posted by inphoenix

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.

There sure is an easier way-
http://www.oberonplace.com/vba/drawmacros/index.htm
Go here, this guy has written a VBA macro to do just that!

Check out the "Crop Marks" macro and also the "Object Tiler" macro for relief from cropmark and imposition pain. Both of these are a great boon to those that do not have Acrobat Distiller and rely on Corels export to PDF function.