There are a number of graphics I create for the Web that I create in CorelDRAW. It is possible I’ll create some element of the graphic in Corel PHOTO-PAINT, but the majority of the design will be done in CorelDRAW. I like being able to design with a vector tool as it makes much of the process easier for me.

I know I’ve noticed the limitation before, but I’ve bumped my head on it much more recently. When specifying a page size in pixels in CorelDRAW, there is no way to specify a size under 30 pixels for the height or width. Note that I’ve not yet installed CorelDRAW X7 so maybe this has been resolved. I doubt it, but I won’t know until I try it.

Let’s go through an example so you’ll understand. I needed a button that was 96 pixels wide by 20 pixels high. Typing in a width of 96 is no problem, but typing in a height of 20 will see it immediately changed to 30 without any warning. Leaving it that way would give me a button with an incorrect size and aspect ratio. I’m sure Corel has some technical reasoning behind this limitation. Unfortunately, I have to use workarounds when designing these smaller graphics.

For the example above, I had to put in a size of 192 x 40 pixels while designing and then specify the correct size when I exported the finished graphic. While this works, it makes the design process a little more difficult since the on-screen preview is larger than the final graphic. I only had to double the size on this one where others have had to be tripled or quadrupled if the final size was small enough. Let’s just say that this limitation makes me a grumpy Web designer!