Design & Digital Skills

Learn desktop publishing from the ground up: page layout, typography, RGB and CMYK colour, print resolution, vector and raster graphics, the core CorelDRAW tools, and a visiting card and poster workflow ending in a print-ready PDF.

• 7 lessons
• About 27 min of reading
• 35 practice questions
• 25 key terms

1. 1What DTP Is and Page Layout Basics5 key points · 3 min read

   • DTP combines text, images and shapes into designs for print and screen.
   • A4 is 210 × 297 mm; folding A3 in half gives A4.
   • Bleed extends edge-to-edge colour past the trim line, commonly by about 3 mm.
   • Keep important text inside the safe area, away from the trim line.
   • Hierarchy, alignment, proximity, white space and contrast make a layout work.
2. 2Typography for DTP5 key points · 4 min read

   • Serif fonts have small strokes at letter ends; sans serif fonts do not.
   • Type is measured in points, and 72 points make one inch.
   • Leading is line spacing, kerning is space between two letters, tracking is overall spacing.
   • Use two or three typefaces at most in one design.
   • Use Unicode fonts such as Nirmala UI or Mangal for Hindi.
3. 3Colour Models and Resolution for Print5 key points · 4 min read

   • RGB mixes light for screens; CMYK mixes inks for print.
   • K in CMYK stands for key, which is black.
   • Set print documents to CMYK and small black text to 100% K only.
   • Print images should be about 300 DPI at their final size.
   • Pixels needed = print size in inches × resolution.
4. 4Vector and Raster Graphics5 key points · 4 min read

   • Raster images are made of pixels and lose quality when enlarged.
   • Vector graphics are made of paths and stay sharp at any size.
   • Use vector for logos and text, raster for photographs.
   • PNG supports transparency; JPG uses lossy compression and has none.
   • PowerTRACE converts a bitmap into editable curves.
5. 5The CorelDRAW Workspace and Basic Tools5 key points · 4 min read

   • CorelDRAW saves files with the .cdr extension.
   • Pick selects and transforms objects; Shape (F10) edits nodes.
   • Rectangle is F6, Ellipse F7 and Text F8; hold Ctrl for a square or circle.
   • Left-click a palette colour for the fill and right-click for the outline.
   • Ctrl+Q converts a shape or text to curves.
6. 6Working with Objects in CorelDRAW5 key points · 4 min read

   • Ctrl+D duplicates, Ctrl+G groups and Ctrl+U ungroups.
   • Combine (Ctrl+L) makes one curve object with a single fill and outline.
   • Shift+Page Up and Shift+Page Down send an object to the front or back of its layer.
   • Weld, Trim and Intersect build new shapes from overlapping objects.
   • PowerClip places an object inside a frame without cutting it.
7. 7Visiting Card and Poster Workflow, and PDF Export for Print5 key points · 4 min read

   • Set up the page size, CMYK colour mode and bleed before designing.
   • Keep text inside the safe area and proof at 100% size.
   • Embed fonts or convert text to curves before sending a job.
   • Export with a print preset such as Prepress or PDF/X.
   • Send the printer a checked PDF, not the .cdr file, unless asked.