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Top 3 Advanced Windows Illustration Programs for DTP

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Illustration or drawing programs produce scalable vector artwork making them ideal as the all-around graphics creation and logo design tool. For commercial printing, scalable EPS graphics are the format of choice and import easily into most major page layout programs for creating letterhead, business cards, and other documents.

1. Adobe Illustrator 10

Widely-accepted industry standard for illustration, it integrates well with other Adobe products and is available for both Mac and Windows platforms. On the downside, it does have a steep learning curve. It's acceptance by service bureaus and printers keeps it as a top choice for professional designers. A trial version is available for download from Adobe.

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2. CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 10

Popular among both experienced and novice Windows designers, it now comes in Mac versions. For new designers, the Suite's bundling of both vector and bitmap tools and other utilities makes it quite a bargain. Increased acceptance by service providers plus powerful features puts it on a par with Illustrator.

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3. Macromedia Freehand

Available for both the Mac and Windows platforms, it includes PDF, HTML, Flash animation features for multi-publishing solutions, as well as vector illustration tools making it a good choice for designers doing a lot of Web work. Freehand is priced comparable to Illustrator and a tryout version can be downloaded.

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