Did you know that CorelDRAW can be setup to display objects at their actual size on screen? If you’ve ever had the need to ensure the object on your screen is exactly the same size it will be in real life -- for example, a 2” x 2” square that measures exactly 2”x 2” on your monitor – here are the steps. 

First, you’ll need to do some physical measuring to get it working. Start by measuring the actual display area (width and height) of your monitor in inches. Do not measure the outer frame or bezel area. Let’s say, the screen has a width of 23.5” and height is 13.25”.

Next, right click on the Windows desktop and select "Display Settings". Click on Advanced Display Settings. Here, you’ll see the resolution of your monitor, for example, 1920 x 1080, 1280 x 800, or 1024 x 768 etc. 

Let’s say your monitor resolution is 1920 x 1080. This means that the horizontal resolution is 1920 and the vertical resolution is 1080. 

Now we need to do some calculations; First divide the horizontal resolution by actual monitor width. (So divide 1920 by 23.5.) This comes to 81.70 (rounded to 2 digits). Now, similarly divide the vertical resolution by actual monitor height. (So divide 1080 by 13.25, which comes to 81.51 rounded to 2 digits). 

Now launch CorelDRAW X8 and navigate to Tools > Options > Toolbox > Zoom, Pan Tool. Make sure the "Zoom to relative to 1:1" checkbox is enabled. Now click on "Calibrate Rulers" button and enter the measured value (i.e. Horizontal 81.7 and Vertical 81.51). Click OK. CorelDRAW is now set to display actual size objects on-screen.   

Note: if you are working in inches when measuring the screen, make sure that the units of measurement in CorelDRAW are also set to inches before calibrating. 

Tip provided by Pratik Shah, CorelDRAW Master, graphic designer