Equivalence map by task
Each feature used in CorelDRAW next to its open-source equivalent, the known loss and how often your team uses it.
Deliverable: task table marked migrate, coexist or stayOcto for open-source alternatives
Not a switch by decree. It means knowing what already migrates and proving it with numbers.
Inkscape, Scribus, LibreOffice Draw, libcdr, vpype and VisiCut cover much of what is done in CorelDRAW and run headless, on Linux, with no per-seat license. They do not save CDR, they do not reliably read the newest files, and they do not run your in-house macros. Octo converts a copy of the archive, compares the render, surveys the fonts and rewrites the in-house rule as an extension. People decide what migrates.
Open-source tools on the map6from vector editor to sending to the laser
Scribus stable1.6.7in the project's file folder, Oct 28, 2026
libcdr in the repositories0.1.9MPL 2.0 license
Sources15listed at the end of the page
01
What Octo does in a migration.
Six possible deliverables, drawn from the survey. All of them work on a copy, all of them check by the file's content, and none decides on its own what migrates.
CDR archive conversion
A copy of the archive in SVG, PDF and PNG via Inkscape, with LibreOffice as fallback, a time limit per file and the original's sha256 in the log.
Deliverable: opened files and a log per fileFidelity proof
CorelDRAW reference render against the conversion render, pixel by pixel, with a difference image and a rating of same, review or different.
Deliverable: comparison per artwork and where to lookArchive fonts
The families used by the converted files cross-checked against those installed on the open-source machine, before text gets swapped without warning.
Deliverable: missing families and affected filesIn-house rule as an extension
The CorelDRAW macro rewritten as an Inkscape extension in Python: the same one in the designer's menu and in the server batch, with tests.
Deliverable: inkex extension with .inx file and testsPrint-ready PDF in batch
Scribus exporting each document with the settings agreed with the print shop in the template, without changing them, with a record per document.
Deliverable: PDFs and batch report
02
Eight arms, one decision per task.
The same Octo cycle, applied to migration. Each arm has a narrow role; people decide what migrates, approve artwork and define color.
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Discovery
Maps what exists
Archive, CDR versions, macros, add-ons, the week's tasks and machines.
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Data
Builds the inventory
Each file with sha256, conversion status and comparison result.
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Security
Works only on the copy
Copy access same as the original; files with personal data handled with the data protection officer.
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Architecture
Chooses by task
Migrate, coexist or stay, with the right open-source tool for each row of the map.
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Development
Writes and tests
Conversion, comparison, extensions and scripts, each with expected input and output.
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Review
Checks by content
Artwork known to be different must come out "different". "It converted" is not a check.
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Release
Delivers to the agreed folder
Converted files, comparisons and reports; the originals stay where they are.
-
Documentation
Records each decision
What migrated, what coexists, who decided and based on what number.
Octo converts, compares and checks the file. It does not decide on its own what migrates, does not approve artwork and does not define the print shop's color.
03
Each task, its own tool.
The criteria Octo uses to choose, with the documented limit of each path.
| Task | Tool | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Convert CDR to SVG, PDF, PNG | Inkscape (libcdr) | Batch with a time limit per file |
| Convert CDR to PDF (fallback) | LibreOffice Draw | Separate user profile |
| CDR read triage | cdr2raw | Tells whether it read the file and how many pages |
| Prove fidelity | Python + Pillow | Against a CorelDRAW reference PDF |
| Text to curves, measure objects | Headless Inkscape | --export-text-to-path, --query-all |
| In-house rule on the drawing | inkex extension | The same in the menu and in the batch |
| Print-ready PDF in batch | Scribus | Template document settings |
| HPGL per color for the plotter | vpype | Device profile |
| Sending to the laser | VisiCut or the manufacturer's driver | Always with the operator |
| Save CDR | No open-source option | CorelDRAW stays where needed |
04
From doubt to measured coexistence.
Three steps. Each one only makes sense after the previous one has shown results in your shop.
A proposal, not a promise
Inventory and proof
A copy of the archive converted and compared, with the fonts surveyed.
- Task map
- Comparison per artwork
- Missing fonts
Pilot on one task
One low-risk task migrated, with the macro it uses rewritten as an extension.
- Extension with tests
- Headless batch
- Time measured before and after
Coexistence decided
Each task with a recorded destination: migrate, coexist or stay in CorelDRAW.
- Seats based on real need
- Print-ready PDF via Scribus where it fits
- Who decided each task
05
Confirmed in a source.
Each point below has a source published by Corel, Microsoft, the open-source project or the responsible body. Object and method names are checked in the Object Browser of the installed version. The sources are in the next section.
6
points with a published source, each with its reference shown alongside.
- ConfirmedInkscape reads CDR through libcdr
- The Inkscape 1.4 package in Debian trixie depends on libcdr, libvisio and libwpg.Source: packages.debian.org, inkscape (trixie)
- ConfirmedInkscape 1.4 batch options
--export-type,--export-plain-svg,--export-text-to-path,--query-all,--actions,--shell; PDF 1.4 by default.Source: Inkscape 1.4 man page (Debian trixie)- Confirmedinkex for extensions
- Python package that powers Inkscape extensions and reads, writes and modifies SVG; includes testing and interface modules.Source: inkex documentation
- ConfirmedScribus 1.6.7
- Release list with 1.6.7 (Oct 28, 2026), 1.6.6 (Apr 13, 2026) and 1.6.5 (Dec 15, 2025).Source: SourceForge, Scribus files
- Confirmedlibcdr 0.1.9, MPL 2.0
- Version and license of the package for the library Inkscape and LibreOffice use to open CDR.Source: packages.fedoraproject.org, libcdr
- Confirmedvpype and VisiCut
- vpype under the MIT license with HPGL output; VisiCut under the LGPL 3.0 license, using LibLaserCut.Source: both projects' GitHub and vpype documentation
06
What Octo does and what stays with you.
Octo prepares everything, but it does not sign. The document of record stays with whoever is accountable for it.
Octo prepares
Surveys, calculates, organizes and generates the documents: files, PDFs, variable data spreadsheets, proofs and reports.
Deliverable: material ready to checkYour team checks
The client or the art director checks what Octo delivered before approving. If something doesn't add up, it goes back to Octo with the correction.
Step: review by the approverWho approves
Octo does not approve the artwork. Artwork carries no legal signature: approval of the artwork and the proof stays with the client or the art director.
Approval: client or art director
07
Sources.
Official pages and packages from the open-source projects and Corel, consulted on Oct 31, 2026. Sites that refused access are listed as not read.
- Inkscape 1.4, man pageCommand line
- inkscape package in Debianlibcdr, libvisio, libwpg
- inkex documentationExtensions in Python
- .inx widgetscolor parameter as a decimal number
- INKSCAPE_1_4_4 tagOfficial repository, May 5, 2026
- Inkscape 1.4 DXF extensionorg.ekips.output.dxf_outlines
- Scribus on SourceForgeVersions and dates
- libcdr on FedoraVersion and license
- libcdr source codeSource packages
- LibreOffice forumCDR import
- VisiCut on GitHubLGPL 3.0, LibLaserCut
- vpype, documentationPlotter pipeline
- vpype on GitHubMIT, HPGL
- CorelDRAW 2026, updatesFor comparison
- CorelDRAW, requirementsWindows
Your archive and your tasks, measured before the decision.
The assessment starts with your team's task map and the conversion of a sample of the archive, compared against the reference. You get what already migrates, what migrates with loss, what stays in CorelDRAW and the questions only your team can answer.