Hey, I made a similar switch a while back, moving from CorelDraw to InDesign for print projects. At first, I was a bit overwhelmed by all the export settings in InDesign, but what really helped was getting comfortable with the “Adobe PDF Preset” options. I usually go with the “Press Quality” preset, then double-check the bleed settings—it’s crucial to match the printer’s requirements exactly. Also, I always make sure to embed all fonts, and in my experience, outlining fonts isn’t necessary if you embed correctly.

One thing I learned the hard way was about color profiles. CorelDraw had me used to CMYK conversion inside the app, but InDesign handles color profiles differently. I set my document color space to CMYK and assign the correct ICC profile matching my printer’s specs. That way, colors stay consistent and rich.

For typography, InDesign’s advanced features are a lifesaver—especially using paragraph and character styles to keep things consistent. When exporting PDFs, I’ve found that avoiding transparency flattening issues by selecting “High Quality Print” or “Press Quality” presets helps maintain sharpness and layout fidelity.

In the end, I also like to run the exported PDF through Acrobat’s Preflight tool to catch any potential print issues before sending files out. Hope that helps!

Just a quick note regarding CorelDraw and printing: when preparing your files, it’s crucial to convert all text to curves before exporting to ensure fonts don’t shift or get substituted during printing. Also, make sure your color mode is set to CMYK, not RGB, since most printers work in CMYK. The article covers a lot, but these little adjustments can save headaches later on.