Copy, duplicate, and delete objects

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CorelDRAW provides you with several ways to copy objects. When you no longer need an object, you can delete it.

You can cut or copy an object to place it on the Clipboard and paste it into a drawing or another application. Cutting an object places it on the Clipboard and removes it from the drawing. Copying an object places it on the Clipboard but keeps the original in the drawing.

Duplicating an object places a copy directly in the drawing window and does not use the Clipboard. Duplicating is faster than copying and pasting. When an object is duplicated, there is a distance between the duplicate and the original object along the x and y axes. This distance, known as duplicate offset, can be changed in the Options dialog box.

You can apply a transformation, such as rotating, sizing, or skewing, to the duplicate of an object while keeping the original object intact. If you decide that you want to keep the original object, you can delete the duplicate.

You can create multiple copies of objects simultaneously, while specifying their position, without using the Clipboard. For example, you can distribute object copies horizontally, to the left or right of the original object; or you can distribute copies of objects vertically, below or above the original object. You can specify the spacing between copies of objects, or you can specify the offset at which copies of objects are created in relation to each other.

You can use other methods to create copies of objects quickly, without using the Clipboard. You can use the plus sign (+) on the numeric keypad to place a copy of an object on top of the original object, or you can create copies instantly by pressing the Spacebar or right-clicking while dragging an object.

To cut or copy an object

You can also cut or copy an object by right-clicking the object and clicking Cut or Copy.

To paste an object into a drawing

You can use this procedure to paste an object from another application.

To paste an object from an unsupported file format, or to specify options for the pasted object, click Edit Paste Special. For more information about pasting objects from other applications, see Link and embed objects.

To duplicate an object

Duplicating an object is useful for creating cuttable drop shadows for devices such as vinyl cutters and plotters.

You can also duplicate a selected object by pressing Ctrl + D.

To change the default duplicate offset, click Layout Document Options. On the General page, type values in the Horizontal and Vertical boxes.

To create copies of an object at a specified position

 

To	Do the following
Distribute copies of objects horizontally	In the Vertical settings area, choose No offset from the Mode list box. In the Horizontal settings area, choose Spacing between objects from the Mode list box. To specify the spacing between object copies, type a value in the Distance box. To place the object copies to the right or left of the original, choose Right or Left from the Direction list box.
Distribute copies of objects vertically	In the Horizontal settings area, choose No offset from the Mode list box. In the Vertical settings area, choose Spacing between objects from the Mode list box. To specify the spacing between copies of objects, type a value in the Distance box. To place the copies above or below the original, choose Up or Down from the Direction list box.
Offset all copies of objects by a specified distance	In the Horizontal settings and Vertical settings areas, choose Offset from the Mode list box, and type values in the Distance boxes.

Multiple copies of an object are offset by a specified distance.

You can access the Step and Repeat docker by pressing Ctrl + Shift + D.

To create copies of objects quickly

 

You can also
Place a copy of an object on top of the original	Press the plus sign (+) on the numeric keypad.
Create a single copy by using a mouse or stylus.	While moving, rotating, or transforming the object, right-click and then release both mouse buttons.

To transform the duplicate of an object

You can clear a transformation by selecting an object and clicking Object Clear Transformations.

To delete an object

To retrieve a deleted object, you must use the Undo command. For more information, see Undo, redo, and repeat actions.

You can also delete an object by selecting it and pressing Delete.

The features documented in the Help are available in the full version of CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 2021. Some features may not be available in this version of the product.