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Best Design Software for Small Businesses (2026): CorelDRAW Features and Workflows Highlighted by Consumer365

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NEW YORK, Aug. 31, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Consumer365 has published a new review of CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 2026, analyzing how the professional design toolkit serves small businesses with print-intensive work. The assessment gives priority to the operational needs of print shops, followed by sign shops, apparel and screen-printing businesses, in-house marketing teams, and professional designers.

Best Design Software for Small Businesses

CorelDRAW – professional graphic design software for creating layouts, graphics, typography, edited images, and print-ready artwork

Rather than treating design software as a creative application alone, the assessment looks at the full path from client-supplied artwork to finished output. Color separations, soft proofing, work at 1:1 scale, prepress controls, file compatibility, and purchasing choice form the basis of the evaluation.

What Makes Print Production an Important Test?

Small print businesses often handle artwork, page setup, image correction, type, proofing, and final output within the same team. Each handoff between applications can add extra file conversions, review steps, or production checks.

CorelDRAW Graphics Suite brings several tasks into one toolkit:

CorelDRAW provides vector illustration and page layout.Corel PHOTO-PAINT handles pixel-based image editing.Corel Font Manager organizes type libraries without requiring every font to be installed.CorelDRAW Web gives subscribers browser-based graphic design tools

This structure can help a shop take a job from initial artwork through prepress without relying on a separate application for every stage.

How Does CorelDRAW Support Print-Ready Output?

CorelDRAW includes tools for color separations, soft proofing, print preview, and color management. Pantone Color Libraries are included at no additional charge, giving teams a shared reference for setting color expectations before production.

For signage and other large-format work, artwork can be prepared at 1:1 scale. Multipage view allows several pages or assets to be managed together, while multi-asset export creates a defined export list for pages and objects. Support for numerous graphics, publishing, and image formats also helps when customers or vendors submit files from different systems.

The 2026 edition adds AI Generate for prompt-based image creation and image remixing, plus AI-assisted background removal, subject isolation, and clip masking. Corel also has a refreshed interface, improved stability, and app launch times around three times faster or more.

Why Does Purchasing Choice Matter to Small Businesses?

Software procurement affects both cash flow and access to future updates. CorelDRAW Graphics Suite is offered through a subscription, a one-time purchase for perpetual use, or a business license with maintenance.

Subscribers and maintenance customers receive product updates, CorelDRAW Web, added content, support for the latest operating systems and technologies, and a monthly AI credit allowance. Unlike a subscription, if business license customers choose to discontinue their maintenance, they get to keep the last version of the software that they received, forever. A one-time purchase permits perpetual use of the purchased version, though certain subscriber and maintenance features, apps, and workflows are not included.

CorelDRAW vs. Adobe Illustrator: How Do They Compare for Small Businesses?

Both CorelDRAW and Adobe Illustrator support professional vector artwork for logos, signage, apparel graphics, print, and digital media. Their product structures differ.

Illustrator is available as a subscription, either through a Creative Cloud membership or a single app plan. CorelDRAW Graphics Suite offers subscription and perpetual purchasing routes for a full suite of vector illustration, page layout, photo editing, and font management tools.

For businesses already using several Creative Cloud applications, Illustrator can fit within that existing software environment. Print shops comparing the two may prefer CorelDRAW for its streamlined workflow, production-specific tools, and flexible licensing options.

For small businesses looking for an alternative to Adobe Illustrator, particularly those weighing ongoing subscription costs, CorelDRAW’s perpetual licensing option can be a deciding factor. Both CorelDRAW Graphics Suite and Adobe Creative Cloud include multiple applications for design and image editing, so the distinction is not simply the number of tools provided.

CorelDRAW instead offers graphic design and true multipage layout within the CorelDRAW application, integrated Pantone Color Libraries at no additional cost, and production tools developed for print and sign work. Together with subscription and one-time purchase options, these features give small businesses greater flexibility when choosing software for their workflows and budgets.

What Is the Practical Takeaway?

Consumer365’s assessment places production readiness at the heart of the small-business software decision. CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 2026 covers design creation, image work, typography, proofing, separations, and final output while offering several ways to purchase and maintain the software.

The findings suggest that small print businesses should evaluate design software according to the full job cycle, including how files enter the shop, how color is checked, how large-format work is prepared, and how finished assets reach production.

Please visit the Consumer365 website for a more in-depth analysis.

About Corel
Corel is a global software company headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, with more than 100 million users in over 75 countries. Founded in 1985, Corel has built a strong reputation for innovation and usability in graphics, digital‑media, and productivity software. Its product portfolio includes vector illustration (CorelDRAW Graphics Suite), natural‑media painting (Corel Painter), photo editing (Corel PaintShop Pro), video production (Corel VideoStudio), and productivity tools (WordPerfect Office and WinZip). Corel’s software is designed for both professionals and creative consumers and provides powerful features in an accessible, easy‑to-learn format. With a global footprint that includes major offices in the US, UK, Germany, China, Taiwan and Japan, Corel continues to expand its reach while maintaining a close connection with its user community.

About Consumer365.org: Consumer365 provides consumer news and industry insights. As an affiliate, Consumer365 may earn commissions from sales generated using links provided.

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SOURCE Consumer365.org

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SparkLabs and Mirae Asset Launch a Venture Capital Fund for Central Asian Startups

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SEOUL, South Korea, Sept. 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Qazaqstan Investment Corporation (QIC), IT Park Ventures (Uzbekistan), Mirae Asset Venture Investment and SparkLabs Group have signed a term sheet to establish SparkLabs Mirae Silk Road Fund I LP, a new venture capital fund. The fund will be managed by Mirae Asset Venture Investment and SparkLabs Group.

The signing took place in Seoul during the state visits of the Presidents of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to Korea and the first Central Asia–Republic of Korea Summit.

During this past week, South Korea and Kazakhstan signed commercial agreements worth US$18.95 billion. Kazakhstan is a country of 20 million people with its core industries being oil and gas, and among the highest producers of iron and silver in the world. Uzbekistan is a country of 39 million people, and they are the largest electricity producer in Central Asia.

Qazaqstan Investment Corporation (QIC) is Kazakhstan’s national fund of funds and are anchor investors along with IT Park Ventures, the venture capital arm of the country’s state technology park. The new venture capital fund will back Central Asian startups at the Series A and later, which are businesses with a proven model that are ready to scale beyond the region. The fund is sector-agnostic but focuses on AI-native companies, where artificial intelligence is core to the product and business model.

“Higgsfield becoming Kazakhstan’s first unicorn was a turning point. It showed that a world-class AI company can be built in Central Asia. And it won’t be the last with more than half of the region’s population is under 30, growing up digital and our governments actively investing in AI. Yet the region is still largely overlooked by international investors, and that’s the opportunity this fund is built for,” explained Aslan Sultanov, Co-founder and General Partner at SparkLabs Mirae Silk Road.

Former Coinbase CTO and Partner at Andreessen Horowitz, Balaji Srinivasan, reopened his Network School in Kazakhstan last month. Telegram launched an AI lab and opened their first regional office in Kazakhstan this past year.

Beyond capital, portfolio companies will gain access to the SparkLabs and Mirae Asset’s global networks, along with hands-on support in expanding into South Korea, the United States and the MENA region.

About the Partners

SparkLabs Group is a network of startup accelerators and venture capital funds that has invested in over 600 startups across 6 continents since December 2013. These companies include OpenAI, SpaceX, Vectara, Kneron, Anthropic, Nex Team, Kraken, GenG, Lyft, MetAI, and others.

Mirae Asset Venture Investment is the venture capital arm of Mirae Asset Financial Group, one of Asia’s largest independent financial groups with over US$845 billion in assets under management. The company operates worldwide across 18 markets, and manages a fully diversified global investment platform encompassing ETFs, alternative investments, and traditional strategies.

Qazaqstan Investment Corporation (QIC) is Kazakhstan’s national fund of funds and part of Baiterek National Managing Holding. QIC invests in private equity and venture capital funds alongside international and private partners, with the goal of attracting long-term capital into Kazakhstan and developing the country’s investment ecosystem. QIC participates in 19 funds with a combined capitalization of $2.8 billion.

IT Park Ventures is the venture capital arm of IT Park Uzbekistan, the country’s state technology park and the main platform supporting Uzbekistan’s IT industry and tech exports. IT Park Ventures invests in startups from Uzbekistan and Central Asia and co-invests with international funds, connecting regional founders with global capital and markets.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sparklabs-and-mirae-asset-launch-a-venture-capital-fund-for-central-asian-startups-302883810.html

SOURCE SparkLabs Group

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AECOM Data Breach Investigation: Edelson Lechtzin LLP Probes Class Action Claims After Hackers Allege Theft of More Than 1 TB of Data

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National class action law firm offers free, confidential case evaluations to AECOM employees, clients, and others whose personal information may have been exposed in the reported AECOM data breach.

DALLAS, Sept. 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Edelson Lechtzin LLP, a national class action law firm, is investigating data privacy claims arising from a reported data breach at AECOM, the U.S.-based multinational infrastructure and engineering firm. Anyone who has received a data breach notice from AECOM, or who believes their personal information may have been exposed, can request a free case evaluation.

AECOM data breach — at a glance:

Company: AECOM, a Texas-based, multibillion-dollar multinational infrastructure consulting, engineering, design, and construction management firm.Reported: A cyberattack said to have occurred on or about September 17, 2026, first surfaced on dark web monitoring sites.Hackers’ claims: The group Metaencryptor claimed responsibility for an attack said to involve approximately 1.22 terabytes (TB) of data. Separately, dark web monitoring service Breachsense listed a related AECOM leak of roughly 670GB attributed to a group identified as BrainCipher.Status: The breach and the hackers’ claims remain unconfirmed. AECOM has not publicly detailed the scope or impact.Who may be affected: Current and former AECOM employees, clients, and others whose data AECOM held.Cost to you: Nothing. Case evaluations are free and confidential.

What Happened

According to a September 17, 2026 post on the dark web monitoring site Ransomware.live, the hacker group Metaencryptor claimed responsibility for a cyberattack on AECOM that allegedly affected about 1.22 TB of data. The cybersecurity blog HookPhish similarly reported that Metaencryptor was behind a suspected attack on the engineering firm.

Separately, the dark web monitoring service Breachsense reported an AECOM data leak listed at approximately 670GB, attributed to a group it identified as BrainCipher. Breachsense also indexed thousands of AECOM-linked credentials circulating online, including 27,434 @aecom.com accounts drawn from external breaches and 6,077 credentials tied to aecom.com itself — among them thousands of logins found in “combo lists” and in infostealer malware logs, many with plaintext passwords. Breachsense cautioned that those credentials may belong to either customers or staff and are not necessarily connected to the claimed attack.

The breach has not been confirmed, and important details (including its true scope, the specific data involved, and the number of people affected) are not yet publicly available.

What Personal Information May Be at Risk

The specific data involved in the reported AECOM data breach has not been confirmed. Data breaches like this can expose personal information, increasing the risk of identity theft and fraud. Affected individuals should treat any AECOM breach notification seriously.

Who May Be Affected by the AECOM Data Breach

The investigation focuses on current and former AECOM employees, clients, and anyone else whose personal information AECOM maintained. Anyone who has received a data breach notification from AECOM may face an increased risk of identity theft and fraud and is encouraged to come forward.

Your Legal Options

Edelson Lechtzin LLP is investigating a potential class action to pursue legal remedies on behalf of individuals whose sensitive personal data may have been compromised in the reported AECOM breach. A successful case could recover compensation for losses such as lost time, out-of-pocket costs, and loss of privacy, and could push AECOM to strengthen how it protects personal information. The firm will evaluate your rights and potential claims at no cost.

Recommended Steps to Protect Yourself

Review your account statements and credit reports regularly and stay alert for suspicious activity.Confirm whether your information was involved in the AECOM incident.Preserve any letters or emails you received about the breach.Consider placing fraud alerts and enrolling in credit monitoring.

Contact Us for a Free Case Evaluation

Speak confidentially with a data privacy attorney today: Marc Edelson, Esq., Edelson Lechtzin LLP, 411 S. State Street, Suite N-300, Newtown, PA 18940; Phone: 844-696-7492; Email: medelson@edelson-law.com; Web: www.edelson-law.com. Or click HERE to request a free consultation.

About Edelson Lechtzin LLP

Edelson Lechtzin LLP is a national class action law firm with offices in Pennsylvania and California. In addition to data breach litigation, the firm handles class and collective actions involving securities and investment fraud, federal antitrust violations, ERISA employee benefit plans, wage theft, and consumer fraud.

Media and Partnership Inquiries: Use the contact information above to connect with our team regarding interviews, co-counsel opportunities, and referral partnerships.

Legal Notice: This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. The reported data breach and the hackers’ claims described above are unconfirmed.

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SOURCE Edelson Lechtzin LLP

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iScreen Reaches No. 1 in Graphics & Design Across 94 Markets Following iOS 27 Update

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Extra-large widget experiences, iOS 27-inspired themes and new customization tools drive iScreen’s latest global growth

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — iScreen, a mobile customization app for iOS and Android, announced that it has reached No. 1 in the Graphics & Design category across 94 countries and regions following its latest iOS 27-focused update.

The update expands iScreen’s Home Screen customization experience with new extra-large widgets, iOS 27-inspired themes, layouts optimized for new screen proportions, and AI-assisted design tools.

Extra-Large Widgets

Built for the larger widget canvas available in iOS 27, iScreen’s new extra-large widgets go beyond simply scaling up existing formats. The collection includes Photo, Album, Music, Calendar, Interactive Refrigerator and Quick Launch widgets, among others. Users can also customize content, layouts and visual styles to create more functional and expressive Home Screen experiences.

iOS 27-Inspired Themes and iPhone Duo Theme Support

iScreen has introduced new iOS 27-inspired themes that combine coordinated wallpapers, transparent-style widgets, icons and other visual elements into complete Home Screen setups.

Selected themes have also been optimized for iPhone Duo’s screen proportions and display dimensions, with wallpapers, widgets and icons adjusted to better fit the new format while maintaining a cohesive visual experience.

AI-Assisted Home Screen Design

iScreen is also testing AI Home Screen Designer with a limited group of users. The feature generates coordinated design suggestions based on users’ preferences for style, color and visual elements, combining wallpapers, widgets and icons into a unified setup.

“The latest iOS update has opened up new possibilities for mobile personalization,” said the iScreen team. “We want to turn those capabilities into practical and creative experiences that make Home Screen design easier and more expressive.”

About iScreen

iScreen is a mobile customization app offering widgets, wallpapers, themes and Home Screen customization tools for iOS and Android devices. With more than 100 million users worldwide, iScreen has ranked No. 1 in Graphics & Design across 94 countries and regions and has been featured by Apple Editorial in 128 countries for five consecutive days.

Official Website: iScreen – Phone Style, iScreen it!
iOS Download: ‎‎iScreen – Widgets & Wallpaper App – App Store
Android Download: iScreen Google Play

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/iscreen-reaches-no-1-in-graphics–design-across-94-markets-following-ios-27-update-302883972.html

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