cracker:I am not familiar with either Corel Draw or the other graphic program (Adobe). I am hoping someone can help me figure out what I need to buy. I am looking for a program that I can use to make lettering and graphic files and send to a cutter. I also want to be able to change bmp files to vector files. I would need to save in .plt format. I would also want to be able to put together a graphic to print and then transfer to a T shirt. I don't understand Corel Draw. Do I have to puchase the program piece by piece? Is Corel Draw Graphic Suite X3 a stand alone product or ?. Thanks for any help you can give me.
Let me answer this piece by piece (no pun intended), if I can.
For vinyl cutting (sign vinyl and thermo-film heat transfer for garments) I have a stand-alone cutting program that was bundled with my cutter. However, I also use Corel Draw X3, along with another program, CoCut, for cutting vinyl and thermo-film. Many of the designs that I receive, are in electronic format and there is always some "clean up" or touch up required and that is where Corel shines. I can edit nodes to simplify cut strokes on the plotter, I can easily adjust any graphic to simplify the design, especially when I am doing multi-color (multi-layer) thermo-film designs for shirts.
Many of the electronic files, come in as jpegs, *.ai (adobe illustrator format), *.eps, etc. The jpegs and many of the graphics are raster images. I use Corel to vectorize the image(s) before allowing them to go to the plotter.
I use Corel Draw as my primary graphics program for printing on garments with my Direct To Garment printer. I print everything from simple text to the most complex photographs directly onto clothing. I simply use Corel Draw suite and the printer driver, just like an ordinary (paper) printer, attached to the PC.
I know that Adobe illustrator can do much of what Corel can do, in these cases. But I do enjoy working with Corel over Illustrator. It is true that my experience with Corel is greater than that with Illustrator, however, when I was trying both of them, side by side, I could accomplish the same goal in Draw, almost twice as fast as I could with Illustrator, simply because of the wide range of tools available and the intuitive interface that Draw has. In simple words, I got twice the work done in Draw that I could do in Illustrator (and pull half as much hair out of my head 
).
To see what others, along this industry line, has, look for the thread(s) under the topic of General Graphics -> Engraving & Vinyl Cutting -> Vinyl Cutters.
Which plotter do you have (or intending to purchase)? I do know that you can export a Draw file to a *.plt file for HPGL compatible plotters. If you have a "printer driver" for your plotter, that allows it to show up as a "printer" under windows, you probably can send the deisgn directly from Draw to the plotter, just like it was to go to your inkjet (or laser) printer.
Now, for the last part of your question: Corel Draw is a suite of programs that allows you to work in, both raster and vector modes. Actually, there are several programs in the suite, one aimed at drawing (no pun, here) and one aimed at photo work. These, along with many other parts and programs, allow a full creative environment for just about anything graphic that you can think of. When you bring in a raster image into Draw, and you need it to be a vector image, Draw can trace the image and give you the vectorized image. Even when the vectored image is only a small part of the overall design. I would suggest that you visit the Corel main web page and look around. There are many, here, who can help you get started and can answer your many questions. I have been using Corel Draw over some time, now, and I hang out here and other places (Corel's own news groups, etc.) and every day, I learn something new that I did not know before. You will find there are many ways to accomplish the same goal, in Draw. Fascinating!
Hope this helps you some....if you have any question, post 'em and someone will try to answer them....
Hugh