Programs, Versions and Tools:
? XpanceX for publishing management, which for me is brand spanking new for me this week. Very nice and an amazing program. Takes a learning curve that is kind of mind-boggling with all its bells and whistles going for it. Really started yesterday using it for the first time. Rather nervous starting the first job with it.
Today, it is easier to use after a full days experience working with it.
? Quark V6.5. Just started working with this yesterday also. The first four tools on the toolbar are the same in all versions. Resizing multiple images and text that are grouped together is a flawless snap. It is easy to use. Now all I have to do is to learn all the extra bells and whistles on this version. Quark Extensions are endless and are good tools to use.
Quark offers a full version to try-out if anyone is interested. Also some great tips on their web site quark.com. There is a monthly newsletter that is available free.
We will be going to the new V7 this coming July when it is introduced. It will be a totally new Quark from the ground up. Looking forward to using it.
? Adobe Photoshop V6. Love it and really in my way of thinking the best professional tool that anyone can and should use for photo management and for the printing industry.
I would like to try V7.2CS and see what it will do for publishing and for the web. Right now, V6 is fine for what we do in publishing.
The learning curves are ENDLESS, no matter what version you have.
Just awesome! Use it daily.
? Adobe Illustrator V6 at work and V8 at home. My choice of Vector effects that was invented by Adobe. I was lucky enough to meet the originator of Adobe and Vector effects at a seminar in Boston a long time ago. His wife was a graphic designer and needed something special for her work. This man designed/programmed it for her and that was the beginning of Adobe.
Simply amazing that Adobe is the largest Graphic Software Company in the world.
I use Adobe Illustrator daily. The learning curve is endless also with many ways to design and to integrate with other Adobe programs such as Photoshop. Visa versa also. It is so neat to use.
Most of my work with Illustrator is with typography. I also do a lot of work utilizing the plug-ins with Illustrator. Plug-ins are wonderful with all of the Adobe products. Nice tools to use.
Vector effects is the one that I use the most often.
? Adobe Acrobat V7. PDF files (portable document file that can be read be anyone, regardless of the original format) are just wonderful to use and are the standard to use everywhere in the world. Our clients send a PDF file that is converted to an EPS (encapsulated postscript file) file that is used in publishing.
The file is used by the various printers in CMYK (Cyan, blue - Magenta, red - Yellow - K, black). Quark Express, also produces PDF files on the fly to change a page-making program into a PDF that can be read by anyone.
Adobe Acrobat is used daily. Its use and versatility is growing in leaps and bounds. Easy to learn and use. Used daily.
? I also use Microsoft Office X. Not all of it. Mostly Word as a great tool. Not for graphics, however. Kind of a bridge between formatting using Quark.
All of the Adobe products can be vied at Adobe.com
Their entire program has a try-out version in case you want to try them out first. Full versions. You cannot save a file with them or print out your file. Really neat. Ready to try out InDesign?
Well, that is just a start to Grim?s question.
I am not a technical writer. I am a graphic artist and designer.
Presently a rather nice publishing group employs me.
I do wish I made gobs of money. That way I could afford to use all the graphic programs that are out there. Updates as well.
My post is just about what graphic programs I use professionally on a day-to-day basis.
I wish Grim the best at going further in his schooling with Adobe InDesign. I?ll bet that Grim would be able to add some insight to his prof as well as his fellow students that are his daughter?s age.
I wish I were a student with Grim!
Thanks Grim,
-Kevin