Why I Love Adobe InDesign for Graphic Design and Pre-Press
I have been using Adobe InDesign and the Creative Suite for many years, and I must say I love using the software, although it isn't cheap.
Starting on Aldus Pagemaker
I started using Aldus Pagemaker in about 1991 on an evening course called an RSA in DTP (desktop publishing) at Southern Regional College (then called Portadown College of Further and Higher Education). This was on a tiny Apple Macintosh Classic at the time, no big monitors in those days! The Mac was used in magazine production, layout and the software at the time didn’t really have any powerful advanced features. Does anyone remember this? Comment below.
QuarkXpress
I used the software from about 1991 until the middle of 1995, when I switched to QuarkXpress, which was in the University of Ulster, Art College in York Street, Belfast. Pagemaker was stiff and lacking in many features that Xpress had. When I started working full-time in about 1998 at Peninsula Print, I used Pagemaker only. Some companies were set up for Pagemaker, and some were set up for Xpress.
The switch to Adobe InDesign
QuarkXpress had more flexibility, and I used it until I switched to Adobe InDesign in about 2005, when I worked for Summit Printing in Lisburn. There was only one problem with sending pre-press jobs to the plate system for printing, as the printer noticed text or a graphic missing, which was very worrying. Apart from that, I’ve had no problems. When I worked for Antrim Printers, they were using Xpress for some reason. I have used InDesign since then. Some graphic designers don’t like the pay-per-month or year subscription model, but it is what it is.
Adobe InDesign has many built-in features for graphic designers, typographers and DTP gurus, ranging from multi-page booklets to leaflets and signage. There are some features included in Adobe Illustrator, but you may need to switch between the two software packages. I find the software fairly easy to use. I hope you get plenty of enjoyment from InDesign and all the best.
