Some of you guys seem to be very knowledgeable about this stuff. Just wondering if you could tell me the +\- in all the software out there and which you would suggest learning? thanks
microsoft publisher is good for beginners or those who don't have a lot of time. it's very automated and easy to use and it's affordable (around $100). If you can use Word then you learn Publisher pretty well. quark xpress is the most powerful but most difficult to use for beginners. but most printing presses use this software so it makes transporting files to them easier if you require professional printing. costs around $500 adobe has 3 DTP products, Pagemaker, Framemaker and InDesign. Pagemaker was the former DTP champ but now it's being aimed at businesses. Framemaker is for really long documents like books. InDesign is for fancy layouts like magazines and more design-oriented stuff. All 3 of them cost around $500+ Adobe has a 60 day trial of InDesign 1.5 on its website (2.0 is coming out soon) so you may want to download that and try it out for yourself. It has a pretty steep learning curve though.
I've always been partial to Corel products.. but I've been using them for years... Publisher would probably be the easiest route to go. outlaw's on the right track with the rest of the DTP products... as with any program, proficiency using it comes in time. good luck rH
First of all let me thank everyone for their help. I have a couple of questions....how powerful is Publisher?...do many printing presses accept this format? is it good for picture manipulation? I guess I have the same question for Qaurk....those are probably the 2 I am most interested in......again thanks for your help.
I think Publisher comes bundled with Microsoft Image Composer which is a pretty basic imaging software program. It does have a cool .gif animator... For photo manipulation, I use Corel PhotoPaint, but once again, that's a product I am used to using. Adobe makes a basic program called Photo Deluxe. Your more high-end photo editing programs are going to be pricey like, Photoshop, the top dog....although those software outlet/educational software online stores may have older versions of those programs considerably cheaper... I'm sure Publisher has the ability to save your work in various formats. I would check with the company that's going to do your printing and find out what type of files they accept. Publisher is great for personal stuff like, newsletters that you can xerox, etc... good luck rH
QuarkXpress is used by the vast majority of people in professional settings (think IBM compatible PC's share of the computer market vs. Apple's). It's hard to use, but friggin powerful as can be. In high school, I mastered Pagemaker (once Aldus Pagemaker and now Adobe Pagemaker) as layout editor of the school paper. It's much easier to use than Quark, therefore it might be right up your alley. Having used both for years, though, I'd totally recommend Quark (if you're up to a challenge). It can do anything. It forms an unstoppable combo with Photoshop (or Illustrator). Just my $.02
