Adobe FrameMaker 6.0 Classroom in a Book [Paperback]

Adobe Creative Team (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 3, 2000 | ISBN-10: 020170014X | ISBN-13: 978-0201700145

The fastest, most comprehensive way to master FrameMaker 6.0! If you've picked up a recent textbook or technical manual, chances are very good that it was created with Adobe FrameMaker. Production professionals rely on FrameMaker to create illustrated documents, catalogs, and textbooks. FrameMaker goes beyond the scope of standard desktop publishing tools with its document comparison and reporting features, math equation features (to make it easy to typeset equations), powerful book creation features, and automatic numbering and list generation. Adobe FrameMaker 6.0 Classroom in a Book offers the ideal learning solution for this high-end publishing tool. Users proceed with self-paced lessons in FrameMaker, using images and files from the CD-ROM. Developed and tested by the training experts at Adobe, readers come away with a thorough understanding of FrameMaker's tools and features.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

The fastest, most comprehensive way to master FrameMaker 6.0! If you've picked up a recent textbook or technical manual, chances are very good that it was created with Adobe FrameMaker. Production professionals rely on FrameMaker to create illustrated documents, catalogs, and textbooks. FrameMaker goes beyond the scope of standard desktop publishing tools with its document comparison and reporting features, math equation features (to make it easy to typeset equations), powerful book creation features, and automatic numbering and list generation. Adobe FrameMaker 6.0 Classroom in a Book offers the ideal learning solution for this high-end publishing tool. Users proceed with self-paced lessons in FrameMaker, using images and files from the CD-ROM. Developed and tested by the training experts at Adobe, readers come away with a thorough understanding of FrameMaker's tools and features.

About the Author

The Adobe Creative Team is made up of members of Adobe's User Education group. They take their expertise in training users to work with Adobe products, combine it with the creative talents of the Adobe FrameMaker team, and add the rich content of the CD to make a unique learning package from Adobe Systems.

Product Details

• Paperback: 392 pages
• Publisher: Pearson Education (April 3, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 020170014X
• ISBN-13: 978-0201700145
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,276,902 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Very weak update from the 5.5 version of the same book, February 6, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Adobe FrameMaker 6.0 Classroom in a Book (Paperback)

While the book itself is fine, it is a very weak update from the earlier version of the same book. Almost none of the new FM 6.0 features are even mentioned. With the exception of slightly updating the chapter about creating books, the rest of the content is virtually, pitifully unchanged. There is no mention of spell checking or find and replace across several chapters, new icons in the book window, the tabs in the PDF dialog box, the ability to easily open subsequent chapters in a book, fixing errors in cross-referenced docs, the ability to rename chapters without disrupting book links, greater compatibility with other software formats, greater flexiblity in display settings, or new table enhancements. It seems the only new feature the authors felt was worth mentioning is the ability to drag and drop chapters in a book window. What a waste of paper! If you have the green Classroom in a Book for FrameMaker 5.x, don't bother to buy this virtual duplicate of it. You won't learn about any new features in FrameMaker 6.0 from this book (except drag-n-drop). If you're new to using FrameMaker, find another book to learn about the new features in FrameMaker 6.0. This one is still stuck in version 5.x. Can I give it zero stars?

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Beginner's Book, June 30, 2001

By 

Steven Clements (Torrance, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Adobe FrameMaker 6.0 Classroom in a Book (Paperback)

You'd expect a book about Framemaker, a leading application of tech writers, to be superbly laid out, precise, and clear. This book definitely *is*. I am extremely satisfied with my purchase. And as a result, I have gotten "up to speed" with Framemaker basics in a few weekends.

One major caveat: This is definitely a beginner's guide. If you want to delve into more intermediate / advanced topics (e.g. best practices for converting Word or HTML docs to Framemaker), this book will *not* take you there.

30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An elevator for a steep learning curve, April 9, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Adobe FrameMaker 6.0 Classroom in a Book (Paperback)

Adobe FrameMaker is a high-end product for desktop-publishing professionals and as such does not have a large customer base. If you need to create and design your own books, look no further. You probably have heard that this program has a very steep learning curve. Once you master the mysteries of this complicated and convoluted program, book design will be very easy and time-consuming. The problem is - where to start.

Adobe provides a very detailed manual in the product box. I am a first-time user, and although I understood the first few chapters I read, I was still unable to begin working on the second edition of my book (the first one was typed and set in MS Word). The point is - the USER GUIDE, or the enclosed manual is very detailed - it describes and explains every possible setting. Thus, it's more appropriate function is a FrameMaker encyclopedia, and not the "guide" for starters. This is only good, because there are too many programs out there whose manuals are too general. They are just bare overviews, and usually you have to buy a separate "Bible" textbook.

So, you have all documentation you will ever need - included in the program shrink-wrapped box. In order to learn the basics, it's best to purchase some introductory book. Adobe's "Classroom in a Book" provides this very important introduction which in the format of hand-guided lessons will let you go up that curve in a leisurable way of your own.

I finished reading the book in one day, performing all lessons included on the CD. Tell you what - I am ready. Not only I know the "basic basics", but I KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR in the User Guide documentation.

Adobe "classroom" books are high-quality texts that are used for ACE training (Adobe certified expert). If you want to be an ACE, I do not need to convince you to buy this book. If you want to get quick, but good hands-on the best desktop-publishing product on earth, look no more. It's here.