InDesign CS for Macintosh and Windows (Visual QuickStart Guide) (Paperback)

by Sandee Cohen (Author) "Most of the commands an features that control InDesign are found in the onscreen palettes..." (more)
Key Phrases: Visual Quickstart Guide, Direct Selection, Table Options (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Now that you've finally figured out that InDesign's increasingly tight integration with the rest of Adobe's creative products will enable you to work more creatively and efficiently, all you want to do is get up to speed on it--yesterday, if possible! Enter InDesign CS for Macintosh and Windows: Visual QuickStart Guide. Using the task-based, visual approach that has become the hallmark Peachpit's popular Visual QuickStart Guides, this volume provides a fast, easy, comprehensive introduction to everything InDesign. You'll learn about all aspects of the InDesign interface, including its tools and palettes, as well as how to create and navigate documents, import and style text and objects, automate your work, manage long documents, use the Bezier pen tools, and work with color. You'll also find complete coverage of more advanced topics (like preflighting and advanced text control) and a thorough introduction to all of InDesign CS' new features: an updated Story Editor, nested styles, separation previews, and the Package for GoLive command.

About the Author

Sandee Cohen, is the graphics curriculum coordinator at the New School University Computer Instruction Center in New York City. In addition, she is also a frequent speaker at the Seybold, Thunder Lizard, and Macworld Expo conferences.

Product Details

• Paperback: 576 pages
• Publisher: Peachpit Press (December 4, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0321213483
• ISBN-13: 978-0321213488
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #402,200 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Complete, Easy to Read, and FUNNY, July 17, 2004

By A Customer

Some of the visual quickstart books are better than the others. This one is one of the best in the whole bunch!

The author really knows her stuff. She covers every important aspect of the program in a fun, easy to read style. The step-by-step lessons are incredibly easy to follow. You don't need any special files to learn the program. Just open the book to any page and learn the specific task you need to know.

The book is organized not just by the program's features, but by the type of projects you'd be working on. For instance, the chapter on Long Documents has all the exercises you'd want for those type of files.

The author also has some very good background stories about working in advertising and design. So you learn not just InDesign, but about things like spot color, preparing files for printing, and working with PDFs.

There are plenty of books that cost twice the price of this one. But you can't find anything as good for this price.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inexpensive, comprehensive, and easy to navigate and reference, , August 11, 2005

By	Margaret (Kansas) - See all my reviews

I've only bought a few computer manuals in my life [and never ended doing much with them but setting them on a shelf] before this, so perhaps I am not the best person to review one. Furthermore, I have never used a desktop publisher program of any kind (beyond WORD) before picking this book up - so I am about as clueless going into this as I can be. But, I had to learn In Design (along with Adobe Photoshop and Acrobat) fast. A design instructor recommended this book.

With just a little time, reading, and playing with direction - I feel like I can use In Design to do my publishing tasks. And that is saying a lot for a computer dummy like me.

There were personal forwards to the chapters that made the chapters easy to understand and that relate the software to technical/design concepts that even someone with no art and little design background can catch onto.

This books works well as a walk-through tortorial AND as a comprehensive reference book. But, unlike a $200 tutorial, this $20 book still has more to answer your questions and easy tables and listings to reference when you've walked yourself through the program.

I actually ENJOYED reading through this manual and playing with In Design- because it feels personal and interactive - without being condescending. And I felt like I was actaully moving along as I progressed through the book.

I have heard that this book may not be quite comprehensive enough for a professional designer who uses the full Adobe Creatve Suite to do professional ad and design work on a daily basis- and who is already comfortale and confident with the program. If that's you - go ahead and look into a $150+ set of manuals. But, if you are the average, even professional, individual who is looking to become familiar with In Design and its uses - then this book is very reasonably priced, easy to read and navigate, easy to reference, and -have to repeat - reasonably priced.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best book on InDesign out there, September 27, 2004

By	DST (SF) - See all my reviews

Everything in this book is done well. Ms. Cohen knows how to show things visually, and packs a lot into this volume. I also had bought "InDesign for QuarkXPress Users" and never use it because this book is all I need. Its well-organized, easy-to-use format makes looking up how to do something a breeze. The only downside is that it would do better with color, but if B&W keeps the price down, I'm all for it.

You want to divide your page into rows and columns, boom, there it is, page 30. You want to know all the ways you can wrap text, boom, there it is, pages 216-220. Copy and apply text attributes on-the-fly with the eyedropper? Copy and paste in place, change case, fake an italic (skew), and all other good stuff QuarkXPress can't do. These goodies go on and on -- lots of stuff you'd go into Illustrator or Photoshop to do, but don't have to. Want totally controllable drop shadows on text or a placed object? It's in there. Want to set a giant headline, create outlines of the text and fill the letters with a photo or illustration? It's in there! All w/recognizable Adobe interface.

Thank you, Adobe, and thank you, Sandee Cohen, for writing the missing manual.