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 for magazine production and layout, and the software at the time didn’t really have any powerful, advanced features.  Does anyone remember this?  Comment below.  

An alternative is QuarkXpress

I used the software from about 1991 until the middle of 1995, when I switched to QuarkXpress. I was at the University of Ulster, Art College, in York Street, Belfast.  Pagemaker was stiff and lacked many features that Xpress offered.  When I started working full-time at Peninsula Print around 1998, I used only Pagemaker.  Some companies were set up for Pagemaker, and others for Xpress.  

The switch to Adobe InDesign

QuarkXPress had more flexibility, and I used it until I switched to Adobe InDesign around 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: the printer noticed a missing text or graphic, which was very worrying.  Apart from that, I’ve had no problems.  When I worked at Antrim Printers, they used 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. Adobe Illustrator includes some features, but you may need to switch between the two software packages.  I find the software fairly easy to use.  I hope you enjoy InDesign and all the best.