Indesign for QuarkXPress Users

QuarkXpress used to rule the world of layout and Pagemaker was a program produced by Aldus. At least that's the way it was when I began my career in graphic design. I started on a PC platform using Pagemaker. After struggling with file formats and printing issues for a year, I convinced my employer to make the jump to QuarkXpress on Macintosh. My justification was that the incurred cost of new equipment and software would be paid back in reduced printing setup fees, as well as more efficient production time. Long story short, I happily abandoned Pagemaker for over a decade, and became an ardent supporter of Quark products. In the meantime, Pagemaker was bought by Adobe and was morphed into InDesign. At first, I ignored it, since Quark had been proven to be a stable and consistent program. But, as most Quark fans, I eventually started to see how the company was resting on its laurels. Adobe was on the cutting edge, and Quark has seen a major drop in use. They say all things go in circles, and that was the case for me when I changed jobs and was given a shiny new PC with Adobe InDesign. I had to relearn Pagemaker again, along with dozens of new features. Simply put, this book is exactly what you need. InDesign has tons of great features, and chances are you won't know about half of them without this. And best of all, it explains things in a way that you'll understand. If you are using QuarkXpress now, you won't be for long. You'll need this.

I too was terrified to make the switch from Quark to InDesign. I consider myself to be a Quark "power user" and was so comfortable in the program that I found it scary to leave. I recently saw David speak at the Digial Design Conference in Seattle and I felt assured that the time had come to make the switch - or become a technological dinosaur. So after seeing David speak I purchased the book myself to "test the waters." WOW. I was amazed by the things that InDesign allows me to do - such as dealing with transparency issues and no longer needing to save files as EPS to place in a layout program. Keeping files in their native Photoshop or Illustrator layered format is PHENOMENOL. I saw live examples of the types of files I would use and the book gives detailed information on making the switch. It just makes sense - it's like the people who still use PageMaker?! Either catch up with technology or find yourself in the same job in 10 years. I can never imagine going back to Quark, and this book is my tour guide (and bible) to life in the new digital world. Oh, and never again will I have to hold down the return key for an hour to update my images. Life is good.

The collaborative effort of QuarkXPress experts David Blatner, Christopher Smith, and Steve Werner, InDesign For QuarkXPress Users is an impressive reference tool for those who are already basically proficient in QuarkXPress software and want to learn Adobe InDesign for the creation of professional graphics. Straightforward instruction, numerous screenshots and examples, and an easy-to-follow language makes InDesign For QuarkXPress Users an excellent and thoroughly "user friendly" informational and reference resource for a very rapid learning curve.