Mastering InDesign CS3 for Print Design and Production

Adobe's InDesign gives you more creative freedom than you've ever experienced in the world of professional layout and design. The problem is that learning how to work with this powerful software can be a difficult and frustrating process.

This comprehensive book goes beyond the basics, clearly showing you how to effectively use InDesign to meet your printing and prepress needs. It guides you through the new features and functionality of InDesign CS3 and helps you develop sophisticated solutions. With a solid focus on improving your efficiency and creative freedom, this book provides the expert guidance you need to master collaboration within workgroups; work efficiently with text, objects, and variable text; perfect your printed output; harness the power of InDesign transparency and effects tools, and much more.

Along with invaluable hands-on lessons and a healthy dose of advice from his 20 years in graphic arts, publishing, and print production, author Pariah S. Burke also provides you with numerous examples and case studies that will help you apply the skills you've learned to real-world situations.

Coverage includes:


Setting up press-ready pages and spreads with bleed, slug, and live areas
Placing and fitting images rapidly and accurately

Working with attribute-level transparency and new Photoshop-like effects for eye-popping results

Utilizing layers, guides, grids, templates, and libraries to speed the design process

Ensuring that image color settings and proof colors match

Maximizing productivity through reusable settings and assets

Collaborating with editorial through InCopy assignments

Collaborating with design peers through the Placed Pages Workflow

Utilizing dynamic text and variables

Handling common drawing tasks without Illustrator® or Photoshop®