Why use InDesign CS3? Simple Answers to a Simple Question

Why Use InDesign Rather Than Microsoft Word

Why use InDesign rather than Microsoft Word? You should consider the type of work you are doing to answer this question. Common writing tasks

such as term papers or a letters are tasks you probably would rather do in Word than in Adobe InDesign. Because InDesign is a tool for designing page layouts, placing graphics and color management is superior to anything Microsoft Word can do.

Another reason to use InDesign is because it produces files that are compatible with offset printing. Most people also find that Adobe InDesign handles documents with multiple columns better than Word does. In short, InDesign is superior for page layout, while Word is best for use as a word processor.

Why Use InDesign Rather Than Adobe Illustrator

Many people familiar with the Adobe Creative Suite ask “Why use InDesign rather than Adobe Illustrator?“Although Adobe Illustrator and InDesign are both desktop publishing programs, they serve different purposes and have differing capabilities. One reason to use Adobe InDesign rather than Illustrator is for the creation of multi-page documents. Rather than creating a separate file in Illustrator for each page of your project, use InDesign to create your publication all in one file. This capability makes creating and editing a book or magazine a lot easier to do.

Adobe InDesign also has preflight tools that help your workflow. Also, InDesign seems to be more capable when it comes to placing image files in non-native formats. The tool box is different between the programs as well. While both applications have tools that look and feel similar, the capabilities of the two programs are different. For example, Adobe Illustrator has more tools and effects for creating graphics while InDesign has more tools for creating effective layouts.

Asking why you should use InDesign rather than Illustrator before you start your work will help you choose the application that best matches your task.

Why Use InDesign CS3 Rather Than QuarkXpress?

Long the standard in page layout and printing, QuarkXpress met its match in Adobe InDesign years ago and is still trying to catch up. In spite of a streamlined interface in its latest version, QuarkXpress still seems to lag behind InDesign in features and ease of use. QuarkXPress has improved its ability to import Adobe files, and has incorporated tools that work more like its competitor. Still, Quark feels bloated, slow and old. While Quark has been playing catch-up, Adobe has been busy making work more efficient and easier with every new release.

Perhaps one of the most significant reasons to use InDesign CS3 is that you can access many Photoshop features without leaving the program, making work faster. Rather than switching between Quark and InDesign over and over as you work with graphics, you can conveniently make most of your adjustments from within the Adobe InDesign interface.