Software suggestions for newbies + guides needed

[Milos]

I would like to apologize in advance if there is a similar topic. I`ve tried your search but the results were to vast to check


I`ve already said on 2 topics that i`m a newbie, so i guess there is no damage done if i do so once more
Also, don`t mind my English too much, i`m not a native speaker. :/

I`ll start with a quick intro about what i do, and then i`ll skip right to what i need

I`m an apprentice deskop publisher at a small printshop. Currently i`m using mainly CorelDraw to tackle most of the prepress i have to deal with. Our clients often send .eps and .indd files so i`m beginning to learn to use the entire Adobe`s CS2 suite (i`ve found InDesign most usefull in some situations, but i`m still getting used to Adobe`s way of doing things).

On my recent visit to a friend of mine that works as a desktop publisher at a designer/prepress studio, i`ve noticed that they use some other software that would have been most helpful with some of the tasks i had to deal with in the past

I remeber that one of the programs is "Creo Preps" and it is wonderful in dealing with PDF files (PDF books that need to be prepared for the print).

Now... here is a quick list of what types of software i want you to suggest:

1. A program for preparing pdf files to be printed as a book or a booklet (creo preps is for that i think)
2. A program for preparing lots of differently formatted Microsoft Word files. (My way of doing this was copying the text and pasting it in a coreldraw textbox, and then formatting it... so so painful)
3. Any other piece of software you think i would need in my work
4. ... i`ll ask for more if i think of anything

edit:

Oh yeah... if you could help me find some good free tutorials on using CS2 and other software, it would be awesome

Thanks!

[DCurry]

Originally Posted by Milos

A program for preparing lots of differently formatted Microsoft Word files. (My way of doing this was copying the text and pasting it in a coreldraw textbox, and then formatting it... so so painful)

This is an easy one - from Word, print to a Postscript file (you might need to do a search on how to configure your Windows machine to do this - it's pretty easy, but I can't remember offhand exactly the steps). Take that Postscript file and distill it into a PDF (you already have Distiller in your Creative Suite). Then you just need to fix the colors (it will be RGB) in Acrobat. Pitstop Pro would be a great plugin to Acrobat for accomplishing this, although the newest version of Acrobat can probably do most of what you need (I'm still using Acrobat 6, so I'm not sure exactly what 8 can and can't do, or how easily).

This procedure will make Word files pretty easy to deal with.

[jminrod]

Hi Milos, Here is a web site from adobe.
http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/exchange/
It is there exchange site. You might need to sign up as a user, Its free.
After you click on this link you caan choose the products seperatly such as Illustrator or indesign, from the next window select tutorials from the Catagories drop down menu, You will be able to download many self paced tutorials for all of the CS products

As far as preps it is a great program but it is pretty expensive there are others out there such as Box of tricks and signa station

If you have CS that has acrobat and a version of microsoft word you can export PDF's right from word these can then be used or placed into InDesign. Alot of other things depend on what you are actually sending these files to, such as what RIP or what plate maker or are they being sent to a printing co,pany or are you the printing company.
Hope it helps

There is also a program called Quark xpress which has a Microsoft import plugin that you can load and it will keep the formatting from Microsoft when you paste the text. It is similiar to Indesign some things better but alot worse, depending on who you talk to.

[Milos]

@jminrod

Thanks!

We have quark express 7.0. even tho i only started it a couple of times. When i was preparing that book to be printer, i first tried quark with the microsoft word import option, but it did not work (illegal formatting or some error like that).

What i would like to know is -- is preps worth its price? If it is better then those other products you named, my company will buy it (problably after my boss consults with his coleagues from other studios)

@DCurry

How about Word -> Print -> Acrobat PDF Printer ?
I think the resulting file is in CMYK

Oh.. and i just remembered that i could have formatted all the text files in word, exported them to pdf, and then put them together in indesign....
So much time wasted....

Thank you guys, if you have any other opinions on these issues, I will be more then interested to hear them

[DCurry]

Originally Posted by Milos

How about Word -> Print -> Acrobat PDF Printer ?
I think the resulting file is in CMYK

I've not used that method, but I would be surprised if it is, because I was under the impression that Word does not support CMYK at all.

[Joe]

Originally Posted by Milos

Now... here is a quick list of what types of software i want you to suggest:

1. A program for preparing pdf files to be printed as a book or a booklet (creo preps is for that i think)
2. A program for preparing lots of differently formatted Microsoft Word files. (My way of doing this was copying the text and pasting it in a coreldraw textbox, and then formatting it... so so painful)
3. Any other piece of software you think i would need in my work
4. ... i`ll ask for more if i think of anything !

Creo Preps is now Kodak Preps. It is a page imposition program. Dynastrip is another and there are others.

Quark and InDesign are page layout apps. So is PageMaker and Microsoft Publisher if you like punishing yourself. You should be able to import text from Word files in both Quark and InDesign.

Adobe Illustrator is an Illustration program.

Adobe Photoshop an image manipulation program.

Corel Draw Suite does both of the illustration/image stuff. A lot of people don't care for it around here.

Most of the programs will do more. Like some people like doing page layout in Photoshop. Don't be one of them. :lol:

Originally Posted by Joe

Most of the programs will do more. Like some people like doing page layout in Photoshop. Don't be one of them. :lol:

Good call!! :lol: :lol:

[Milos]

Ok thanks, you have also helped me out with terminology (my vocabulary lacks prepress phrases ).

[LetMeHelpU]

Hi Milos, On Demand from www.imposition.com will do it for you. It is the best price - features solution we found. Works like a charm.

[Jacky]

Hi Milos,

If you have acrobat, the easiest is to print to PDF within word and drop this new file into Impostrip OnDemand which will maximize your layout for you.

My favorite feature of Impostrip On Demand are the hot folders. I often print saddle stich brochures and with this application, I can drop in an 8 1/2 by 11 4 page brochure or a 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 8 page brochure into the same hot folder and it will impose it, ajusting to the size of the page and the number of pages. It even ajusts the marks for me.

I save so much time now. I am really happy

Also, you do not need to be an expert to learn this solution. really simple!

Good luck!