How to Read This Book

The Adobe InDesign CS Bible is made up of 42 chapters and 8 appendixes divided into 10 parts , in addition to the QuickStart that appears just before Part I begins. If you're a novice InDesign user but familiar with desktop publishing, I suggest you read the book in order, because the process of page design is presented in the typical publishing workflow. You first learn how (and why) to create basic pages, containers, placeholders, and templates; then you learn how to work with specific elements (such as text and graphics); and finally, you learn how to use special effects and deal with prepress issues (such as output control, image manipulation, trapping, and printing).

If you're experienced with InDesign, read the book in any order you want ‚ pick those sections or chapters that cover the InDesign implementation issues you want to know more about. You should also find the exhaustive index a real aid in finding what you're looking for.

If you're new to publishing, be sure to start with Part IX: "Introduction to Publishing," which teaches novice publishers the basics. And experienced publishers should at least skim this part as well ‚ you're likely to find new ideas and perspectives on how you approach your work.

Whether you're reading the book sequentially or nonsequentially, you'll find the many cross-references helpful. Publication design is ultimately successful because the result is more than the sum of its parts ‚ and the tools used to create and implement your designs cannot be used in isolation. Because this is true, having one "right" order or grouping of content is impossible . The cross-references let you know where to get additional information when what you're seeking to understand or learn doesn't fit the way I've organized this book.

Following is a brief description of the parts you will find in the Adobe InDesign CS Bible.

InDesign QuickStart

This guide walks you through the creation of a document to give you a quick tour of the program, from creation to printing. It's a convenient way to see the main InDesign features in action and quickly get a sense of how they work.

Part I: Welcome to InDesign

This part walks you through the initial steps of using InDesign to create your publications . I give you a basic introduction to InDesign itself, explaining the concepts it uses in its layout approach. I also highlight what's special about InDesign.

Part II: Document Fundamentals

This part explains how to create the basic containers ‚ documents, pages, and layers ‚ of a publishing project and how to set the standards for your documents, from master pages, libraries, and templates to guides and colors. InDesign comes with a set of tools that lets you automate repetitive work, apply common elements to a range of pages, and customize page settings, among other capabilities. This part walks you through the ins and outs of all of them. You'll also learn how to use the book-publishing features meant to standardize the production of multichapter projects.

Part III: Object Fundamentals

This part explains how InDesign's frame and line tools work so you can create and manipulate layout objects. With these building blocks, you construct almost all the components in a layout, from the frame containers that hold text and pictures to original artwork you create in InDesign. You'll also learn how to move, group , copy, and lock such objects and how to automate repetitive object actions to save time.

Part IV: Text Fundamentals

This part shows you how to import and work with text files, including the application of typographic features to really jazz up your layout. You'll also learn how to create tables and how to set up style sheets to automate the application of typography to document text.

Part V: Graphics Fundamentals

This part discusses how to use InDesign to manipulate and work with pictures and images in your layout, whether imported from another program or created within InDesign. Although text carries the message, a picture is what gets your attention ‚ and often can say more than any collection of words. This part helps you get the most out of your images in InDesign. It also shows you how you can use the tools in InDesign to create a variety of shapes that can be used as original artwork or as specialty containers for text and images.

Part VI: Output Fundamentals

This part walks you through the output steps of publishing. This part shows you what you need to be aware of as well as showing you how to output your documents for printing or for use in the Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF), which is often used for network- and CD-based documents, as well as for Web-based documents.

Part VII: Cross-Media Fundamentals

This part discusses how InDesign can help you create interactive documents ‚ those that take advantage of multimedia files, page actions, and forms ‚ that are distributed via the PDF format or as an eBook. You'll also learn the basics of working with XML, the structured content system widely used by Web-oriented content engines. InDesign can both create XML files and use XML files to turn templates into completed InDesign documents for automated publishing systems.

Part VIII: Going Beyond the Program

This part expands your horizons. Very few publishers work by themselves , and most have a whole raft of tools to work their miracles . The chapters in this part expose you to key insights in working beyond InDesign, covering workgroup issues, the use of plug-ins to add new capabilities, and the use of scripts to automate your work.

Part IX: Introduction to Publishing

This part is a quick tour of publishing fundamentals for new and experienced users alike. I cover the essential tools for a complete publishing environment, show you how to use special characters in your documents, define the terms used in publishing, and explain the basic principles to good layout, typography, and color usage.

Part X: Appendixes

The appendixes in this book take you through the ins and outs of how to install Adobe InDesign, what is new in version CS, how QuarkXPress and PageMaker users can more easily make the switch to InDesign, how to switch to Mac OS X (InDesign CS does not support Mac OS 9), and how to use the optional InCopy group-editing tools. You'll also find an appendix with all the shortcuts in one place, and another that previews the companion Web site www.INDDcentral.com .