Software Basics

While there may be similarities between your word processor and your desktop publishing software, they don't operate in exactly the same way. If you've never used a page layout program you might find some of the tools and common tool names a touch confusing. Get a grasp of the basics of working with page layout applications such as Adobe InDesign, QuarkXPress, Microsoft Publisher, and many others. Most share these features.

• There are four basic tools found in almost all professional and many consumer level desktop publishing software programs. Discover what the four tools are and what they do.

• In most desktop publishing applications your workspace is a pasteboard.

• One of the basic tools - magnification - lets you zoom in and out for a better view.

• Page layout applications use all kinds of guides or guidelines to help you put text and graphics in their place. There are three basic types of guides and two placement options.

• Much of your layout will consist of text. And you'll probably put it in a whole lot of text frames. Learn how a text frame is used in desktop publishing software.

• You may already be familiar with these text selection tricks - they work in many kinds of software programs - but it's worth a review considering how much text work desktop publishing involves.