Desktop Publishing Tools

Adobe InDesign

• InDesign Tutorials - excellent Adobe tutorials on InDesign's various features.
• InDesign Tips & Tricks - a collection of InDesign tips from Adobe certified instructor Cari Jensen.
• InDesign Plug-ins - a great group of modules for extending the power of your home version of InDesign. Some free, most not-so-free.
• Power XChange Plug-ins - more plug-ins to check out.
• InDesign Scripts - a collection of scripts for automating processes within InDesign.
• Wikipedia - entry on InDesign, with links to related terms.

• Designer's Guide to PDF - an excellent site that includes a number of tutorials on how PDF is used in prepress workflows. Includes a helpful workflow diagram.
• PDF Output Guide for Print Service Providers - a detailed Adobe publication explaining the role of Acrobat 6 in digital press workflows (PDF).
• PDF Preflight Learning Center - a series of articles on PDF preflighting from Planet PDF.
• PDF Workflows - an Adobe overview of how Acrobat PDFs are used in print production workflows.
• PDF/X Specifications - an Adobe FAQ on how the PDF/X standard is used in Adobe print products.
• Job Definition Format (JDF) - an Adobe site explaining how the JDF standard can be incorporated into PDF workflows in the printing business. See also Creating Reliable JDF with Acrobat 7.

Adobe FrameMaker

• FrameMaker Product Page - though no longer available for Mac OS X, FrameMaker remains popular among Windows and Unix enterprise technical writers for its ability to handle long documents and its integration with XML and SGML. Tryout version available.
• FrameUsers - the online users group for Adobe FrameMaker.
• Open Directory for FrameMaker - a small collection of excellent web sites dedicated to FrameMaker issues.

Utilities

• Art Directors Toolkit (Mac only) - tremendous all-purpose utility for print work.
• Color Schemer (Windows & Mac) - a broad set of tools for creating color schemes, including stand alone programs as well as online color schemes and Mac widgets.
• Color Wheel Pro (Windows only) - though available in the Ross 420 classroom PCs, you can also download a 30-day limited feature demo for home use.
• Color Consultant Pro (Mac only) - the Macintosh version of a color theory application. Demo download available.
• SnagIt (Windows only) - screen shot application for PCs; much better than the platform's built-in "print screen" solution. Demo download available.
• Screen Shot Pro (Mac only) - the Mac's built-in screen shot feature is much better than the PC's, but this app is a step up. Demo download available.
• PowerQuote (Mac only) - a demo version of a high-priced, but powerful program for automating estimates for printing jobs.

If you find additional online sources for any of these applications, please let me know.