Chapter 1

If you already use Photoshop or Illustrator, and it’s highly likely you’ve experienced either or both, then you won’t find the InDesign workspace too scary. If you haven’t, run away now . . . kidding. One of the biggest obstacles when starting up a new application is that first time you see the workspace and it looks like one of those huge chalkboards full of important equations, including lots of strange icons, menus, panels, and terminology. It’s okay, though, I am here to help. No need to hyperventilate and quit the program out of sheer panic. The first time I opened Photoshop, you could hear the gulp from 100 miles away. I scuttled straight back to Paint Shop Pro. But with the discovery of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP), I fired that bad boy up again and worked my way around. It turned out Photoshop wasn’t so mean to me and I actually understood what a lot of the menus were for and recognized what the tool icons were. Before long I had forgotten about poor old Paint Shop Pro and Adobe had me at “hello.” Well, technically at File > New, but you get what I mean. So let’s do the same with the InDesign interface. Throughout this chapter we’ll go through what the workspace is showing you and I’ll explain the various panels and menus. We’ll cover how to set things up and get your defaults sorted—lots of tips and tricks to get you familiar with your surroundings. Before you know it, you’ll be strutting around like the Fonz in Arnold’s Drive-In. I always did wonder why a grown man used the Gent’s bathroom as an office hangout, but if anyone could, the Fonz could! One cool thing to remember when you’re working with any of the Adobe apps, and InDesign is no exception, is that you always have the Help menu if you need it. This is so useful for finding certain commands and menu items. It’ll be your new best friend!

InDesign Fun Fact #1

Adobe first demonstrated InDesign (code-named K2) in 1998.