|
08-28-2005, 01:00 PM | #1 |
Member
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Ipswich (the one in England)
Posts: 5,105
|
Is there an alternative to InDesign?
I want to use a layout program; I want to be able to use ligatures, old-style figures, and small capitals.
I don't like pasteboard-style programs, like InDesign; Word has limitations; I don't want to use 'expert fonts' when a good OT font has all I need. But, the only programs that support Unicode are InDesign and Word. What do I do? __________________ Michael |
08-28-2005, 01:54 PM | #2 |
Member
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Sarnia, Canada
Posts: 1,122
|
Have you complained to Adobe about your dislike of the Glyph palette (I assume that is what bugs you). I'd also like to see a keyboard method of accessing special characters in some way, even if it means mapping glyphs to function keys or something. I get annoyed having to bring down the glyph palette every time I want a reduced size pound sign for use with OSF, or something similar.
Don McCahill |
08-28-2005, 02:35 PM | #3 | |
Sysop
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Subtropical Queensland, Australia, between the mountains and the Coral Sea
Posts: 4,592
|
Quote:
If you don't like the pasteboard in InDesign, you can avoid having to keep adding text boxes etc. on each page by managing them with master pages. You could set up a template with the text boxes where you want them on the various masters (or all the same master, if your basic layout only requires that) and then start each new document from the master. You can even set your window size to avoid showing the pasteboard. __________________ |
|
08-28-2005, 03:10 PM | #4 |
Member
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Ipswich (the one in England)
Posts: 5,105
|
Don:
Have you complained to Adobe about your dislike of the Glyph palette No (in fact I hadn't thought of that!), but having used FrameMaker since v. 4, the pasteboard approach doesn't appeal to me. But the big thing is Unicode. I knew that FrameMaker doesn't allow access to Unicode characters, but I hadn't realized that it doesn't 'see' Unicode characters it doesn't know; I can access any Unicode character that a font possesses in Word, so I had thought I could import text containing Unicode cjharacters that are not mapped by a Microsoft page—until I tried it! So, for better or worse, I'll probably have to master InDesign, unless Adobe exerts itself and brings out a version of FrameMaker that understands Unicode. The present version (7.1) will export Unicode characters to XML, but that is not much use to me. It can't sell FrameMaker, for then Microsoft would snap it up: it's got quite a following, and hitherto has sold well. __________________ Michael |
08-28-2005, 03:18 PM | #5 |
Member
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Ipswich (the one in England)
Posts: 5,105
|
Ann:
I'm a great fan of the pasteboard approach Many people are, especially if they've had previous experience of genuine pasteboards—I haven't! But I do like Unicode, which has been understood by suitable Windows applications since Windows NT, which is quite a while back. __________________ Michael |
08-29-2005, 02:58 AM | #6 | |
Staff
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Posts: 526
|
Quote:
Shane |
|
08-29-2005, 03:25 AM | #7 | |
Member
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Tadcaster, North Yorkshire
Posts: 168
|
Quote:
Richard |
|
08-29-2005, 04:46 AM | #8 |
Member
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Ipswich (the one in England)
Posts: 5,105
|
Richard:
Thanks—but does it use the pasteboard metaphor? __________________ Michael |
08-29-2005, 06:03 AM | #9 | |
Member
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Sarnia, Canada
Posts: 1,122
|
Quote:
Don McCahill |
|
08-29-2005, 06:32 AM | #10 |
Sysop Emeritus
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: southeastern Iowa, in the technology corridor
Posts: 2,190
|
Richard will reply for sure, but when I just looked at the Serif site, it doesn't look like PagePlus has a pasteboard -- or maybe it's just a pasteboard that doesn't look like that of any program I use...
Workspace page Screen Shots page |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
body onblur() alternative? | John Woram | Web Site Building & Maintenance | 2 | 10-18-2005 08:18 AM |