Print Features

Acrobat's TouchUp Text Tool: Dancing with the Devil

Using the TouchUp Text Tool can be like a pact with the devil. You may get the changes you want, but you may also get way more than you bargained for. However, there are three situations in which the TouchUp Text Tool is a valuable resource.

Eco-Friendly Inks

Are "green" inks as good as traditional inks?

Photo Murals Make You Think Big. Really Big.

For this children's museum in California, one intrepid creative pro produced an 18-gigabyte HDR Photoshop file, a 19-foot-long printout, and a 9-foot-high neon sign.

HerGeekness Says: Convert a File, Any File

When clients hand you files so ancient or obscure that they're unreadable, don't despair. Part 1 of my file conversion survival kit will have you repurposing those files lickety split -- without asking the client to lift a finger, and without forcing you to buy every application under the sun just to open the occasional weirdo document.

InDesign Inspiration

Nick Sherman uses Adobe InDesign for everything from band buttons to cookbooks for kids with cancer. Check out his work in this inspiring article.

First Look: QuarkXPress 8.0

Finally, the makeover designers have been waiting for.

Set Them Free!

Find and use the free images and photos hidden in common applications.

Scanning Around With Gene: Five Years on a Flatbed

On the occasion of five years writing his column for CreativePro.com, Gene Gable looks back on what he's learned scanning everything from dirty cocktail napkins to old record-albums. That, and the difference between a quail and a pheasant.

Make Sense of Paper's Chlorine-Free Claims

Do you want your printed projects to be as green as possible? This explanation of confusing paper-bleaching terms will help.

TypeTalk: Fast Answers to Font Questions

Are smart quotes always curly? Are headlines always left aligned? When is it OK to use ampersands? And how do you find and use true small caps?

InDesign Magazine: Tip of the Week Archive

This is a compilation of all pastInDesign Magazine Tip-of-the-Weeks.

Scanning Around With Gene: Oh Yeah? Then Show Me Your Badge.

There was a time when many professions, from elevator operator to society reporter, came with a badge. Gene Gable takes a look back at badge design and wonders what themes might emerge if graphic designers were to revive this lost art. Submit your customized badge and you may win an Amazon.com gift certificate!

A Different Kind of Design Competition

This entry in the 2008 Olympics symbol contest speaks in a language understood around the world. At the same time simple and complex, it's a prime example of good design.

TypeTalk: Practical Tips You Can Use

From how to break long URLs to the epic struggle between em dashes and en dashes, we have the answers to your typographic quandaries.

Think Big: Large-format Basics

Do you want to create bus wraps, billboards, or even just large posters? Read this first.

Gift Guide 2007

Looking for something special to give creative types this holiday season? You won't find these suggestions in every mall.

TypeTalk: A Cornucopia of Font Facts

This month, learn how to handle scaling surprises, PDFs that need editing, an optical font family, and those weird marks some editor scribbled on your layout.

Cut through Advertising Clutter with Archetypes

Advertising has changed a lot over the decades. What started as "Here's the product, now buy it!" ads in the 1950s have turned into "Here's a feeling, now feel it!" ads, in which products appear as personalities, metaphors, and emotions. Psychological theory can help you tap into archetypes that appeal to people at these deeper levels.

Desert Island Reading

Last month, I received an email message from someone setting up a new graphic design department at a university.

Decoding the Recycling Symbol

Do you know when, where, and how to use the recycling symbol on the products you design or market?