Adobe InDesign 2.0 Classroom in a Book

Rating:
Summary: Too expensive for what it tells you.
Review: Adobe make a lot of great software for which they can never tell anyone in a straightforward fashion how to use, except for a few well hidden bulletins that you might happen to chance upon on their web-site. To compound this problem they insist on creating their quite expensive 'Classroom in a Book series, which, although nicely designed and printed on quality materials, don't really tell you much more than is already available in the application's Help Guide, which, if persevered with, makes the CIB issue a bit superfluous.

This book would be just about acceptable for Photoshop Elements, since it's an application not intended to be used in professional circumstances. Indesign 2.0, however, is, and is also pretty expensive. Okay you can quickly get the hang of the basics with some prior experience of PageMaker and the Help Guide, but this application really needs to be explained by someone such as Thomas Neuburger who did such a nice job for FrameMaker 6.0: an application that Indesign 2.0 is supposed to be head-to-head with.

Adobe really need to get a grip and desist from treating their high-end products as little more than glorified frivolities for customers with deep pockets. It makes for dissatisfaction, and a lack of any appreciation as to how much better their products are in relation to less expensive alternatives, that only do basic things.

Rating:
Summary: This is a good LESSON BOOK!
Review: I am a designer that is completely self educated. I have found in my 3 years of study that the books I most enjoy are the step by step lesson/ tutorial books. Now I know some people have complained that this book doesn't deliver the goods, but I am here to say that it does and more. It shows you how to use each aspect of InDesign 2 and how you can apply it to real world use. The problem that I have with books like Visual Quickstart books is that they say: " This tool does this and this is how you get this," but if you're a new designer you don't know what things are or what a "Pull Quote" is or for. That is why I stick to these step by step books. They explain the what and the why of what you're doing so you can apply it to your real world work. My complements to Adobe on a JOB WELL DONE~!

Rating:
Summary: In Design Classroom in a Book errors
Review: I am not a computer expert. I purchased InDesign Classroom in a book because I knew it would go step by step. Unfortunately there are fonts needed that are not on the disk (i.e. Adobe Garamond Pro, Graceless...?) Making a substitution does not always work. There are too many errors in the book. The biggest problem is trying to find an e-mail question site.

Rating:
Summary: Good Price
Review: If your going to Fairleigh Dickinson University you will need this book if your taking Digital Design and Graphics Price is GOOD

Rating:
Summary: Not Too Helpful
Review: Purchased the book because my firm was migrating to InDesign last year and I remembered from past experience the Classroom in a Book series was pretty good. Well, the book is somewhat helpful EXCEPT for the errors noted in the review below. It's pretty disappointing that the publisher of the software couldn't have done a better job with their own guide! For a better intro to InDesign, try the Visual Quickstart Guide.