Accelerated QuarkXPress 5

Rating:
Summary: Finally, a book that can be used as a learning tool!
Review: I have been using MS Word to create and edit the publications that we use in our new teacher orientation programs, but every service bureau that I approached was reluctant to accept documents in MS Word format because of the myriad problems MS Word's "quirks" presents them at prodution time.

Every printing house that I have contacted responded that Quark 5 is the industry standard, that they preferred files in Quark, and that if I sent my files in MS Word format I would have to pay a hefty pre-production fee to get them ready for the press. I decided that it was time to bite the bullet and switch to Quark.

I normally just "dig in" and use a brute force attack when I purchase new software. Quark has a learning curve that was too steep for this very busy administrator. So, I checked out the reviews at Amazon.com and "Accelerated QuarkXPress 5" looked like a winner. I ordered it. I started using it. It is a winner! (Thank you to the other customer reviewers.)

From the spiral binding, the appropriate size type, and the clear print conventions, to the clear layout and the to-the-point text, Accelerated QuarkXPress 5 has been the BEST tutorial I have even purchased.

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic, On-Target Tool for Teaching Yourself QuarkXPress
Review: I recently purchased QuarkXPress 5 but was baffled by the user interface. I looked around for an affordable training company to teach me the program. I found plenty of companies, but it was the affordable part I found lacking. Then I stumbled upon this book. What a find!

Let me preface what I am about to say by telling you that I am a writer. As a writer, I can tell you that this book is, quite possibly, the most lucid learning book I have ever read. Short, easy-to-read, to the point and relevant exercises highlight this modularized tutorial.

The author obviously knows how to write in a concise manner--and he knows how to teach.

The lessons presented in the book start you where any good tutorial should--from scratch. You will learn how to create new, custom documents. Then you move smartly to formatting text, working with pictures, adding pages, working with styles, master pages and more. This book even made quick work out of creating Web pages and PDF files.

I see that this review has gone on a bit too long. So let me end with five simple words: "This book is a buy!"