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Subject:Picking your software From:geoff-h -at- MTL -dot- FERIC -dot- CA Date:Mon, 28 Oct 1996 11:33:16 -0600
Dave Ahearn asked for advice on picking DTP software.
Here's a simplistic breakdown:
Frame: the tool of choice for long, technical documents
(particularly those produced by workgroups), and an
important tool to learn if you want to work in the
high-tech area. Not as well suited for design-intensive
work as the other options, though improving rapidly.
Pagemaker: Great for relatively long, relatively
nontechnical, design-intensive work. Easy to learn, well
supported at all service bureaus.
Quark: Similar to PageMaker, but generally preferred for
design-intensive work, particularly where color is
involved. By itself, not as good as PageMaker for long
documents; with various (expensive) Quark extensions
(add-on software), far superior to PageMaker for long
documents and publications workflow management.
Each has HTML support to some extent: Frame is best, PM is
intermediate, and Quark is at the low end (last I checked).
You noted that you're a student. Cheer up! PM and Q offer
hefty student discounts to full-time students; I don't know
if Frame does, but I wouldn't be surprised. If you can
swing it, try to buy one tool at the student price and buy
the second one for the low "competitive upgrade" price.
Always nice to have more than one screwdriver in your
utility belt.
--Geoff Hart @8^{)} geoff-h -at- mtl -dot- feric -dot- ca
Disclaimer: Speaking for myself, not FERIC.
