What is InDesign
InDesign is a desktop publishing software application for creating flyers, brochures, magazines, newspapers, and books. Projects created using InDesign can be shared digitally and in print. InDesign is used by graphic designers, artists, publishers and marketing professionals. It is developed and produced by Adobe Systems and is available individually or as part of Adobe Creative Cloud. InDesign was previously available as part of Creative Suite.
What is InDesign CC
Adobe InDesign CC is part of Creative Cloud, a collection of applications used for print, video, and online design, marketing, and communications. Adobe InDesign CC is available for use on Mac OS or Windows computers. The CC designates that the app is part of Creative Cloud. The current version of InDesign is InDesign CC 2020, which was updated in June 2020.
InDesign CC provides access to other Adobe resources. Many of these services within InDesign CC involve additional paid services, where Adobe collects additional fees beyond the monthly license for CC applications. These include Adobe Stock which, for an additional fee, provides access to images. Likewise, fonts from Typekit are available at an additional cost beyond the cost of InDesign.
What is the difference between InDesign CC and CS
Earlier versions of the app used the CS designation, which stood for Creative Suite. InDesign CC is subscription-based, requiring monthly or annual fees, while InDesign CS was available as a perpetual license that could be purchased and used forever with a one-time fee. Many of the same features needed for working on projects are present in the CC and CS versions of InDesign. Although InDesign CS is no longer supported by Adobe Systems, it can still be used for many projects on Mac OS and Windows computers. While InDesign CC may not have received significant updates since the Creative Suite releases, the companion Adobe apps have been significantly updated. Users subscribed to the full Creative Cloud for other apps can access InDesign CC as included. InDesign CC is useful if you are using newer Windows operating systems.
InDesign History
The first version of InDesign was released on August 31, 1999. The program began development long before that, with another Seattle-based company known as Aldus that created desktop publishing software. Alde developed some of the first graphics and desktop publishing programs available for personal computers running early versions of Windows and Mac operating systems. These included applications such as Superpaint and PageMaker. The first version of PageMaker was released by Aldus in July 1985 and provided a simplified graphical user interface suited to the point-and-click user experience of the Macintosh. Consequently, PageMaker became popular for early uses of desktop publishing. At the height of the company in 1990, PageMaker 4.0 hit the market and was considered advanced for its time,
In 1994, Adobe purchased Aldus and acquired most of its software applications, the most notable being PageMaker. In the years before the Adobe-Aldus acquisition, PageMaker had lost significant market share to QuarkXPress. Quark had many more features and eventually pushed PageMaker out of the professional desktop publishing market.
In 2000, Adobe released the first version of InDesign with the intention of replacing PageMaker and offering a more competitive application with QuarkXPress. At the dawn of Mac OS X, Adobe also had a first-mover advantage by offering InDesign as the first native desktop publishing program for OS X, as QuarkXPress was only available on versions of Mac OS prior to that era.
Adobe eventually bundled InDesign with Photoshop and Illustrator, then added additional tools to provide the Creative Suite. Since many designers were already using Photoshop and Illustrator, offering InDesign as part of these other applications helped it become more quickly adopted. Within 10 years of its launch, Adobe InDesign had supplanted QuarkXPress as the ultimate desktop publishing tool.
How InDesign is used
InDesign is used to create flyers, brochures, magazines, newspapers, posters, business cards, postcards, stickers, comics, and many other types of documents or visual communication.
InDesign is an industry standard for publication design and is used by graphic design and marketing professionals. It can be used in conjunction with other applications that are part of Adobe Creative Cloud, including Illustrator and Photoshop, or it can be used on its own. Images and illustrations are usually not created in InDesign, but layouts using text, images, and drawings that are often created in other programs are assembled into a layout using InDesign .
What does Adobe InDesign do
InDesign provides the tools to design pages and create visual layouts that can be used for both print and digital media. InDesign offers users a streamlined way to create professional looking pages that can be published and distributed in print or online.
InDesign is especially useful for documents with multiple pages, layouts that combine text and images, and those with large amounts of text.
How much does InDesign cost
Adobe InDesign CC is available as a subscription and the cost of InDesign CC varies depending on the subscription plan selected. An individual subscription for InDesign only costs $19.99 per month when subscribed for a full year and $29.99 per month if subscribed for a single month. Adobe also offers a Creative Cloud plan that includes InDesign along with over 20 other Adobe apps that costs $49.99 per month or $74.99 per month if you only subscribe for one month.
Academic discounts are available for Creative Cloud, including InDesign. Students and teachers can subscribe to all Creative Cloud apps for $19.99 per month for an annual plan with proof that they work or attend a qualifying educational institution. There is no monthly option for reduced fees.
Non-subscribers can review files created using InDesign with review features added with InDesign CC 2020 online without the need for a subscription.
