Tips & Tricks

When you are ready to purchase the most recent release of your graphic design or desktop publishing application to get the latest and greatest tools, make sure you know what you're paying for. Gill's Printing & Color Graphics of Las Vegas has taken a look at some of the most popular titles and provided a list of reviews from around the Web. Before you head off to the computer store, find out if the upgrade is worth the price or whether you might want to wait until the next version.

• Adobe Acrobat Pro (designer-info.com)

  A major overhaul of the creation and review of PDF files and new high-end design capabilities add to Acrobat's existing strengths.

• Adobe Illustrator CS5 (designer-info.com)

  New tools, distortion effects, symbol support, data-driven imaging, image slicing and improved SWF and SVG Web output see Illustrator CS5 pushing forward on all fronts.

• Adobe InDesign CS5 (adobe.com)

  Adobe® InDesign® CS5 software provides precise control over typography and built-in creative tools for designing, preflighting, and publishing documents for print, online, or to mobile devices. Include interactivity, animation, video, and sound in page layouts to fully engage readers.

• Adobe Photoshop CS5 (pcworld.com)

  Photoshop CS5 has lots of little tweaks, enhancements, and improvements that add up to smoother workflow, greater convenience, and more creative potential for those who use Photoshop day in and day out.

• CorelDraw Graphics Suite 11.0 (cnet.com)

  CorelDraw Graphics Suite 11.0 has applications for professional-level illustration, image editing, and Web graphics.

• Macromedia Freehand MX (macworld.com)

  Powerful new illustration tools and enhanced integration with other MX programs have earned FreeHand its MX moniker.

• Microsoft Office 11.0 (cnet.com)

  Microsoft has enhanced some of Office 2003's applications... but most Office enhancements benefit large-scale setups.

• Microsoft Office X for Mac (cnet.com)

  If you've been waiting for a good reason to purchase Mac OS X, Office X is it.

• Microsoft Publisher 2003 (designer-info.com)

  New designs, projects and output options boost Publisher's office-based publishing.

• QuarkXPress 5.0 (zdnet.com)

  If you've used a previous version of Quark, you'll absolutely want this upgrade.