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David Blatner
David Blatner is the Editorial Director of InDesign Magazine, as well as the co-host of InDesignSecrets.com and PEPCON: The Print & ePublishing Conference. He is the author of 16 books that have been translated into 15 languages, including "Real World InDesign," "Real World Photoshop," "The QuarkXPress Books," "The Joy of Pi," "Judaism for Dummies," and "The Flying Book."
Blatner has been training and consulting for the professional graphic arts community for over 20 years, and has spoken at conferences and workshops in five continents.
Plumb the Depths of Your InDesign Layout
How-Tos: Written by David Blatner on December 21, 2011
When an InDesign page gets complicated, knowing the tricks for selecting overlapping and/or grouped objects will save you time and frustration.
InDesign Efficiency: Keep Your Hand on the Keyboard
How-Tos: Written by David Blatner on October 3, 2011
InDesign's Quick Apply is an amazing yet underused feature that greatly improves your efficiency and is even better than keyboard shortcuts, since you only have to remember one key combination.
Track Down Obscure Glyphs in InDesign
How-Tos: Written by David Blatner on July 11, 2011
There are many characters that don't appear on standard keyboards. Here's how to enter those hard-to-reach glyphs in Adobe InDesign.
Drop 20 Pounds with InDesign
How-Tos: Written by David Blatner Mike Rankin on April 4, 2011
Are your InDesign files so full of junk that they're clogging your printer? Slowing down your processor? Taking more than their share of hard drive space? Here's how to make them slim, svelte, and ready to jog all the way to the printer or screen. We can't help you fit into too-tight clothes, but it's easy to put your InDesign files on a diet.
Create InDesign Effects that Wow!
How-Tos: Written by David Blatner Diane Burns Mike McHugh Mike Rankin Rufus Deuchler Ted LoCascio on December 17, 2009
These quick tutorials will add seven tricks to your toolbox: everything from a ripped-paper look to the reflection effect so popular right now. And you can do them all in InDesign, not Photoshop or Illustrator!
Design As Child's Play
Features: Written by David Blatner on August 6, 2009
People all over the world know and love the characters created by Sesame Workshop: Big Bird, Grover, Elmo, Boombah (in India), Putri (in Indonesia)... But very few people think about the design behind the Muppets. Here's the story.
Make an Image Sandwich in InDesign
How-Tos: Written by David Blatner on July 3, 2009
Place an image above and below text and vector graphics for a tasty visual meal.
InDesign How-to: Take Object Styles Where They've Never Gone Before
How-Tos: Written by David Blatner on October 6, 2008
A cool trick using anchored objects extends the power of object styles to the geometry of your InDesign pages.
Why You Need a Different Kind of Scanner
Features: Written by David Blatner on July 2, 2008
No, not another scanner for artwork. An automatic document feeder can clean up your life -- or at least your office.
Share and Synch Content in QuarkXPress
How-Tos: Written by David Blatner on January 14, 2008
Are you repeating images, text, or stylistic attributes across multiple boxes or even multiple layouts? Use these tools to make sure that content always matches, no matter what changes anyone makes.
Photoshop Fundamentals
How-Tos: Written by Bruce Fraser David Blatner on January 2, 2007
You can do some far-out stuff with Photoshop (hello, Liquify Filter!), but image adjustment is the program's bread and butter. Here's how to fix common photo problems.
Photoshop How-To: Using Adjustment Layers
How-Tos: Written by Bruce Fraser David Blatner on December 15, 2004
Being able to correct and edit images in Photoshop is a life-saver for most creative professionals. Yet every time you use layers and curves, you start to degrade the image data -- unless, of course, you use adjustment layers. David Blatner and Bruce Fraser show you how.
InDesign How-To: Applying Paragraph Formatting
How-Tos: Written by David Blatner Olav Martin Kvern on November 10, 2004
You'd expect InDesign's paragraph-formatting features to give you precise control over text alignment, indents, tabs, line-spacing, and so on. But InDesign CS ups the ante by providing expert features like nested styles and multi-line composition. Olav Martin Kvern and David Blatner reveal all.
InDesign How-To: Creating Tables
How-Tos: Written by David Blatner Olav Martin Kvern on September 8, 2004
Tables are one of the most powerful features in Adobe InDesign CS, allowing you to make complex, sophisticated-looking tables quickly and easily. And you don't have to be an Excel wiz to do it! Olav Martin Kvern and David Blatner show you how.
QuarkXPress How-To: Creating PDF Files
How-Tos: Written by David Blatner on January 23, 2004
Added to QuarkXPress 6 is built-in support for the creation of PDF files. Instead of using Acrobat Distiller, you simply export your layout as a PDF. In this excerpt from "Real World QuarkXPress 6," David Blatner explains how QuarkXPress handles PDF files.
QuarkXPress 6 vs. InDesign CS: Taking Sides
Features: Written by David Blatner on December 17, 2003
When I last compared QuarkXPress and InDesign, XPress 6 had shipped, but InDesign CS had not. I had been beta-testing InDesign CS at the time, but my non-disclosure agreement with Adobe didn't allow me to talk about the new version's features or my experiences with the product. Now the gloves can come off and I can publicly evaluate the two most recent releases, side by side. The results surprise me.
QuarkXPress 6 Tips: Using Layout Spaces
How-Tos: Written by David Blatner on November 12, 2003
projects that contain multiple layout for print or Web, newsletters or notepads. In this excerpt from "Real World QuarkXPress 6," David Blatner tells you how projects layouts work.
Adobe Creative Suite: An All-Star Line-up
Features: Written by David Blatner Sandee Cohen Bruce Fraser Sharon Steuer Pamela Pfiffner Glenn Fleishman on October 7, 2003
The new Adobe Creative Suite integrates Adobe's graphics applications into a workflow that addresses the needs of nearly every creative professional, from inspiration through execution, from print to Web. Here's a quick look at Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and GoLive from creativepro.com's own all-star line up of experts. Plus, a PDF analysis and a Version Cue preview.
InDesign Tips: Printing Transparency
How-Tos: Written by David Blatner Olav Martin Kvern on August 20, 2003
Sure, it's fun to add transparent effects in InDesign, but try telling that to your printer. Keep the peace by learning how to flatten your files before printing. As the authors of "Real World InDesign" say, "with power comes responsibility."
QuarkXPress 6 vs. InDesign 2: Grappling for Answers
Features: Written by David Blatner on July 22, 2003
It's the question on the lips of nearly every creative professional: Which is better, QuarkXPress 6 or Adobe InDesign2? In this no-holds-barred analysis, page-layout expert David Blatner gives his opinion on the relative merits of QuarkXPress and InDesign.
