David Blatner

Why You Need a Different Kind of Scanner

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

QuarkXPress 6 Tips: Using Layout Spaces

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

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

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

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.

Page Layout Tips: InDesign Techniques for QuarkXPress Users

Flummoxed by the differences between Adobe InDesign and QuarkXPress? If you want to dig deeper into how the two programs approach similar tasks, then read these excerpts from "InDesign for QuarkXPress Users," a book written by three people who know both programs well.

InDesign How-To: Applying Character Formats

Want to learn more about InDesign's font controls? Then take a look at the character palette. As this excerpt from "Real World InDesign 2" shows, it holds the key to unlocking InDesign's typographic power.

2002: The Creative Year in Review

What kind of year was 2002 for creative professionals? The staff and contributors of creativepro.com reflect on the year that's been and the year that's about to be.

Real World Tips for QuarkXPress 5: Web Graphics

Sure, XPress can automatically convert your document's TIFF and EPS pictures into GIF or JPEG files upon export. However, because EPS graphics contain "encapsulated" data, XPress can't really get in and convert them properly, so you end up with GIF or JPEG versions of the low-resolution screen previews you see in XPress.

Real World Tips for QuarkXPress 5: Web Colors

In the "bad old days," most people had 8-bit color monitors which could only display 256 colors at any one time, and colors would often get dithered (which looked kind of mottled and ugly).

Real World Tips for QuarkXPress 5: Ready for Output

To make the above process significantly easier for y'all, Quark has included a cool feature called Collect for Output. Selecting this command from the File menu copies your document and all the picture files necessary for its output to a folder of your choice-it doesn't move or remove the original files.

Real World Tips for QuarkXPress 5: Playing with Color

Sometimes I think the folks at Quark like to toss in features just because they're cool-for example, drag-and-drop color application.

Real World Tips for QuarkXPress 5: Text Flow and Styles

I hate it when I have two styles that are very similar but I can't remember how they're different. Fortunately, QuarkXPress lets you compare two style sheets.