I am waking up to the reality that Adobe now has finally beat out Quark in the race to create the best DTP software there is. Pagemaker, schmagemaker, I heard. Those are for the church newsletters and the high school drama club programs. I remember using Pagemaker when it was still Aldus'.

Quark XPress was, and in some quarters, still is the de facto DTP software for serious graphic designers. But with an update taking a long time coming, InDesign has solidly made its claim as the designer's playmate of the year.

It's very easy to like: first, it carries Opentype, which noodles like us who download free fonts from the Internet all the time are grateful for. Second, the seamless association with Photoshop files (the de facto image editing software) is a godsend. Indy (as it is fondly called by its users) even updates images and text automatically, when linked. Thirdly, its got effects and filters no other DTP software has, like dropshadows and glows (using dropshadow), finesse compound path abilities and a sophisticated yet simple character handling system. All these are melted down capabilities from its Adobe cousins, Illustrator and Photoshop.

But the nicest nicest thing about Indy is how well it's supported by both Adobe and a growing community of online users, something that Quark couldn't fully establish. Much to my shame in saying this, but even Corel (Coreldraw) has better support for its graphics software than Quark does. I suppose it's the snootiness of Mac users that creeps its way into keeping Quark tips and tricks a secret (or as a highly-priced publication). Quark also, for a very long time, relied heavily on third-party publishers to extend its usefulness. The muscle and experience of Adobe allows it to deliver a complete package. Note that Quark XPress is already in version 6.0, and InDesign, even at version 2.0 is already just as good, even better.

Needless to say, the bell tolls for Quark. And even now, I am pressing my printer back in Manila to get with the program and start using Indy. I'm glad to be making the shift, and saying goodbye to an old friend.