In this series of articles, Walsh takes a look at how to run a design studio on low-end Macs. Whether you want to get off the upgrade treadmill, are just out of art school and want to set up shop on a budget, or just want to pick up a few tips and tricks, these articles will help you along the road.
- Why design using low-end Macs?, 07.21.2004. How to run a design studio on low-end Macs. Whether you want to get off the upgrade treadmill or want to set up shop on a budget, this series will help you out.
- Which older Macs make the most sense? And why you want an OS 9 machine, 2004.07.28. Which older desktop models and 'Books make sense in a design shop - and why you may want to have both OS 9 and OS X up and running.
- Quark Xpress, InDesign, Photoshop, warez, and the value of software suites, 2004.08.04. A look at some of the essential tools of today's graphic designer - and why you want to avoid pirated software.
- Scanning the scene with a flatbed scanner, 2004.08.18. Tips on choosing the right flatbed scanner for design work, including looks at OS 9 vs. OS X support, VueScan, TWAIN, and SANE.
- Finishing (in) the Studio: Printers, backup, and graphics tablets, 2004.08.25. Why you may not need a high-end printer, better have a CD burner, and might want a graphics tablet in your design studio.
- Peering through Windows: Why the Mac OS alone isn't enough, 2004.09.01. For production, using a Mac is fine, but you also need to know how your Windows-using client is going to view things.
- Four shareware programs every Mac designer should try, 2004.09.15. GraphicConverter, PDFCompress, Art Directors Toolkit, and TypeStyler: What they do and why they are so useful.
- Killing Quark: Three layout alternatives, 2004.09.24. Quark Xpress may be the long-term standard, but InDesign, MLayout, and Ragtime give Mac users some good alternatives.
- Kill Bill: Twelve alternatives to Microsoft Word, 2004.10.01. A dozen low-cost, no-cost, and specialized alternatives to Microsoft Word for Mac users.
- Text and typography: Serifs and dashes, 2004.10.08. For designers, typography is the crucial art of choosing and arranging text on the page to create a readable, attractive display.
- Text and Typography: Leading, kerning, tracking, and justification, 2004.10.20. How line spacing, kerning, tracking, and justification impact the appearance and fit of text on the page.
- Low End Designer survey results and feedback, 2004.10.29. Results of the Low End Designer Survey and feedback from our readers.
- Richard Hunt, low end designer and Mac lover, 2004.11.03. Second-hand Macs and older versions of software are the tools of the trade for this London-based graphic designer.
- Scribus: Another alternative to Quark, InDesign, 2004.11.17. This open-source design program is lacking some niceties, but it has the tools to get the job done.
- ThinkFree Office: Slow, unpolished, yet useful, 2004.12.01. Despite the name, this isn't free software, and it really calls for a higher end Mac, but it does the job.
- Preparing for Scribus: Working with X11 and FinkCommander, 2004.12.10. Two free tools that help get *nix software installed and running under OS X.
- Scribus: Free DTP on the Mac, 2004.12.21. "The question is, all other things being equal, is Scribus up to the job of professional DTP? The answer is yes, with a few caveats."
- The top Mac design applications of 2004, 2005.01.10. What are the best new Mac design programs released or updated in 2004?
- Low End Designer reader survey, 2004.09.29. "What is needed from you, the readers, is an indication of where you would like the series to go."