InDesign offers power, but you need to be careful about how you use it
Updated April 22, 2021

InDesign offers power, but you need to be careful about how you use it

Nathan Morimitsu | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Overall Satisfaction with Adobe InDesign

I use InDesign to develop printed marketing materials ranging from business cards to brochures. The ease of usability, especially when it comes to updating graphics on a regular basis, makes InDesign my go-to for developing our frequently used printed materials. I also use it to create PDF files that are easy to search and browse, making for a more immersive experience on a computer or mobile device.

Pros

  • Incorporates graphics from Illustrator and Photoshop.
  • Makes searchable PDFs more intelligent.

Cons

  • It is a bit of a resource hog. For best results, double the suggested RAM and scratch disk space.
  • Sometimes the library items don't update as fast as other Adobe products.
  • The learning curve is steep, especially if you haven't used other Adobe products. Be sure to factor in the learning time into your ROI and time calculations.
  • Materials designed with InDesign tend to look more professional than those designed with alternatives like Microsoft Publisher. This tends to improve "curb appeal".
Publisher and Quark both work, but they don't play well with Adobe products, which makes you waste a lot of time converting Illustrator and Photoshop files into bitmaps for use in them. This can lead to issues with image quality, on top of wasting time and energy. The similarity and familiarity of InDesign menus and toolbars for experienced users of Illustrator, Photoshop and other Adobe products speeds up the learning time.
The support communities are great, and Adobe does a pretty decent job of supporting the product, but like all things, there is room for improvement.

Do you think Adobe InDesign delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with Adobe InDesign's feature set?

Yes

Did Adobe InDesign live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of Adobe InDesign go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Adobe InDesign again?

Yes

I like to tell people that if they are designing anything that is more than one page/artboard, that they should use InDesign. For documents that are one artboard (and not just artistic in nature) Adobe Illustrator is typically a better tool. Having native support for PDF Files built-in makes it an incredibly powerful tool for documents that will be printed offsite or by a 3rd party.

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