For many, the decision to purchase a Macintosh was based — at least in part — on the lure of desktop publishing. Here is a machine that provides all of the basic tools of publishing: a typesetting machine, a reduction and enlargement camera, a production drafting board, and a short run printing press. Yet with all of this power, many new users are simply stuck for ideas.
That’s where The Desktop Publisher’s Idea Book comes in. Not only does it provide scores of ideas for projects, it gives very specific information about executing those ideas — from business cards and binders to bumper stickers, envelopes, decals, t-shirts, and scores more. The author provides exact measurements, and even gives typeface recommendations for each project.
Introductory chapters also give helpful information on choosing clip art, locating and working with illustrators, photographers, and print shops, choosing papers, and much more.
Whether you’re a graphic design professional or a budding desktop publisher, take a look at this book. It will not only inspire you, it can lead you through many useful and imaginative projects.
Are you a neophyte Macker? A power user? No? Neither am I. Kay Yarborough Nelson has written a book for the rest of us — the intermediate proficiency users. Voodoo Mac is a compilation of the tricks and shortcuts that make power users appear to be performing magic on their Macs. The following are a few of my favorites:
Stop a dragging operation. Let’s say you have selected several files and change your mind while in the process of dragging them to a new location. Simply drag them to the Finder’s menu bar and they’ll return to wherever they came from.
Use a keyboard shortcut to eject a floppy disk. Press Option-Command-E (in System 6) or Command-Y (in System 7). This shortcut works exactly as if you had dragged the disk to the Trash.
Ways to speed up the Finder under System 7: Optimize the disk with a utility like Norton Speed Disk; turn off file sharing; turn off Calculate folder sizes; switch to 16 colors or black and white; increase the disk cache; turn off background printing (you won’t be able to work and print at the same time); keep a full set of screen fonts installed for only the fonts used most often; make the window color Black & White (you’ll lose the 3-D scroll bars); and/or eliminate the Finder’s zoom rectangles.
Batch-printing saves time. Rather than individually opening each document you want to print and then choosing Print from the File menu over and over again, try this. While in the Finder, select the icons of all the documents you want to print. Choose Print from the File menu, and the program that created the documents will start. Click the Print button, and your first document will go the printer. The next document’s Print dialog box will appear, and so on.
Easter Eggs are the tricks left around the Mac by the original programmers. Kay Nelson tells you where to look, but not necessarily what happens when you find them.
The book contains 290 pages of tips like these and “traps” — things to watch out for. It is fun to read straight through, but is broken down into small, readily accessible segments so that you can browse around at will. I recommend it wholeheartedly.
The article above is reprinted from Mac Monitor, the newsletter of The Savannah Macintosh Users Group. It may be reprinted in a single issue of newsletters published by non-profit user groups. Payment shall consist of a single issue of the newsletter in which the article appears, sent to the following address:
