Introduction

I do everything in InDesign—letters to my 102-year-old Grandmother, recipes for friends, play lists for my Shakespeare reading groups, signage for events, dissertations for school. When I write a book, I write it directly in InDesign.

Booklets, banners, envelopes, door hangers, posters, flyers, postcards, business cards and letterhead, bookmarks, greeting cards, menus, note pads, rack cards, table tents, brochures, catalogs, newsletters, bookplates, books, packaging, tickets, labels . . . the possibilities are endless! And with the remarkable online printing sites where you can get professional color printing for unbelievable prices, it is immensely useful to know the basics of graphic design and how to use a page layout application such as InDesign. Or if you want to create product such as coffee mugs, t-shirts, hats, one-off posters, dog clothes, postage stamps, or even jewelry boxes, you can create and upload files to sites such as CafePress.com or Zazzle.com, then buy them for yourself or make them available to the public. Such a world we live in!