Building, improving and adding software
skills is one of the challenging and difficult parts of the graphic
arts industry. Just when you feel you have mastered an application,
they introduce a new version. And just when you think you have a useful
set of skills, your employer asks you to create a Web site or develop
a database. This forces you to learn a new set of skills while deadlines
loom.
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Trade Publications
Luckily, there are things you can do. You are already doing one of
them by reading this publication, which aims to help you get the most
out of the software you already own. We also recommend subscribing
to Publish and Macworld, two publications full of real-world explanations
of how to use graphic arts software.
Learn by Watching
the Tube
For those of you who are visually oriented (and what graphic arts
professional isnŐt), MacAcademy/Windows Academy (www.macacademy.com)
makes an excellent set of training videos and CD-ROMS about major
software programs for both platforms. They also teach classes around
the country.
And for You
Bookworms....
For those of you who still like to read ink on paper, Peachpit Press
(www.peachpit.com) is the preeminent publisher of books about the
graphic arts. Other good sites for graphic arts books include www.fatbrain.com,
www.amazon.com, and www.napl.org.
Knowledge Could Be
Sitting Next to You
As you strive to continuously improve your skills, donŐt forget the
other major source of information: Your peers. The more you share
your information, the more productive and fun your workplace can become.
Try setting up informal ŇchatÓ training sessions, where one person
researches a topic and shares it with co-workers. You can also gather
three or four people around a computer every couple of weeks and teach
each other techniques.
Winter
2000 CONTENTS
