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*** DesignGeek ***
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Tips and techniques for the digital designer
In this issue:
-- Amazing Printing Trick in OS X
-- Quark 6.1 Announced
-- Printing InDesign Keyboard Shortcuts
Issue 11, 12/03/03
Written by Anne-Marie "HerGeekness" Concepcion
© 2003 Seneca Design & Training, Inc.
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Amazing Printing Trick in OS X
OS X users, try this: Turn on your printer, open your web browser and go to this URL:
<http://127.0.0.1:631/printers>
You'll see all your printers on your network listed, including any "virtual" printers (such as Adobe PDF). From here you can print a highly useful test page (including if it's PostScript 1, 2, or 3), modify or configure the printer, even delete the printer (for those "ghost" printers which are no longer on your network).
While you're at this page, try clicking the Jobs button in the top navigation area. You'll see a list of all jobs currently being printed, and from here you can put a job on hold or delete it altogether.
For more amazement, try clicking the Show Completed Jobs button on this screen...you'll see a list of everything you've ever sent to the printer since the beginning of time (or since you got your Mac or installed OS X, whichever comes later).
What's happening...is it magic? Who's behind that URL? Some quasi-government agency tracking your computer use?
Nope, it's just your own computer. The above URL is the address of your OS X software's printing subsystem, called CUPS. Print Center (or Printer Setup Utility, in Panther) is just Apple's Mac-like interface for CUPS.
So when Print Center isn't doing what you want, try going behind the curtain to speak directly to the Wizard: use CUPS instead.
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Quark 6.1 Announced
Quark announced the upcoming release of their first OS X update, QuarkXPress version 6.1, at the UK Mac Expo a couple weeks ago, but hasn't updated the most popular pages of their web site with the information yet.
Because you get DesignGeek, you can see for yourself what they said, by going right to the press release:
<http://www.quark.com/about/presscenter/prview.jsp?idx=351>
According to the release, along with "many performance enhancements," the update will feature the ability to import Microsoft Excel workbooks. (No mention of Word tables...hmmm.) Also something about font substitution rules that can be shared among many users. (?)
Whatever, I'm hoping that Quark 6.1's "performance enhancements" will include fixes for the variety of glitches users have encountered with 6.0.
The good news is that QXP 6 registered users won't have to pay for the update, according to the release; on the other hand, they're not specifying a ship date nor how it will affect the Activation requirement, if at all. (Does upgrading to 6.1 mean you'll need to re-activate the installation? No clue yet.)
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Printing InDesign Keyboard Shortcuts
You can export a text file containing all the keyboard shortcuts for InDesign (2.X or CS), and keep it as a handy reference on your computer or print it out to tack on your wall.
Just go to Edit->Keyboard Shortcuts, choose the Set you want to inspect, and click the Show Set button in the dialog box. Show Set creates a text file showing all the keyboard shortcuts in the set, organized the same way the dialog box organizes them (by menu/palette).
Even if you've never customized your shortcuts, It's a nice way to see at a glance which functions currently don't have a keyboard shortcut, and which key combinations are available to you to assign.
My most-used custom keyboard shortcut: Option-F, assigned to Fill With Placeholder Text (in the Type menu). Try it, you'll like it!
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GET WITH THE PROGRAM
You can fully master Photoshop, InDesign, QuarkXPress, GoLive and the rest of the designer's toolbox in far less time than you think! Just call in HerGeekness for an enjoyable session or two of targeted, designer-to-designer training (Mac or Windows) in the program of your choice -- starting at the level you're at, going to the level you want to attain.
All clients receive three years of 24/7 follow-up support by phone or e-mail, too -- it's like having your own personal consultant at your beck and call.
Anne-Marie provides authorized training at your workplace for groups of one to ten or more, in the Chicago area and throughout the country. Seneca studio and Mac classroom training are also available. Recent clients include World Book Publishing and McGraw-Hill.
Detailed information including pricing, student pix and unsolicited feedback are here:
http://www.senecadesign.com/training/
... or contact her directly to talk about your training needs and get a friendly, no-obligation quote:
mailto:amarie@senecadesign.com
Phone: 312-946-1100
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DesignGeek is a free bimonthly publication written by Anne-Marie "HerGeekness" Concepcion, a cross-media designer and authorized Adobe and Quark training provider. She owns Seneca Design & Training, Inc. in Chicago, Illinois (http://www.senecadesign.com/).
To subscribe to DesignGeek or read archived issues, go to its home on Seneca's site: http://www.senecadesign.com/designgeek/subscribe.html.
To unsubscribe, follow the link at the bottom of this page.
Contact Seneca by phone at 312-946-1100 or email at info@senecadesign.com
Copyright 2003 by Seneca Design & Training, Inc.
Please forward without cutting. Please contact Seneca for reprint permissions. We don't guarantee accuracy of articles. Company or product names mentioned in DesignGeek may be registered trademarks, we use the names in an editorial fashion with no intention of infringement.
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