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Enchanting_joydcf3
Participant
September 12, 2026
Answered

InDesign v Publisher

I am finding InDesign to be useless for what I need. I have been using Publisher to create cad-esque drawings for years and have found it to be pretty intuitive. InDesign, on the other hand is nothing of the sort. I freely admit that operator error plays a big role in everything I do, but what took me 2 minutes in Publisher has taken me 3 hours in InDesign, and I am not even close to the same finished product. besides the apparently capable but not instructive tech support people, where can I go to get a hands-on (ish) lesson on how to use InDesign like I do Publisher.

 

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    jane-e
    jane-eCorrect answer
    Community Expert
    September 13, 2026

    Hi Jeff,

    I’m sure you know that Microsoft Publisher is reaching end of life next month and you won’t be able to launch it or work on existing documents, so be sure to back them up if you ever want to see them again. I don’t know what Microsoft is recommending, but one way is to export to PDF from each and every file. If you don’t do this, you may never see those files again (from what I’m reading.)

    I’m surprised that Publisher worked for drawing Computer Aided Design. I’ve heard that there are some free CAD apps, but don’t know anything about them. 

     

    Adobe has a few “perks” and one is a 3-month subscription to LinkedIn, which is enough time to get through LinkedIn Learning tutorials. Some libraries offer a free subscription if you have a library card.

     

    The InDesign Users Group (LAIDUG) meeting is this Thursday and is free. The presentation starts at 4:00 PST, and opens at 3:30 PST to answer questions from users. You can leave whenever you want.

     

    You might also try posting a screenshot of a page in the InDesign forum and ask for the best approach.

     

    I enjoyed your humor in your first line, but am sorry they gave you a ridiculous name. See if you can change it using this post:
    https://community.adobe.com/questions-98/username-guidelines-how-to-change-your-community-username-589031

    It was written six years ago when we had different software for the forums, so if it doesn’t work, I can investigate.

     

    Jane

     

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    4 replies

    jane-e
    Community Expert
    jane-eCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
    Community Expert
    September 13, 2026

    Hi Jeff,

    I’m sure you know that Microsoft Publisher is reaching end of life next month and you won’t be able to launch it or work on existing documents, so be sure to back them up if you ever want to see them again. I don’t know what Microsoft is recommending, but one way is to export to PDF from each and every file. If you don’t do this, you may never see those files again (from what I’m reading.)

    I’m surprised that Publisher worked for drawing Computer Aided Design. I’ve heard that there are some free CAD apps, but don’t know anything about them. 

     

    Adobe has a few “perks” and one is a 3-month subscription to LinkedIn, which is enough time to get through LinkedIn Learning tutorials. Some libraries offer a free subscription if you have a library card.

     

    The InDesign Users Group (LAIDUG) meeting is this Thursday and is free. The presentation starts at 4:00 PST, and opens at 3:30 PST to answer questions from users. You can leave whenever you want.

     

    You might also try posting a screenshot of a page in the InDesign forum and ask for the best approach.

     

    I enjoyed your humor in your first line, but am sorry they gave you a ridiculous name. See if you can change it using this post:
    https://community.adobe.com/questions-98/username-guidelines-how-to-change-your-community-username-589031

    It was written six years ago when we had different software for the forums, so if it doesn’t work, I can investigate.

     

    Jane

     

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    Enchanting_joydcf3Author
    Participant
    September 14, 2026

    Thank you for all the information. I really do appreciate your trying to help.

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    Enchanting_joydcf3Author
    Participant
    September 13, 2026

    Thank you for the response, Ms Jane. I am Jeff, and I had no say in the choice of “Enchanting Joycf3” as my moniker. I am rarely if ever enchanting, and infrequently joyful… unless there’s ice cream involved.  As to my use of InDesign, I am frustrated because it seems great for everything but what I need it to do. I am not too keen of dealing with LinkedIn as a vehicle for learning, but that may be an apple I must bite. What I want seems basic to me, and came intuitively and quickly with Publisher. Publisher appear to me several years ago, though, so now I may be the old dog less willing to learn a new trick. Thank you also for the links. I will do my best to be patient, but unfortunately I have a back log of work, and need to respond to it quicker than I feel like I am able.

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    jane-e
    Community Expert
    jane-eCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    September 13, 2026

    Hi ​@Enchanting_joydcf3 

    Once you learn InDesign, you will love it! Here are a couple of things you can do to get started:

    1. LinkedIn Learning — look for InDesign courses by David Blatner and Anne-Marie Conceptión
      https://www.linkedin.com/learning/search?keywords=InDesign&upsellOrderOrigin=default_guest_learning&trk=homepage-learning_learning-search-bar_search-submit
    2. InDesign Classroom in a Book 2026, by Kelly Anton and Tina DeJarld 
      Available on Amazon or Pearson, or you might find a used copy
    3. Join CreativePro Network
      You’ll receive a monthly newsletter and have access to previous issues. Lots of good info on their site as well, plus they have in-person and online conferences.
    4. Attend the InDesign Conference (online) on December 1 - 4, 2026
      It includes access to the sessions for a full year
      https://creativepro.com/event/indesign-conference-2026/
    5. Join the InDesign Users Group (IDUG) and attend their monthly meetings online. There’s time to ask questions verbally and get answers at the beginning. It’s okay to stay for the first half hour to ask questions, then leave if the topic doesn’t interest you. It’s free to join and attend, although contributions are accepted as they have costs.
      https://www.laidug.com
    6. Join the Adobe User Group of New Jersey (NJUG). These online meetings cover other Adobe applications, but some are on InDesign. 
    7. Ask specific questions in the InDesign forum. (Your post here is in the Illustrator for iPad forum.) Here’s the direct link:

      https://community.adobe.com/indesign-669

    8. Look for an in-person class. These days most are online with live instructors, while others are hybrid.

     

    Does this help to get you started? Pick one or two now, and add as you go. I’ve been using InDesign since version 2.0 — in addition to its predecessor PageMaker a decade or so earlier — and am active with all of these resources.

    Jane

     

     

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