Richard Hunt is a London-based freelance graphic designer. He’s been working freelance for five years and has refused to upgrade to a new Mac since then, when he bought a secondhand Mac. Jason Walsh investigates.
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This article incorporates the Low End Mac Designer survey results and some interesting comments, so without further ado, let’s get to it.
This week the low-end designer tackles more typographic woes, including leading, kerning, tracking, and justification.
Last week’s Low End Designer article was the most popular piece in the series so far. Clearly word processing is something that Low End Mac readers are interested in, but what about what happens with the text afterwards? This week, The Low End Designer looks a basic typography.
Text processing is the least glamorous aspect of design work – and probably the most important. This week, The Low End Designer looks at some alternatives to Microsoft Word, the 800-pound gorilla of the document processing market – and perhaps deservedly so.
Last week, the Low End Designer took a look at a few supplemental applications that can be used in conjunction with the major design and layout programs. This week we’re looking at drop-in replacements, and it’s Quark XPress that’s getting the chop.
2004 – If our usually reliable sources are to be believed, Steve Jobs has finally relented. After the stunning success of the iPod, Jobs now agrees that users may be able to handle more than a single button on a mouse.
2004 – One of the advantages of using a Mac is the wealth of software available for the platform. Of course, this runs contrary to common wisdom – the Mac is thought to be a poor cousin to Windows in terms of the number of applications available. This is literally true – there are many […]
It’s not uncommon for even the most Mac-oriented user to have a PC sitting in the corner. Why? Usually for testing designs. So will the prospective low-end designer need to get a Windows PC? Maybe.
Where did the computer go? It’s behind the flat panel display in the iMac G5! And the mouse and keyboard are available as wireless models with Bluetooth (which remains optional and can only be installed at the factory) – that means less cable clutter than most users are used to. Not just smaller and lighter, […]
Where did the computer go? It’s behind the flat panel display in the iMac G5! And the mouse and keyboard are available as wireless models with Bluetooth (which remains optional and can only be installed at the factory) – that means less cable clutter than most users are used to.
Where did the computer go? It’s behind the flat panel display in the iMac G5! And the mouse and keyboard are available as wireless models with Bluetooth (which remains optional and can only be installed at the factory) – that means less cable clutter than most users are used to. Not just smaller and lighter, […]
This week The Low End Designer looks at printers, mass storage, and graphics tablets, all considered essential items to finish off the studio – but are they?
By this stage, anyone following this column should have collected a Mac or two and some software. This week we’re looking at obtaining a flatbed scanner. All of the information here intended as nothing more than examples – and hopefully an aid to understanding scanners, rather than an inducement to purchase a machine from a […]
In last week’s edition of The Low End Designer, we took a quick detour from hardware to look at the issue of Quark XPress. This week we’re focusing on software, and Quark will once again rear its head.
Last week you had the rant; this week you get the information. Jason Walsh examines the options when it comes to choosing inexpensive Macs for design work.
In this series of articles, Jason Walsh takes a look at how to run a design studio on low-end Macs. Whether you want to get off the upgrade treadmill, are just out of art school and want to set up shop on a budget, or just want to pick up a few tips and tricks, […]
How long should a laptop last?
2004: My trusty PowerBook had its very first hardware failure yesterday. I must admit that I’m surprised and disappointed by this event. This PowerBook is only a little over two-and-a-half years old.
This page contains some of the most useful information on the limitations of Personal File Sharing and AppleShare File Server for the Classic Mac OS. It vanished from Apple’s servers circa 2010 and is shared here as a public service to those still using the Classic Mac OS.
2004: As poor cousins, we Canucks are used to waiting a tad longer for some of the wonderful goods introduced south of the border. It’s been some time since the iTunes Music Store made its appearance in the States, and, well, we’re still waiting.
Have you ever wanted to plug a low-cost PC keyboard into your Mac’s USB port, only to find that a few minutes of trying to type is driving you crazy? Or have you ever wanted to pick up an inexpensive USB keyboard for your ‘Book so you can have all those extra keys or be […]
2004: If your head’s been buried in the sand, you may have missed the fact that Mac OS X finally made it to Intel hardware. It’s dog slow and buggy as, well, as Windows, but we can’t blame that on x86 architecture because this is just an emulator called PearPC.
2004: It’s been some time since I’ve used Windows with any regularity. I can’t say I’ve missed it terribly. About the only time I need to go near Windows is when my Dad needs a hand with his machine.
2004: Seems there’s more hand-wringing regarding Apple’s computer market share. Andrew Neff, a Bear Stearns analyst, calls Apple’s market share loss “worrying.”
2004 – If June is approaching, Intel must be preparing a newly improved and faster than ever before version of the erstwhile Pentium 4 processor.
With Intego’s announcement of the new “virus” for Mac OS X on April 8, 2004, for a while it seemed as if there was a bit of a panic through the Mac community. What do you mean there’s a virus for OS X?
2004: The small form-factor PC finally makes its debut. Apple is, without a doubt, the computing industry trendsetter. Most computer users admire Apple’s stylish hardware designs. Even if people don’t want to use a Mac, they’re hard-pressed to find a problem with how they look.
2004: Apple has been doing well, as usual. Or has it? If I turn one way, I see a great number of reports that indicate that Apple, which by most accounts looks good, is slowly but surely losing the battle to remain relevant.
2004: I heard the most interesting Mac comment the other day. It goes like this: “There are two types of Macs. Those that have crashed and those that are going to crash.”
