 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Special Software Tools
Here are some of my favorite specialty software programs that provide extra tools to make your tasks less daunting. If can't find what you're looking for, drop me an email and I'll try to point you in the right direction. In the meantime, sign up for my periodic email digest of helpful hints and news about web development and desktop publishing — free! Just click here to fill out a quick form. I can promise you no spam and sales pitches — just facts and resources you can use. And of course your privacy is assured. —Bevi
Software for creating professional maps
Avenza Map
Publisher is the best way to import professional GIS and cartographic
information into Adobe Illustrator or Freehand to create high-quality
graphics for print and web. A review from an agency that makes a lot of
maps follows...
"Avenza Map Publisher is a great program. I've had it for a year. Using an Arcview file with all the coverages you wish to use (district boundaries, roads, streams, ownership, etc.), you EXPORT from ArcView as a Shape File. Then you open Freehand or Illustrator, and under "extras" you import the Shape file. Each coverage gets its own layer in Freehand [or Illustrator--ed].
"What you get is a very "editable" map... you can fill in the shapes with Pantone, CMYK, and RGB colors, and change whatever you need to. From Freehand or Illustrator, you can export the file to JPG, GIF, PDF, EPS, TIFF— for whatever purpose you need it for. Plus, Map Publisher creates the scale and legend for you, too.
"This plug-in for illustrator gives you the advantages of both worlds — the accuracy of GIs/Arcview, plus the printing and publishing advantages of whichever drawing program you use.
"Been good for [our] use: Plug in the lats and longs of the [area] in ArcView, then get it in Freehand and you've got a good accurate map that can be easily printed out for display or put on the web with very little effort."
Available for both Mac & Windows. Demo is available from their website, www.avenza.com.
If you don't want to create your own map,
then buy the best on the market!
Map Resources
by Cartesia Software (formerly known as Map Art) has the best quality
maps around. Different collections for the US and the world, including
versions with details of states, counties and major cities. Excellent
quality, in EPS formats for Mac and Windows. You can purchase maps on
their website at www.mapresources.com.
Add-ons, plug-ins, XTensions, and Xtras can add extra tools to leading programs, including software from QuarkXPress, Adobe and Macromedia. Designers and desktop publishers can special features and tools to QuarkXPress, InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop, making their projects easier to produce or punching up the pizazz factor. Web developers can enhance their toolboxes for Macromedia Dreamweaver and Fireworks. Check out these links and get hopping!
- The PowerXChange carries tons of add-ons and special
programs from many manufacturers. Extensive catalog of items for Adobe,
Macromedia, and Quark software. See their online catalog at www.ThePowerXChange.com.
- CoDesCo focuses on add-ons for Quark and Adobe software,
especially QPS, the Quark Publishing System. See their website at www.codesco.com.
- Quark's website lists it's approved XTension developers:
www.quark.com/products/xpress/xtensions/xt_distributors.html.
- Adobe's Plug-In Center list's it's approved plug-in
developers:
http://www.adobe.com/store/products/plugins.
- Macromedia Exchange has free extensions for their
products, as well as links to 3rd-party extensions. Visit: http://www.macromedia.com/cfusion/exchange/index.cfm.
- Alien Skin Software has several plug-ins and add-on programs for digital media, including the popular Eye Candy and Xenoflex plug-ins for Adobe's products and other graphics programs. Visit their website at www.alienskin.com
Print postage, create BRM envelopes painlessly,
and manage your mailing list
Envelope Manager has several
products for those who design mailing pieces and those who manage mailing
lists. These programs are reviewed and recommended by the US Postal Service.
Software is available only for Windows. Mac-ers, try running it under
a Windows emulation program...it's worth the effort.
For graphic
designers who must create those pain-in-the-butt BRM (business reply
envelopes) for direct mail, DAZzle Designer is a godsend. Just type in
the mailing address and permit number and DAZzle does the rest. Creates
all those nauseating bars and FIMs in the correct place for USPS specifications.
This software can also create courtesy reply envelopes with FIMs, barcodes,
graphics, extra type, and anything else you need. I've used DAZzle for
years and love the program!
For small
mailings, DAZzle Designer can also print your everyday envelopes and
labels, or can take your mailing list and personalize each envelope. DAZzle2000
with Internet Postage is in beta testing right now and will be similar
to DAZzle Designer but with the option of printing the postage, too.
For bulk mailings,
Envelope Manager has several levels of presorting and PAVE-certified programs
to help you manage your mailing list.
Available for Windows
only. Visit Envelope Manager's website for more information and demos,
www.envmgr.com.
Corel Knockout makes masking photos a
breeze
This amazing software gets top ratings from trade journals. If you've
ever tried to mask out the background of a photo, you know how difficult
it is to make your end result look natural. Corel's Knockout software
is a dream come true...and at a very good price! Fuzzy teddy bears, semitransparent
gauze, fur or hair are easily masked from their backgrounds with just
a few quick mouse clicks and settings.
Available for both
Mac & Windows. Demo is available from their website, www.corel.com.
Desktop publishing from databases
For government agencies and corporations that publish data from databases
on a regular basis, take a look at PatternStream from Finite
Matters, a plug-in for Adobe Framemaker that allows you to set up
page layouts that tap directly into ODBC-compliant database queries and
tables, and then flow and format the latest data from your database into
Framemaker. Good candidates for this software are membership directories,
inventory catalogs, and government statistical tomes. Available for Windows
only. Visit their website, www.patternstream.com.
A slightly
less robust (but much cheaper) solution is Corel Ventura with its
built-in Database Publisher module. Available for Windows only.
Visit their website, www.corel.com.
Need to connect Macs and PCs or read Mac
disks on a PC?
I have two solutions. For connecting Macs to a Windows NT network,
check out Dave by Thursby Software, www.thursby.com.
Much simplier and easier than working with NT's Macintosh client, and
lets Mac-ers log onto NT networks, share files, and share Postscript printers.
If you just need to read
and write Mac disks on your PC, then check out MacOpener by
DataViz software, www.dataviz.com.
Easy to install and use, it lets you view Mac files just as if they were
PC files.
DeltaGraph makes charting easier
If you're finding that Illustrator's built-in chart-making module can't
import your scientists' statistical data, then check out SPSS Software's
DeltaGraph. I use it to quickly import stat data and generate basic pie,
bar, and line graphs. Then I export the chart in EPS format and bring
it into a graphics program (Illustrator, Freehand, or CorelDraw) for final
"dressing up." Available for both Mac & Windows. Demo is
available from their website, www.spss.com/deltagraph.
Fax Broadcasting
While I have not used this company personally, I've recently received
information on it and wanted to make it available. Broadfax® is offered
by Rainbow Software Inc. and is designed for seamless fax broadcasting
— all that is needed is a stand-alone computer, modem and phone line.
A wide variety of modules and features are offered; to learn more visit
www.broadfax.com.