Its most recent release, Adobe InDesign CS5.5 ($699, direct upgrades from $119), is the first point release for the product in a very long time, but that has more to do with how Adobe is restructuring its release cycles than what's included in the upgrade.Īdobe InDesign has been the leading page designing software for at least five years in part because it hasn't neglected the digital side of the publishing world. InDesign CS5.5 contains a number of improvements that are significant to anyone who exports pages to digital platforms.

Other new but more general features aren't wildly exciting, although they may pique your interest if they hit on specific tasks that you routinely perform in InDesign, like using anchored objects or designing pages with dozens of layered elements that get sandwiched in the pile and become difficult to grab. InDesign has never been a tool for casual users. It's really for pros, which is why the $699 price shouldn't sticker-shock you into a heart attack. But Adobe this year added a new option for licensing InDesign on a monthly subscription basis ($35 to $49 per month), a much more appealing offer if you need it semi-professionally, perhaps as a student or start-up business, but for only a short while. InDesign is also available as part of the Adobe Creative Suite 5.5 Design Premium package ($1,899) and Master Collection ($2,599). Tried-and-true InDesign users can upgrade from the previous version for $119, or most earlier versions of the software for $199. No InDesign upgrade would be complete without some improvements to exporting capabilities, but more than ever before, CS5.5's improvements focus on online publishing. These improvements related to exporting files to HTML and the EPUB export workflow, which helps publishers make e-books and adapt content for iPads and other tablets.

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