Illustrator vs. InDesign

Adobe Illustrator is a vector graphics program. This design program has the capacity to create flyers and adverts; however, Illustrator only has the ability to create one page file at a time. Basically, one would have to continue to create new pages for every file they wanted to create. When it’s all said and done, Illustrator lacks consistency, because one does not have the option of master pages when using the program. Creating a newsletter or a document, requiring hundreds of pages, becomes painstaking work when the design has to be uniform throughout, yet one must copy and paste to each page, one at a time.

Adobe InDesign is a desktop publishing software. This design program contains an added level of sophistication, as it allows its users to create multiple page documents without needing to create separate files for each project. Among other features, InDesign makes use of pre-flight tools, that allow the user to make sure that each element of a particular document is properly placed before printing. InDesign also comes complete with a packaging feature which allows the users to gather all the files that they plan to use for a publication.

Illustrator is basically used to create single page files, and not necessarily to create large scale documents. Though one can create flyers and use images, the program does not allow users to make any incredible edits – including drawing shapes, lines, or borders. Illustrator is an image program, specific for copying and pasting. InDesign includes tools, that not only allow its users to freely edit, but also includes the capability of adding basic shapes and lines. As it is, Illustrator is far superior to InDesign in terms of handling graphics – that is positioning, filtering, 3D options, etc. InDesign does not have a sophisticated set of tools to be able to handle the editing and manipulation of images, especially those images that are of the vector family.

Summary:

1. Adobe Illustrator is a graphics editing program; Adobe InDesign is a program that is used to produce a full range of editing techniques, except when it comes to vector graphics.

2. Illustrator can only create one page per file in a project; InDesign allows users to create multiple pages per file.

3. Illustrator is a program designed to create single page projects (flyers, posters, etc.); InDesign is able to collect everything in a group of files to create multi-tiered publications (newsletters, brochures, etc.).

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