New effects enable richer design results, while a host of other improvements boost productivity.

The Quark-killer has finally landed. For the last year, the hype about Adobe's replacement for the worthy but old-fashioned PageMaker (reviewed issue 22, p108) has been building to fever pitch.

Advanced long document functionality and screen-based publishing via Flash contribute to another Quark-bashing.

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Our massive guide to Adobe's huge overhaul of the Creative Suite, including reviews of Photoshop CS4, Illustrator, InDesign and Dreamweaver.

After the launch of the latest Acrobat a few months ago, everything went quiet on the Adobe front. It's now clear what the company was working on, with the simultaneous launch of each of its main creative design packages -- Photoshop/ImageReady, Illustrator, InDesign and GoLive. (Please see individual reviews of all of these packages on this month's cover CD.)

Adobe significantly strengthens its print, web and production workflows – and the integration between them

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Powerful new versions of InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator, and now Acrobat 8 Professional too.

QuarkXPress defines and dominates high-end publishing in much the same way as Adobe Photoshop does photo editing.

With its enhanced interface, support for transparency and new collaboration features, it’s the best release in years.

A period of transition as Adobe deals with its Macromedia inheritance and the changing nature of the web.

A new focus on animation, better video support and deeper integration, but not the core authoring package it once was.

We provide the commentary on a bruising eight-round battle between Vista and Tiger.

With Web Standard/Premium, Design Premium AND Macromedia’s products now absorbed into CS3, choosing the right suite is EASY.

Adobe builds on its print strengths to take its rich design mission online. And it has made a success of it, too.

Users will have to wait until future version releases.

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Still heavy going, but a raft of improvements means it’s the most comprehensive drawing package on the market.

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