I’m considering learning to use Adobe’s InDesign, but I assume I’ll need a new computer. What is the smallest/cheapest Mac that will run InDesign? Also, would you recommend a Windows machine for InDesign?
Thank you
How old is your computer? If it’s only a few years old, it should run InDesign fine.
There isn’t much difference between the way Adobe products run on Macs and Windows anymore, so go with your preference.
InDesign is not as demanding a program as Photoshop can be. And even then, the necessary specs depend somewhat on what you’re doing. If you’re just learning, it’s unlikely that you’ll require the same kind of horsepower that a pro would.
For a reference point, the InDesign in CS 5.5 is running just fine on our Intel iMacs (the first Intel models from 2007). We have upgraded to 2 GB of RAM (the max on this model). Because the latest version of InDesign requires an Intel processor, these are probably the oldest/cheapest Macs capable of running it. They’ll perform acceptably for someone learning the trade.
I run INDD on my Mac at work and on my Windows-7 PC at home. Both are pretty beefy machines, but are comparable in features/etc.
As with most Adobe products, the type of machine you need is directly proportional to the size of the project you’re working on. If you’re doing little 4-page newsletter type things, you can get away with pretty much most machines made in the last few years. If you’re looking for an area to get some extra bang-for-your buck, more RAM would probably help (4 gigs is probably a good number to shoot for). You can get away with less, you can probably benefit from more, all things being equal.
For Mac vs. PC - go with what you’re most comfortable with.
Yeah I’d try to see if it runs well on your current PC first. All you might need is a little more RAM.
If you are set on getting a new PC, and windows is your natural environment, and budget is a concern, then you’re not going to beat the cost of a modern PC with a Mac.
One thing I’ve found (using an iMac) is that if you go to utilities -> display performance -> typical display, it works wonders (by default it’s set to high res!!)
InDesign (through about CS4, I think) runs just fine on older PowerPC Macs. But eventually it becomes a problem if someone else is sending you files created in a newer version.
I have a new HP Pavilion g6 with Windows 7 and an older Mac PowerPC G4 with 512 MB DDR SDRAM. From what dracoi says about Intel chips, it sounds like my Mac won’t do.
That’s right. But to answer the other question in your OP, any new mac will run InDesign quite happily, it isn’t a memory drainer.
SanVito, that’s good and bad news. I don’t really want to buy a new Mac right now, but I would if I could afford it. 
Why do you need a new Mac? InDesign (except the newest versions) runs just fine on a PowerPC G4.
While we’re on the subject, anyone want to recommend a safe place to get Adobe InDesign for a good price? I see so many dealers with websites that don’t engender confidence, and I refuse to buy from a site that is obviously in China or Nigeria (not that I’m bigotted, I just want to be sure of a legitimate transaction).
The emboldened bit being the problem - you would have to track down an old copy of InDesign (version 4 or earlier).
Short answer – you can’t if you want to buy from an authorised retailer, Adobe are masters of price-fixing. The only way to get a cheap copy is either to buy something dodgy, or get a registered student or teacher to buy it for you with the educational discount Adobe offer.
Well, you can still use your PC.
I’ve got InDesign CS6 running on a “late 2006”-model MacBook Pro that I bought in 2007. As long as I don’t work on anything huge, it’s fine.
You might start by looking at the various upgrade prices and paths. It could be that you own some combination of products that qualify for upgrade pricing.
For example, I don’t update the CS applications very often. In fact, my versions of the apps prior to CS 5.5 were from before there was a CS and so I no longer qualified for update pricing. BUT my very old license of Dreamweaver 8 got me update pricing on Acrobat 9, which qualified me for update pricing on CS 5.5. (If I remember correctly. The actual chain of events might have been somewhat different.)
seconded, there is nothing magical about a mac that makes it a better platform for this kind of work, its all about the software. By hunting for the “cheapest” mac, you will be getting a lower spec unit that will most likely get smoked by a windows based machine of a similar price point.
Or buy a similar spec windows machine and a good 24" plus monitor. Your monitor is going to be one of the most useful bang for the buck expenditures for any graphic design work.
Without getting sidetracked into the overall user experience, are there *functional *differences between a Windows- and an OSX-based graphics shop? Input materials are almost always Word (or convertible to Word) files created on PCs from all over the world. Typical books are in the 2–300 page rage, often with heavy graphics (photos, graphs, tables, etc.). Substantial use of Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign (and the occasional Quark), and several supplemental programs (e.g. Dreamweaver). All materials are eventually sent to print houses for publishing.
Again, I’d rather not sidetrack the thread into whether Windows or OSX is teh suxorz or whatever, just whether a PC-based design platform will be handicapped in any way (other than software familiarity). If there’s no difference in the output files (i.e. a print house will be able to read both equally well) or software capabilities, what about opening older files? Say a client wants to republish a book originally created on a Mac. Would a PC be able to open the design files and keep going, or would there be font re-flow or other issues?
Good idea, but a copy of Adobe Pagemaker 6.5 from 1988 that I borrowed from someone probably wouldn’t qualify. 