Which mac for adobe

[jgaard]

Hi

Which mac for running adobes Illustrator, Photo shop and Indesign?
How much RAM?

Please recomend a display too for DTP and graphic design.

J;-)

[ElDiabloConCaca]

It depends on what you intend to use those programs for... I understand they're all "design" programs, but what exactly are you looking to do with them?

If you want simple desktop design, a new iMac would do nicely. 512MB of RAM, minimum -- 1GB or more recommended.

If you're looking for professional-level color correction, I would recommend skipping any flat-screen LCD monitors/computers and go for a calibrateable, large, hooded CRT -- 21" or larger. Back in the mid-90s a good, calibrateable monitor like a RasterOps monitor was crucial. A G5 computer to go along with that with 2GB of RAM or more would be nice as well for working on those 11x17 300dpi photos in PhotoShop as well.

If you can elaborate on exactly what you plan to do with those programs, perhaps we can help you narrow down the choice a little more.

[jgaard]

My wife is starting in a new job and was asked to spec her new computer.

In her new job she will be making a 12 page sales catalog. And other smaller designs for shops. She will be the only inhouse graphic designer/DTP'er.

Are there any LCD's that can be adjusted for good color? Or is CRT a must?

Also if you can recomend a good scanner for such a job.

J;-)

Sorry I'm still using a PC.

[ra3ndy]

I've laid out out several catalogs/ trade journals/ things of that nature several times in the past. I find that the worst part of the task is handling large files easily.

Your wife should be more than happy with the bottom of the line G5, but upgrade the RAM to at least 2 GB. That'll make handling large pics much more pleasant.

As for Display, I like the Apple Cinema Display. I don't tend to recommend other companies' LCD displays due to a typical lack of DVI or better connection, which can effect color reproduction. Having said that, the 23" inch Cinema Display has been accused of having a pink cast to the color, most likely because the lcd was made in a different factory than the 20" & 30" lcd's.

If the system looks too pricey, the new iMacs have been reliable for color accuracy (remember that poor studio lighting can also impact color perception. Halogen has been my stand-by for a few years).

But if a CRT is the choice for monitor, LaCie still makes an excellent hooded display. Pricey, but worth it if color accuracy is a very big issue.

[DeltaMac]

LaCie seems to have moved CRTs on out the door. This page http://www.lacie.com./products/family.htm?id=10010 no longer shows any CRTs. LaCie's LCD displays are very good, with a couple of hooded models, if you want that. Also, a calibrator is optional on some models.

[Lt Major Burns]

the apple 20" display colour is excellent. very, very good. i think it's actually better than CRT's as it doesn't suffer from and distortion from the image being 'focussed' on the glass tube. colour definition is very good. 23" has problems, but the 20" and 30" don't suffer from this. the 20" iMac shares the same panel as this cinema display.

the dell FP2405W 24" HD display is also very good, will with brilliant colour and a very nice price tag.

for image work, make sure you get lots of RAM.

[Rhisiart]

For many years I used a variety of Adobe products on a PowerPC 7600 (with minimal RAM and a hopelessly slow processor) and a 14" Apple CRT display! I got by surprisingly well under the circumstances (publishing a bi-monthly advertising magazine and not missing a deadline), although things obviously improved with a newly purchased G4 with 768 RAM (2 GB would be preferred) and a 22' Mitsubushi Diamond Plus 200 CRT.

In many respects the move to a bigger display had a much greater impact on my workflow than a higher-powered computer. If I won the Lotto tomorrow I would purchase an Apple wide screen 30" LCD before upgrading my computer.

I would point out that my friend's G5 iMac with a 20" wide screen is better to work with than my 22" 'square' monitor, despite being a bit smaller. The wide screen has the advantage of displaying a multitude of palates, whilst allowing maximum window display size for products such as InDesign, where you often want place objects outside the main work area, and for running two or more programmes simultaneously side by side.

[SuperTyphoon]

The 2405 fpw from dell has got to be the best monitor i have ever looked at. It's price for uner 1000 (close to 900 sometimes!) is unbeatable.

CRT's nowadadys look like crap because the industry knows that lcd's are the big money maker now. So they don't care about the quality of crt monitors, especially the flat screen ones.

LCDs, such as the 2405, have much more vivid and bold colors than CRTs and obviously are much sharper. Just about everything except motion blur and backlight bleeding is better on an LCD.
IF you must get a crt, get a sony trinitron or a mitsubishi diamnodtron.