Adobe Illustrator vs. Photoshop vs. InDesign – Print Design Guide

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Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign represent the “big three” of the Adobe Creative Suite—but never assume that one is interchangeable with another.

Use the wrong design program to create a certain element of your artwork, and you might end up with blurry text, sloppy layouts, or a logo that you can never resize without turning it into a pixelated nightmare.

Using all three programs together, however, turns them into the ultimate dream team. You can maximize the strengths of each Adobe product while also minimizing their weaknesses; where one program fails, another can pick up the slack.

Which Adobe Program Should You Use for Designing Print Media?

Since each program has its own set of strengths and weaknesses, the one you should choose depends on which part of the print design you’re actually making.

Using this presentation folder design as an example, let’s break down which Adobe programs (Photoshop vs. Illustrator vs. InDesign) were used to create its various elements.

Designing a Logo: Illustrator

The perfect scalability of vector images makes Illustrator, hands-down, the best program for creating print logos. A logo you create in Illustrator can be imported into a number of different projects and will always print with crystal clarity.

Runner-Up: InDesign

If you don’t have Illustrator, InDesign also has the vector tools you need to create a scalable logo. Photoshop can work as a last resort, but keep in mind that the vectors you create will be converted to raster images and you’ll likely see some slight pixelation if you try to reproduce the logo in different sizes.

Drawing Shapes and Graphics: Illustrator

Illustrator is the go-to choice for drawing any shaped visual elements, since vectors can be easily manipulated, altered and resized. Vector illustration can be tricky to learn, but the results are much more professional looking than other hand-drawn options.

Runner-Up: Photoshop

If you don’t mind working in a pixel-based environment, you can achieve similar results using Photoshop. Since not all of your illustrative elements will be reused in other designs, you won’t run into any pixelation issues as long as you don’t have to resize the image.

Adding Filters and Special Effects: Photoshop

Photoshop gives you access to an impressive library of filters and special effects. If you want to give your print media projects that extra level of flair, Photoshop should be your first choice.

Runner-Up: InDesign

If you don’t have access to Photoshop, you can add a few limited filters to your photos directly from InDesign. It doesn’t have quite the same scope as Photoshop, but it can handle the basics.

Manipulating Photos: Photoshop

The name says it all—Photoshop has the most tools for manipulating photos, and since photos are created using pixels, you don’t have to worry about distortion. Whenever your print design includes photographs, use Photoshop first to improve the image quality before importing into another program.

Runner-Up: InDesign

Again, if you don’t have access to Photoshop, InDesign can at least handle the basics, like cropping and resizing. It shouldn’t be your first choice, but it’s manageable in a pinch.

Writing Copy: InDesign

If you’re designing a brochure, pocket folder or other print project that has large passages of text, InDesign is very handy for its intuitive word wrap feature. Word wrap helps you easily break up your copy into columns, letting you utilize every inch of canvas space. InDesign also creates crisp, clean text devoid of pixelation.

Runner-Up: Illustrator

Illustrator can also be used to create smooth, scalable text out of vector shapes, but without the word wrap tools, it can be difficult to create a good-looking layout for text.

Designing Layouts: InDesign

InDesign has all of the best tools for creating complete layouts for print, especially multi-page layouts using its master page system. It can also handle multi-page templates, which makes it easier for you to quickly put together a sharp-looking layout.

Runner-Up: Illustrator

Illustrator can also handle multi-page layouts to a degree, but without the master page system, you’ll end up having to do a lot of extra work.

Creating Your Print Ready Files: InDesign

Composing a print-ready folder design in InDesign is a fairly simple affair. It keeps all of the design elements in their original state, so when it comes time to print, you’ll have the most accurate representation possible. InDesign is also better than most other Adobe programs at creating .EPS files, one of the more ideal formats for print-ready artwork.

Runner-Up: Illustrator

Illustrator makes a decent second choice for its ability to export accurate print-ready .EPS files.

What About Adobe Fireworks?

Although Adobe Fireworks is an excellent illustration and photo editing tool, when it comes to designing print media, there isn’t much that Fireworks has to offer over the other programs in the Adobe Creative Suite.

It’s actually something of an amalgam of all three programs—it has layers and photo editing tools like Photoshop, vector illustrations like Illustrator, and the use of master pages like InDesign.

However, Fireworks is primarily for web and digital design, so when it comes to creating print designs, it doesn’t bring anything new to the table.

Conclusion

We all have our own ways of doing things, and you should ultimately choose the program that best fits you as a designer. In the end, what matters is that your final product is clean, clear and catching to the eye.

Do you have any questions about using Illustrator vs. Photoshop vs. InDesign for creating print media designs? What have been your personal experiences with using the Adobe Creative Suite for print media? Is there another alternative program that you prefer over these three? We really want to hear from you, so please leave your comments below!

What is the difference between Adobe InDesign and Adobe Illustrator?

Updated for 2022!

The Adobe Creative Suite comprises of many different pieces of software, the big three for all Designers is Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign but actually what are they all used for?

The most commonly used is Photoshop, this is rastor based which means each image is made up of tiny dots or pixels, Photoshop is used purely for editing your pixel based images.

Adobe Illustrator and InDesign however do have a few blurred lines between them so some people find it hard to see what the difference is…

What is Adobe Illustrator used for?

Illustrator is a vector based program, this means that unlike photoshop which is rastor based and uses pixels, Illustrator uses a mathmatical grid to map the artwork that is created, therefore all artwork created in Illustrator is scaleable, you can resize as small or as large as you like and you will never loose any quality. Every company should have a vector version of their logo so it can be applied consistently to the side of buildings and also to letterheads. If you only have a Jpeg version of your logo from Photoshop you will always be limited to how large you can print this without it becoming pixelated.

Adobe Illustrator can be used to create logos and paint with brushes, it also has a lot of very powerful type tools for creating dynamic layouts, in recent versions of Illustrator it has been possible to work on more than one Artboard or page, so you could design a double sided A4 leaflet without having to use two documents, Illustrator however is not very powerful with multiple pages or spreads, for this you need InDesign…

What is Adobe InDesign used for?

InDesign is also a vector based program much the same as Illustrator, however InDesigns strengths really lie in its ability to handle multiple pages and create master pages, you can easily create book or magazine layouts with automatic page numbering and consistent templates on each page all linked to an editable master page.

InDesign is purely a page layout program, you can bring together all your artwork from Illustrator and Photoshop to create multiple page spreads and layouts. In recent versions of InDesign there are a lot more interactive output options, you can generate e-books for devices like a Kindle, you can also create layouts for viewing on tablets like the iPad, you can even add in video and export interactive PDF files.

UPDATE – Please see my new blog ‘When to use Adobe Photoshop Vs Adobe Illustrator Vs Adobe InDesign’

New for 2022 the Photoshop and Illustrator Apps!

Since writing this article back in 2014 a lot has happened! As you know there are Adobe Apps for everything these days and that does not stop with InDesign and Illustrator. The Adobe apps have really come on a lot in recent years, there was a time when it was quite restrictive what you could produce on the Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator App but now the Apps are fully working and used by professionals everyday. For those of you who are already familiar with Adobe InDesign and Illustrator you wont have any problems navigating the workspace app and for those who are new to this the Apps can be a much gentler entry point. I’m writing some new posts about Adobe Apps, I’ll post the link here when its complete!

Summary..

Ultimately if you want to be a well rounded designer you need to be using all three pieces of software to their full potential. However if you are just designing small leaflets and newsletters, Illustrator is great, there are loads of art brushes and type tools to create some great artwork. If you are making larger multiple page documents then its time to learn InDesign.

Mark Williams is the Director of Creative Studios Derby LTD, the East Midlands largest and most experienced Adobe training centre. If you need help learning any software from the Adobe Creative Suite, then contact us.

We regularly run Adobe InDesign Training Courses and Adobe Illustrator Training Courses from our state of the art studio in Derby.

Photoshop vs Illustrator: Which is Better for Surface Design?

Raster vs vector? Photoshop vs illustrator? Photoshop vs Procreate? What’s the difference between all of them? Is one better suited for surface design than the others?

Maybe you’ve struggled to learn one or both programs because you were told you had to. Or maybe you were told the myth that you have to use Adobe Illustrator to be a successful surface designer – I dedicated a whole video on Instagram about why that isn’t true, btw.

Whether you’re brand new to surface design or not, these are things you may have struggled with at some point. But is any of it even true – is one truly better than the other? What even IS raster and vector art??? And why does it matter?

Well, I hope today’s post will bring some clarity to that age-old dilemma.

Let’s start with a few definitions…

What’s the difference between raster vs vector?

Raster art is pixel-based where an image is made up of an arrangement of pixels or dots. If you scale up a raster image large enough, it will become “pixelated” and lose quality.

That’s why it’s so important to create high-resolution art at a minimum of 300 dpi. Adobe Photoshop is the most commonly used raster-based design program, but Procreate has gained significant popularity among surface designers over the last few years for its ease of use.

Vector art, on the other hand, is based on mathematical formulas – images are created using points and lines & curves in-between the points. Because of that, you can scale vector graphics to any size without seeing any pixelation or loss of quality. Adobe Illustrator is the gold standard of vector-based design programs, used by most companies. However, Affinity Designer is another vector program used by some surface designers.

So when comparing Photoshop vs Illustrator, is one superior to the other for surface design?

No, I firmly believe one program isn’t inherently better than the other as each has strengths and weaknesses. Instead, the more important question to ask is: Which program is better for YOU to design with?

Adobe Photoshop & Procreate

Both Photoshop and Procreate’s strength is the ability to display texture and fine details in a way that vector programs can’t replicate. It’s why those who prefer to design away from their computers love to use Procreate. Or why most surface designers who use watercolor, gouache, acrylic, or any other analog-based medium save their designs in Photoshop.

A greeting card design from my portfolio made using Adobe Photoshop & Procreate

If you’ve ever tried recreating a watercolor design in Illustrator using the line trace feature, you’ve probably noticed how slowly your computer runs and how less successful the watercolor blending looks.

Photoshop and Procreate are best for surface designers who like texture and subtle color changes in their work.

Just make sure you save or scan everything you design at a high resolution (preferably at least 600 dpi). And if you’re using Procreate, use as many layers as possible to make color changes/adjustments that much easier to make.

Adobe Illustrator

Illustrator’s strength is Photoshop’s biggest weakness – the ability to scale anything without losing quality. So you could design a tiny 1-inch flower and it would look just as crisp if a company licensed it from you and scaled it to 20 feet for a billboard.

A floral mini collection from my portfolio created using Adobe Illustrator

Designers love Illustrator for how clean and crisp images are, especially when using the pen tool. Companies love Illustrator too because it’s often easier and quicker to make changes to an AI file than a PS file (as long as you hand them a clean and well-built file).

There’s also some printing processes that require AI files be used, so if you create using Illustrator, you may find it a bit easier to hand over final files to your clients.

Illustrator is best for designers who prefer a clean look, want to scale their designs to any size, or work with companies that print using AI-based printing processes.

Related Article: 10 Common Surface Pattern Design Terms Explained

But I know what some of you might be thinking…

How do I know which file type a company accepts or prefers?

That’s why it’s important to ask if they have any file-type requirements when emailing art directors. Many times companies are flexible and can take both Photoshop and Illustrator files, but sometimes they may only be able to accept one or the other. So if you ask near the start of your conversation, you won’t waste any of your time (or theirs) with art you can’t license with them.

In the end though, what matters most is that you create artwork using the methods (and programs) that work best for YOU, not what someone else told you to use. And that means you can also use both if you want, btw – I do!

Because when you listen to yourself and focus on how you like to design, your art will always be better for it.