InDesign vs Kittl

Carl Shank • January 30, 2023

InDesign vs Kittl

InDesign vs Kittl. Perhaps this is an unfair contest right from the start. Adobe's InDesign is a well-crafted layout program with expert features for type crafting and setting. It is my go-to program for professional layout jobs. Kittl is a graphics program available on the internet for free, though to unlock its many templates and graphic powers, a monthly ($15 for Pro users) or yearly fee ($120 for Pro users) is necessary.


Kittl (www.kittl.com), built by Tobias Saul, allows real time advanced text editing with built in text manipulation features, like shadows and easy to use text slanting, rise, text on a circle or an angle and textual distortion features. Its claim to fame is the multitude of template styles available to the user, especially the fancy vector ornament library, shapes and banners and texture collections built into the program. It is easy to use and  manipulate and change elements and colors and then export your finished product to a JPG or PGN file (or PDF for Pro users) or post your creation on many social platforms. It advances WYSWYG (what-you-see-is-what-you-get) to a whole new level, and for many users — it is FREE!


Adobe InDesign, of course, is part of Adobe's Creative Cloud offerings, and available by subscription to users. The subscription price is substantial per year, but you get a number of professionally designed layout and graphical programs, like InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop and many others. It is heralded and used by many graphical and video editing professionals worldwide, including myself. The training curve for InDesign and other such programs is also substantial, but well worth the time and effort for professional uses.


I have included a comparison of a poster I did for a client in both InDesign and then an adaptation in the Kittl program. Both look acceptable for use and possible publication, though I did not attempt to publish the Kittl design. I still like the preciseness of InDesign over Kittl, and I noted that my personal type font (CARE Font) looks grainy in the Kittl mock-up contrasted to the InDesign poster. However, for Victorian swirls and ornamentation, Kittl has many advantages over the traditional Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop programming and steps necessary.


Successful Layout & Design

Advanced Practical Typography: A Review of Walter B. Gress’s Contribution (1)

By Carl Shank • August 6, 2026
Walter B. Gress was associated with the American printing trade during the era when letterpress printing, hot-metal composition, and mechanized presses dominated commercial printing. Rather than introducing new typefaces or typographic theories, Gress focused on practical craftsmanship, emphasizing accuracy, efficiency, and standardized production methods. Gress’s lasting contribution lies in documenting the craft knowledge of the traditional printing office. His work bridges the nineteenth-century tradition of manual typography and the increasingly mechanized printing industry of the twentieth century, preserving techniques and standards that shaped generations of American printers. His most famous work was The American Handbook of Printing (1913). This book covered nearly every aspect of an early American commercial printing office. It addressed such topics as typography and composition hand typesetting, proof correction, imposition, lock-up and presswork, paper selection, inks, estimating jobs, printing-office management and printing terminology. Gress was most interested in the professional ideals of American commercial printing in the early twentieth century, consisting of legibility over ornament, consistency in composition, careful spacing and alignment, correct use of type families, high standards of proofreading, and the efficient workflow in the composing room. His work and teaching occurred during a transitional period in printing history, where hand composition still existed alongside mechanical typesetting. Linotype and Monotype systems were becoming standard. Commercial printing was expanding rapidly. Trade schools increasingly required instructional texts.

Small Caps

By Carl Shank • August 4, 2026
small capitals (often called small caps) are specially designed uppercase letterforms that have the proportions and stroke weight of lowercase letters while retaining the shapes of capitals. They are not simply reduced full capitals; true small capitals are drawn specifically for the typeface. Small capitals originated during the Renaissance as printers sought a harmonious way to incorporate the dignity of Roman capitals into continuous lowercase text. Over five centuries, they became a hallmark of fine typography, especially in books, Bibles, scholarly editions, legal documents, and reference works. When properly designed as true small capitals rather than scaled-down capitals, they provide elegant emphasis, improve textual hierarchy, and contribute to the refined appearance that has characterized high-quality typography since the sixteenth century.
Show More