Keeping local news alive is an uphill struggle in a global age, but it's an important one: although it's unquestionably a benefit to be able to connect to any corner of the world, communities rely on common understanding and awareness. To maintain local news provision necessitates making it as widely accessible as possible, so that it has the opportunity to compete with, or at least be noticed in, the vast network of international information that is universally available today. With this in mind, the owners of the Corenthwaite Chronicle are looking to overhaul both their print and online services in order to reach as many people in the local and wider communities as possible.

Doing so is a substantial job, certainly, but the publishers are confident that they can succeed and help the Chronicle to flourish - partly because they have faith in their content and staff, and partly because they know that Adobe InDesign CS5 gives them just the tools they need to relaunch their publication. InDesign offers a combination of versatile and powerful techniques for print and online publishing, and a simplicity that gives the Chronicle's staff control of all aspects of the publication without the need for any prior expertise.

In print

With InDesign, putting together the print edition of the paper is easy. CS5's enhanced productivity tools are inspired by what users need, rather than adding fancy techniques that serve little practical purpose. Converting content into a finished and tangible publication starts with the layout of the page, and InDesign makes this process simple and effective. Smart guides make sure that you have a consistent appearance without the need to carefully measure and line everything up - by positioning an object roughly where it should be, the software can automatically 'snap' it into place.

Similarly, smart tools are available to ensure that spacing between objects and text is even throughout, and that if you need to rotate images to fit into your piece they're all aligned uniformly (of course, should you fancy a more nonconformist and unconventional layout, these smart tools can be disabled with a single click).

InDesign can also help the appearance of the content itself. In addition to huge range of styles to suit every need, the software fully supports drop caps, OpenType fonts and text wrapping, as well as allowing headlines to span multiple columns without the need for creating separate text fields for every headline. And when you need to insert images into your work, InDesign provides a helping hand there too - CS5's new Mini Bridge tool allows you to directly access your images within the context of your publication, and to simply drag and drop graphics into the layout without ever having to leave the program.

What's more, InDesign also saves you time. The automated workflow tool provides a simple technique for handling repetitive layout tasks, allowing you to carry them out with just a click - and ensuring consistency of appearance for less effort. Meanwhile, CS Review allows you to review your work instantly as you're creating it, allowing you to see any changes and improvements you make in the context of the wider publication - and if you run InDesign in tandem with Adobe CS Live, the edits that you make can also be reviewed by others as you make them.

Online

All of the tools that make traditional print publication easier and more effective can also be used to enhance the online edition and simplify its creation. However, making the content available on the web also offers new opportunities for improving the consumer experience. InDesign makes it easy to add animations, transitions and any kind of multimedia and interactive content. Plus, vitally, InDesign comes from Adobe, as does Flash - and there is no other publication solution that makes it as easy to incorporate Flash objects directly into your work. By using the two Adobe technologies together, the Chronicle site can be more interactive and engaging than ever before, allowing the company to revitalise the way that they bring local news to local people.

And InDesign can similarly transform any publication, in print or online or both. As with many of Adobe's other market-leading products - such as Photoshop and Dreamweaver - the focus is on effective tools for professional results. They leave no doubt that here is powerful software for serious projects. But that shouldn't be daunting - indeed, a small training course can help you get the most out of all that InDesign has to offer, whilst the simple and intuitive controls make the basics easier than ever to get to grips with. Make no mistake, InDesign can dramatically enhance both the process and the results of any publication in any format.