maybe it's wishful thinking, but i don't think that's true at all. weather they know it or not i think people do notice those types of things. they might not consciously know why they like one flyer more than another, but i think they notice.

We want them to, but I just don't think they do. Sorta like many of us here don't understand why people don't listen to the shit they are fed on the radio and reflexively gag at Nickelback poetry.

Christ, I'm helping my mother restore a bunch of old family photos, and if I get another 100 dpi scan printed on a shitty inkjet that was low on black that's supposed to be the original I'm gonna run on stage and start shooting people.

Now, if this were a cd cover, brochure or promo kit rather than a flyer (which I'm presuming to be disposable, even photocopies) then I'd definitely chime in for the higher quality.

just get some goddamned scissors, a stack of national geographics and some tape and a freaking glue stick and wash your hands and get to work. you people are getting bogged down in the gloss.

real punks don't wash their hands.

i think of it more like things like reverb and compressors.
most people don't know what they are, but they know a well produced song when they hear one.

This is true, but considering a learning curve here, it would be even easier to use InDesign rather than Illustrator for layout and setting text. Illustrator can be pretty intimidating and there's a lot that will never get used. Plus, if they are just flyers that are going to be done short run and not high quality, the Photoshop job will work. It's not going to be an annual report or anything, but the average joe on the street or looking at the bulletin board in the record store really aren't going to give a shit. That's where the layout is going to set your design apart. From 3-5 feet away, most people will never see the pixelation.

Illustrator is not a particularly intuitive or user-friendly program for those with limited experience. Photoshop and InDesign, however, are much more similar and the chance of the user having even minor experience with another DTP application like PageMaker or heaven forbid even Publisher is much more likely than a passing knowledge of a vector-based app.

Given my grasp of the needs of the situation, Photoshop is the Ford Focus that will get you to work every day, but I wouldn't drive it to grandma's house two states away. InDesign is a more comfortable ride and will make your trip a bit easier and able to accommodate a few more passengers and their luggage. Illustrator is like buying a small plane with no pilot's license.

I had a harder time learning Illustrator, but I think the text tools in Illustrator are pretty easy to use. It's the other stuff that gets tricky to learn.