I am a typesetter and word processor from about 20 years ago looking to get back into the world of typesetting and possibly word processing. I do know how to use Microsoft Word program. Does anybody have any ideas how to approach this? What programs do I need to bring my skills up to date. Do companies still use typesetters?
Companies still do use typesetters. You would need either, or both of the main typesetting applications: Quark 8 or InDesign CS4. You cannot use Microsoft word as that is not a typesetting application and can cause all sorts of problems if you try and use it as most publishers like a backup of all files and will not accept Word documents. To get work, I found the best way is to get a guide of publishers and mail shot them - you will probably get around 3 or 4 publishers interested out of 1000 mail shots.