🚀 go-pugleaf

Bo 

I've not used the feathering tool, but I strongly suspect it's rasterizing your type. This is the same scheme used in the transparency and drop shadow effects. PostScript doesn't recognize non-opaque elements, so to acheive the effect of transparency Adobe's come up with a workaround that turns all vector elements (type, rules, boxes, placed vector graphics) into bitmapped elements where they intersect a transparency zone. Sometimes the results are alarmingly bad, especially in the final output. We've fought this nightmare with Illustrator for some time now, wasting much film and even having to reprint some jobs as a result. Now it's available in InDesign--argh!! I wonder who's going to pay for all the resulting reruns--the customers who applied the effects or the printers who didn't catch them? 

You'll want to learn as much about these effects as possible, both online and in the InDesign user manual. If you have Illustrator 10, it comes with a brief yet informative Flattening Guide that will provide more explanation. 

My recommendation is to avoid using "magic button" effects unless you understand how they work and the possible ramifications of using them. Contrary to what Adobe and other software publishers say in their press blurbs, there ain't no magic in this industry--only hard work, constant education, intuition, and a sharp eye. 

Scott