PageMaker PC Arrives by Publisher Information Systems (312)-342-6919 "When you're SERIOUS about your documents" PageMaker PC is finally here, and yes it is everything you expected it to be. We had the opportunity to work with this outstanding package for a few hours this week of Feb 15, 1987 and it is fast - in fact FASTER than PageMaker on a Mac Plus. Combined with an appropriate laser printer like the QMS PS800 (see bulletin on QMS products) PM produces near typeset quality output at a mere fraction of the time and expense that is required by traditional techniques. PM gives the users complete control over the design and production process, and often users recover the $695.00 cost of the package in the first day or use. PM has been designed to support a wide rance of hard and software (any device with a driver for MS WINDOWS is supported, since PM utilizes the device drivers which WINDOWS supports) and of course new vendors will be expected to support WINDOWS and PM now that this much-heralded program is available for the IBM PC family of micros. Aldus is also working with all major vendors to implement standard file formats along with import mechanisms that make it easy for other software vendors to make their applications compatible with PM. As released, PM has been written to support more wp and graphics packages than other popular page composition packages. PageMaker PC in action is astounding and the ease with which it deals with formatting text, placing graphics elements and style changes in the page is impressive. If you are running an IBM PC AT or compatible, PageMaker simply flies. If you are running an XT class PC, however you will definitely be in for some waiting since the amount of processing that has to be done in a full blown page composition package is considerable. Add to that the additional processing requirements that are demanded by the PostSctipt use of graphics primitives (see PostScript and Graphic conferences) and you have an overloaded processor with an XT class machine. Aldus is recommending an IBM PC AT or compat with a 512K minimum, and 640K recommended. PM will support the IBM EGA, Hecruled Card and any other WINDOWS compatible display device. The world's favorite mouse (MS) and Mouse Systems mice are supported, as are any other that are compatible with MS WINDOWS. Aldus has also met the challenge of monitor diversity in the PC community (though this not small task doubtless kept many an assembly language programmer up late at nite) and offers support for the ConoGraphic ConoVision 2800, MicroDisplay Systems Genius Display, Minoterm Viking I, WYSE Technology WY-700 as well as any high resolution monitor that is supported by MS WINDOWS. Any respectable DTP operation utilizes the latest in scanner technology, and PM is supporting the Canon IX-12, Datacopy 730 and JetReader, Dest PC-Scan, Microtek 300A and Ricoh IS-30. As with other hardware dependent operations, any device that uses TIFF (Tag Image File Format) will also be supported by PageMaker PC. PM's support for popular WP packages is impressive indeed and includes easy interfaces for MS WORD, WordStar 3.3, MultiMate, XyWrite, WordPerfect, MS Windows Write, all IBM DCA format files (which includes Samna Word, Display Write 3, WordStar 2000, Office Writer and Volkswriter) and of course any other package that is capable of generating a straight ASCII file. Graphics and the easy importation of same are also a vital part of the new Desktop Publishing Revolution, and PM provides the user with easy integration of files from Windows Paint and MicroGrafx Windows Draw (see downloads for the DRAW demo package), In-A-Vision, PC-Paint, Publisher's PaintBrush, AutoCad (in ADI format), Lotus 1-2-3 (PIC format), Symphony (PIC format), Windows GDI Metafiles along with any other graphics editor that will export TIFF (see above) files. Watching PC PageMaker import and size or reposition graphics on an AT is simplicity itself. Once the image has been selected from a pull down window which display a directory of all the files of that type on the disk clicking on the mouse selects the image and it is then brought into PM. Once you have brought the image in from disk, you may place it anywhere, scale to fit and text automatically flows around the selected graphics frame. Be cautioned that the manner in which the text flows does not necessarily guarantee a totally satisfactory result, but mastering that particular skill is a matter of learning to deal effectively with PM's ruler lines which determine the margins and alingment of text on the page. Of course all of this would mean little without good laser printer support, and PM is providing drivers for the Apple LaserWriter and LaserWriter Plus, Dataproducts LZR 2665, DEC PrintServer 40, HP LaserJet and LaserJet Plus, IBM PagePrinter, LaserConnection PS JET (an add on for the HP LaserJet which gives the user a PostScript compatible device), QMS PS 2400, TI OmniLaser 2108 and 2115 as well as any PostScript compatible device (see bulletin on PostScript printers). As a rule, any laser printer will run PM under either PostScript or Windows, since the WIN drivers are utilized. The old reliable dot matrix printer is still the handiest for proofing, along with being considerably less expensive and PM has provided support for the C-Itoh 851, Epson FX-80, LQ-1500, MX- 80 with Graptrax, HP ThinkJet, IBM ProPrinter, NEC P2,P3, Okidate 92/93 and 192/193, TI 850 and 855, Toshiba P1351. Of course as with all other drivers, any printer supported by Windows will also be supported by PM. For the high end of the scale, PM PC will also easily support files sent to professional typesetting machines. The Allied Linotype Linotronic 100 (at 1240 dpi) and Linotronic 300 (at 2400 dpi and above) are fully supported. Additionally, a number of typesetting manufacturers are providing support for PostScript and we shall attempt to keep you updated on the latest in this area. PostScript of course is the dominating force within PageMaker but DDL from Imagen Corporation is supported as well. Since the Hewlett-Packard LaserJet enhancements, such as the 2M Upgrade and the Publishers Kit (see bulletins on HP products) support DDL (Document Description Language) this will doubtless enhance the portability and popularity of the package. Currently, a full 67% of the installed laser printers in this country are Hewlett-Packard devices, and this will doubtless play a quite significant role in the acceptance of this package. The Font libarary is needless to say impressive with the LaserJet using the USASCII or Roman-8 char set, and including the new MS Windows "Z" cartridge recently announced by HP. PM of course supports downloadble (soft) fonts on the HP machines and PostScript printers, which in actual practice can be a substantial as any font that has been converted from the libraries of Merganthaler, ITC Bookman and other sources to be compatible with PostScript. The details on this package are fully elaborated in another bulletin on PageMaker PC. Using PM is quite easy, with the entire process menu driven from the pull down capabilities of Windows. Of course all of the facilities of Windows are available to the user, as well as the considerable talents of PC PageMaker and the other applications you are running. We shall be updating this within the week, but suffice it to say that the LONG WAIT we all experienced for PageMaker PC was well worth it. It is truly one of the products of the YEAR for the PC.