Traditional PageMaker Mac users work in small businesses, home offices and education facilities.
What is PageMaker?
PageMaker marries your text, graphics and images into one PageMaker file from your computer desktop. Also, you can send the file to a service provider. Commercial service providers can turn your PageMaker files into high quality newsletters and magazines.
PageMaker History
First, start with PageMaker and the Apple GUI (Graphical User Interface). Now add Adobe PostScript page description language, and Apple's first Laserwriter. Put all the ingredients together with the first Mac computer and you have a new world for desktop publishing.
Mark 1984 as the original start of desktop publishing. Moving through seven evolutions, PageMaker is still used in commercial, educational and business ventures.
Thumbnail Designs to Comps
You need pencil and paper to create your thumbnail designs. The tradition still works for creating your design for layout pages in PageMaker. Follow this with the "Comp" (Comprehensive Sketch) for the number of pages, number of columns, picture placement, type specs and add color for affect.
The Comp is the first proof the client approves. Comps could include tables, sidebars, footnotes and various headlines. Next, have your client approve or suggest alterations for your work.
PageMaker Basic to Advanced Construction
You have the required tools and utilities built into PageMaker for creating basic layouts. With PageMaker you can automate repetitive tasks and combine manual operations into a few short steps. These are just some of the ways for speeding up your production time with PageMaker.
Avoid Costly Mistakes
Advantages of digital files allow you to change the text fonts, images, and colors before finally sending your publication to your service provider. Create several documents from your Master document. Use your PageMaker magazine advertisement on your website. You can also use your PageMaker file for your company sales kit and trade show posters and banners.
PageMaker Work Environment
Start with: Title Bar, Menu Bar, Tool Palette (Tool Box) and Control Palette. Add Page Navigation icons and finish with Story Editor.
The PageMaker mighty nine menus: Start with File, Edit, Layout, Type, Element and Utilities. Add View, Window and Help for direction.
PageMaker 7 and PDF files
PageMaker supports the import of Acrobat 5's PDF format files. Also, PageMaker 7 can now produce PDF files throughout the new Distiller 5. This is significant as PDF has establishes itself as one of the preferred medium for commercial print.
Quick Look at PageMaker 7 Improvements and Bundled Goodies
Learning Experience
I was fortunate to take Graduate Courses at Rhode Island College with Dr. Jim Davis in 1992. We had the Mac Lab with Mac Classics and old PageMaker program. In 1994, the Mac Lab had 13" monitors with network printers for working on our several Mac PageMaker projects. We spent hours learning how to use PageMaker and design our newsletters projects. One of several good reason why I stay with PageMaker program.
Pro Reaction
PageMaker 7.0 has hundreds of A4 and U.S. letter templates for newsletters, brochures, flyers and advertisements.
PageMaker 7 now supports files in Photoshop's native PSD and Adobe Illustrator 9's AI format. In addition, PageMaker 7.0 comes with its own 401 page User Guide.
PageMaker's unique features are its ability to wrap text completely around objects. Another unique feature to PageMaker is its preflight capabilities to help users deliver error-free documents to printers and service bureaus.
Con Reaction
PageMaker 7 works with Mac OS 9 Classic and not directly in Mac OS X. You can still access it throughout OS X platform.
Missing is the Adobe Press book on how to use the Adobe PageMaker 7.0 templates similiar to Adobe PageMaker Plus 6.5 Productivity Kit. Also, there is no command to automatically open the placed PSD back into Photoshop.
Retail Price and Mac System Requirements
Retail Price: PageMaker 7. Published by Adobe. PageMaker 7 retails for $499. PageMaker 7 Upgrade $79.
Mac: PowerPC processor; Mac OS software version 8.6 (with Apple Software Font Manager Update Version 1.0), 9.1 or Mac OS X (Classic); 16 MB of available RAM (32 NB recommended); 100 MB of available hard-disk space (150 MB recommended); CD-ROM drive.
Paul Gerstenbluth is President of the ARIE Foundation and is a computer consultant. The ARIE Foundation's mission is to provide VA hospitalized patients with hobby materials and Powerbooks that help in their stay and recovery.
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