roy@nlm-vax.ARPA (Roy Standing) (04/04/85)
I have just received the demonstration disk ($25.00) from Aldus
Corporation, 616 1st Avenue, Suite 400, Seattle, WA 98104, (206)
467-8165. PageMaker is a Macintosh software application for
preparing newsletters etc. It works with either the ImageWriter
or the new LaserWriter.
1. The demonstration disk has restricted features so many/most
capabilities could not be explored. Save is non-functional
so you are limited to following their instructions, playing
a little, printing the results, and quiting.
2. The software seems well-designed. Of the features which could
be tested in the demo I only found two bugs and one confusion.
a. BUG 1: If you cause an article to overflow a column the software
tells you there is extra text and lets you move it to another
location. It consistently lost one line whenever I did this.
b. BUG 2: There is a line drawing tool and a line menu with line
styles. THe instructions say the borders of shapes OR lines
will be drawn according to the selected style. This did not
work for me when I drew a line with the line tool.
c. CONFUSION: I could not figure out how to delete anything once
I placed it in the pasteboard. I moved it (graphic, chart,
text, or lines) out of the pasteboard but couldn't delete it.
3. I accidently write-locked the disk before I booted. PageMaker
stopped loading and gave me a dialog box which told me to eject the
disk and write enable it but it did not eject the disk. I clicked
the continue box to see if it would eject it for me but it just
hung until I took action!
4. Page 11, column 3 states: "If you like PageMaker, you may know other
people who will, too. So feel free to copy this disk and booklet."
Entering the instruction book and uploading the whole demo disk would
be an imposing task, but it is nice to see that Aldus Corporation is
interested in widespread distribution of their demo disk. By the
way, their cover letter states: "PageMaker will be available from
selected Apple dealers in June at a suggested retail price of $495."
5. PageMaker Menus:
PageMaker is a package for "...in-house design and publishing. [You
con] create newsletters, price lists, brochures, training manuals,
technical reports, directories, sales flyers, presentations, and
more... all of your publications can look like they were done by a
pro - but, for the first time, without the expense and delays of
typesetting and pasteup... PageMaker takes care of the cut-and-paste
while you concentrate on your creativity."
PageMaker requires a 512K Mac. It can use MacWrite, MicroSoft Word,
MacPaint, and MacDraw files directly. Seven menus are provided:
File Edit Tools Page Lines Shades Help
---- ---- ----- ---- ----- ------ ----
New Undo Show rulers Show actual size
Open... Cut Ruler zero lock Reduce to 70%
Close Copy Hide Guides Reduce to 50%
Save Paste Snap to guides Reduce to fit
Save as Select story Guide lock Enlarge to 200%
Revert Bring to front Column guides... Insert page...
Place... Send to back Rounded corners... Remove page
Page Setup... Show Clipboard Hide toolbox Remove margin items
Quit Preferences Hide scroll bars Show facing pages
File menu -- these options are straightforward except for 'Place...'
Place is used to select a file to work with. A dialog box comes
up showing the available files. Once the file has been chosen
the cursor changes to one which indicates the type of file
(MacWrite etc.)
Edit menu -- 'Select story', 'Bring to front', and 'Send to back' were
not active or discussed in the demonstration documentation.
'Preferences' produces a dialog box (Measurement System) with the
choices: inches, centimeters, picas and points.
Tools menu -- 'Show rulers' puts up horizontal and vertical rulers on the
publication window. dotted lines in the ruler show the position of the
cursor. 'Ruler zero lock' was not active or documented. 'Hide
guides' alternates with 'Show guides' and controls the display of
the vertical and horizontal column margins on the pasteboard.
'Snap to guides' assists placement in the pasteboard by pulling
the pointer into place against the margin as soon as it gets
close. 'Guide lock' did not have an immediately obvious effect
and was not documented. 'Column guides' produces a dialog box
allowing you to specify the number of columns (or custom) and the
space between columns in inches. The documentation states that
PageMaker allows up to 10 columns. 'Rounded corners' produces
a dialog box with the choices square, 1/4", 1/8", 5/16", 3/16",
and 3/8". 'Hide toolbox' alternates with 'Show toolbox' and
controls the display of the toolbox window which contains eight
capabilities (see description below). 'Hide scroll bars' alternates
with 'Show scroll bars' and controls the display of the publication
window controls and indicators.
Pages menu -- these options should be clear except for 'Remove margin
items' and 'Show facing pages'. The former controls the display of
anything printed in the space outside the margins (such as a box
for effect). This option was not documented. The latter produced
a page pasteboard. This option was not documented.
Lines menu -- provides twelve line styles plus none.
Shades menu -- provides ten fill shades plus none.
Help menu -- provides online help (brief).
6. PageMaker Layout
PageMaker's publication window corresponds to the graphic designer's
drafting table. In the publication window, PageMaker shows a page
representing a standard 8 1/2" x 11" sheet of paper. It shows the
current page according to the size specified in the Pages menu. The
bottom lefthand corner of the publication window has two icons labelled
'L' and 'R' standing for lefthand and righthand pages. Clicking either
of these icons shows a page. This is a template left or righthand page
and anything you put on it will appear on every left or righthand page.
The lower lefthand corner of the publication window also has page icons
corresponding to each page of the developing publication. Clicking on
a page icon brings up that page.
The user works on the page, using the area in the publication window as
a place to put graphics and text as they are moved on and off the page.
The equivalent to the graphic designer's tools to cut, paste, and ink
is the toolbox. Eight tools are provided for selecting text and graphics,
making lines and shapes, and cropping (trimming) graphics.
7. PageMaker Toolbox
Pointer tool -- this is the normal cursor and is used to choose commands
and select text and graphics.
Text tool -- used to select text for editing. This option is supposed
to be completed for the release version.
Cropping tool -- used to crop, or trim extra parts from, graphics placed
on the page. This means that graphics can be adjusted to fit the
available space on the page.
Lines tools -- these two commands allow the user to draw lines. The first
tool constrains the user to horizontal and vertical lines. The second
tool permits lines at any angle.
Shapes tools -- these three tools are used to draw squares, rectangles,
circles, and ovals. Rounded or square corners are available. These
commands can be used to draw shapes to frame text or graphics. A
shape can be filled with a pattern chosen from the Shades menu.
8. Using PageMaker
The user is presented with a publication window. The user may wish to
setup a template for the pages using the page icons in the lower lefthand
corner of the publication window (until there is more than one page to
the publication there will only be one page icon). The user then may
choose to setup column margins and other controls.
The user selects the Place command to begin manipulating the contents
of the publication. The Place command is used to open a text or graphics
file. If a text file is chosen the cursor changes to a 'text' form and
the user places the material on the page. The text fills the column
until it fits or exhausts the available space. Handles indicate the
top of the text and the bottom of the text. If there is excess text the
bottom handle indicates this. The user clicks on the bottom handle, the
cursor changes to the 'text' form, and the users places the remainder of
of the text on the page (or any other page). The handles also permit
the text to be moved after it has been placed. If the text is moved
such that it exceeds the available space is same process is repeated
to place the remainder.
If a graphics file is chosen the cursor changes to a 'graphics' form
and the user places the material on the page. If the graphic exceeds
the available space, the cropping tool from the toolbox is used, with
the graphics' handles, to trim it to fit.
8. Additional features
The documentation promises:
A Save file command
A correct tool using the text tool
Turn the page on its side
Stretch graphics by dragging their handles
Undo the last action
Select an entire story
9. Uncertainties
Automatically generated index
Running Headers
Automatic Page Numbers
Left/Right Adjustment of headers from even to odd numbered pages
10. Summary
Too little to make too many judgements yet. On the whole it looks
good so far. Compares well to MacPublisher but lacks some of
MacPublisher's features.
Disclaimer: I have no vested interests in Aldus (PageMaker) or Boston
Software (MacPublisher). I simply want a package to put together a
monthly newsletter, and am sharing my humble opinions as I get different
packages to evaluate. If I have made a factual error, please correct me.
All opinions are my own.