schwager@uiucdcsm.cs.uiuc.edu (10/19/87)
Does anybody know of any relatively decent desktop publishing software
packages for the Amiga? This idea may be a bit wacky, but I'd like to
be able to print text and graphics on my dot-matrix printer using a
WYSIWYG editor. Perhaps, and I shudder to think of the joy I and my
friends would experience, but perhaps this software permits printing on
a laser printer of some sort?
Thanks!
-mike schwager
-- {ihnp4,convex,pur-ee}!uiucdcs!schwager schwager%uiuc@csnet-relay.arpa
University of Illinois, Dept. of Computer ScienceNETOPRHM@NCSUVM.BITNET (Hal Meeks) (10/21/87)
One solution could be VizaWrite Desktop. I have been using it for only a
few days, but my initial reaction is very positive. Of course, I could
be biased, because I have been using a Mac for a couple of years, and
VizaWrite bears a strong resemblance to MacWrite.
It handles graphics very nicely. But it's strongest selling point is
its print output. It really looks good. The reason for this is it uses its
own print routines, bypassing Preferences. The negative points are that it
at present supports only 8-10 different printers. Make sure your printer
is supported. I am using a Panasonic 1080i, and telling VizaWrite it is
an Epson Mx80. It will use the preferences drivers, but the results are not
nearly as good.
It is not a full blown Desktop Publishing package, but it has enough
niceties that it could be pressed into service for newsletters and the like.
Haven't gotten it to blow up yet (but I haven't been pushing it too hard)
and it does support multitasking. All in all, I find it less of a hassle
to use than WordPerfect, which is very nice but almost too loaded with
features. I find myself spending too much time thinking of how to do things
and not enough time just writing (It's not intuitive).
Hal Netoprhm@ncsuvm.bitnet
"Body of a boy, mind of a monster,
A thing of beauty is a joy forever"
Bill Nelson "Flesh"
kenr@cup.portal.com (10/25/87)
> It handles graphics very nicely. But it's strongest selling point is >its print output. It really looks good. The reason for this is it uses its Personal preference of course, but I think the output of Prowrite is considerably better. Vizawrite also has this annoying tendency to print a page at a smaller width than seems right. Also, Vizawrite has a "Textcraft" similarity, It _Bogs_ down REAL bad as the documents get larger - it seems like its almost logarithmic(ok - not really :-) >Haven't gotten it to blow up yet (but I haven't been pushing it too hard) >and it does support multitasking. All in all, I find it less of a hassle Thats funny, I guru'd it more that five times within the hour that I opened the package. Of course, crashing the Amiga is my specialty( Back when I owned an ST(cringe!) I used to take joy in crashing the Amy as much as possible). I also like to try to test a program in as many ways as I can early so I don't get bitten my nasty bugs later on. >Hal Netoprhm@ncsuvm.bitnet --------------------------------- Ken Rawlings kenr@potal.cup <-I think thats right, but not 100% --------------------------------- "You mean you can have an array of pointers to functions?!? Wow"! -Me
sl131084@silver.bacs.indiana.edu (10/28/87)
My only real problem with ProWrite is that if your document is more than a
page and a half long, you need more then 512k to print the damn thing. Also
I've seen the printout on ProWrite, it looked like shit on my Epson. THe
output from VizaWrite Desktop (Which I just recieved yesterday...) is much
better in my opinion.
-El Gatohrlaser@pnet02.UUCP (10/28/87)
kenr@cup.portal.com writes: >>its print output. It really looks good. The reason for this is it uses its > Personal preference of course, but I think the output of Prowrite >is considerably better. Vizawrite also has this annoying tendency to print >a page at a smaller width than seems right. > Also, Vizawrite has a "Textcraft" similarity, It _Bogs_ down REAL >bad as the documents get larger - it seems like its almost logarithmic(ok - >not really :-) > > >>Hal Netoprhm@ncsuvm.bitnet Regarding VizaWrite.... For some unknown reason, it defaults to 5 inch width of printout. See that "ruler" when you first start typing? It's in inches of paper. Grab the right hand margin, drag it over to about 7 inches and printouts will look a lot better. Re: bogging down, I agree - that's its worst "feature." The publisher tells me the new version just received from the developer in England is MUCH faster... NO delay from keyboard to screen at all. I hope to have this new version shortly and will be able to verify this for myself (and yawl). Regarding quality of printout - I have yet to see Amiga fonts scritch out onto my 9 pin Epson JX80 any better than VizaWrite does them. And a 24 pinner will produce simply astounding results. Now... if we could get this kind of font output whilst getting all the features of WordPerfect... well, time will tell I spose :-) Harv Laser - Chairman (sysop) The AmigaZone PeopleLink: CBM*HARV UUCP: {ihnp4!crash, hplabs!hp-sdd!crash}!gryphon!pnet02!hrlaser INET: hrlaser@pnet02.CTS.COM
jmo@ems.UUCP (10/29/87)
I've just sent a letter to the VizaWrite people in Denver regarding what I consider to be 5 serious errors. Speed, being one of them. I too, think the output looks good, and hope that newer versions fix some of my other complaints, namely, the weird file requester, and the fact that searched for text con sometimes be hidden behind the search requester window. Also, if you use the cursor to move right beyond the text currently displayed on the screen, the cursor disappears. Starting a print from any position other than top left can cause something strange to be sent to the printer. Other than that, I'm quite happy with the program, yet am surprised it took so long before someone wrote something like this. MacWrite was available for the Macintosh since day one. -- John M. O'Shaughnessy jmo@ems.mn.org +1 612 375 8138 EMS/McGraw-Hill -guest ihnp4!meccts!ems!jmo
bryan@mothra.UUCP (10/30/87)
In article <1152@ems.MN.ORG> jmo@ems.UUCP (John M. O'Shaughnessy) writes: =-I've just sent a letter to the VizaWrite people in Denver regarding =-what I consider to be 5 serious errors. Speed, being one of them. =-I too, think the output looks good, and hope that newer versions =-fix some of my other complaints, namely, the weird file requester, =-and the fact that searched for text con sometimes be hidden behind the =-search requester window. Also, if you use the cursor to move right beyond =-the text currently displayed on the screen, the cursor disappears. Sounds like someone ported Xerox ViewPoint 8-} ______________________________________________________________________________ /_____/_____/_____/_____/_____/_____/_____/_____/_____/_____/_____/_____/_____/ |_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____| _No dark sarcasm in the classroom|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|___ |____Teachers leave the kids alone__|_____|_____|bryan@mothra.cs.utexas.edu___| ___|_____|_____|_____|___{ihnp4,seismo,...}!ut-sally!mothra.cs.utexas.edu!bryan |_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|