1. INDESIGN -- THE NEW "PAGEMAKER"
4. MAILBAG
5. ANSWERS
6. BAD PROFILE TABLE IN PAGEMAKER
8. HINTS
10. LAST WORD
1. INDESIGN -- THE NEW "PAGEMAKER"
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It is "InDesign", but, as rumoured, it doesn't replace PageMaker, which continues as PageMaker Plus with lots of extras such as templates, clipart, and, for Windows only a "Content Management System" (to view, search, browse, and organize templates, illustrations, and photos in thumbnail format and to organise content from other applications for use in PageMaker documents).
But to get on with InDesign. The Adobe web page changed a few minutes after 8.30am US Eastern Standard Time, though the live feed of the launch hadn't started when we logged off.
InDesign has many of the features asked for in wishlists -- with any number of ruler guides, and guides for which you can set a viewing threshold, so they appear when you zoom in...and there is a navigator palette so you can drag the zoom amount and move the view area around.
There are extra kerning options and what by description appears to be a better typographic text control than anything available elsewhere. We quote: "The single-line composer considers one line at a time, while the powerf ul new multiline composer can compare and adjust multiple lines at once. Both composers follow built-in rules that specify how they should apply your settings to achieve consistent visual color with optimal line breaks. Unlike traditional typesetters - often considered superior to desktop typography - the multiline composer can look both forward and backward in a paragraph to produce the best results possible."
Unlimited undo is here at last, and you can have multiple views on screen of the same publication, or the same page. There's a bezier path tool, the ability to cut and combine paths, and convert text to paths which can in turn become frames to fill with graphics or other text.
There is the long awaited gradient fills, with gradient fills for text that leave the text editable.
Frames can be pasted within frames and any object including hand- drawn shapes and converted text can become a frame. (We don't know yet if that means in-line frames which will flow with text, but it sounds as if it might) .
Pasted Illustrator objects can be edited, as, to the extent that is called "light editing" can placed PDF files. It will open QXP 3.3 and 4.04 files as well as PageMaker 6.5 files. Clipping paths can be brought in from Ph otoshop or created in InDesign.
EPS graphics will now show properly instead of just a TIFF preview, and the same colour management is used as in Photoshop. There is also automatic notification of new components via an optional web connection.
Pages can be as small as 1 pica square or as large as 18ft (5.48 meters) square. You can have spreads of up to 10 pages,
It needs OS8.5 on a Mac with a PowerPC 603e or G3, and either NT4 or Win98 with at least 1 300MHz Pentium II. Expected street price is US$699 and it should ship in the northern summer.
4. MAILBAG
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LibertyPublishing wrote: "We produce a couple publications using PageMaker 6.0 on PC. We have had some problems matching colors on the monitor to printed colors. We have even used no color for a print out and it still printed a pink color. Over all PM6 we like. "
We replied: Getting colors on a monitor to match output is a difficult task. It is hard enough with a program such as Photoshop -- and it is marginally better to establish colours there and then set them by the numbers (the CMYK percentages) in PageMaker. However this assumes that your monitor is color calibrated.
The color system of PageMaker 6.5 is better than PM6 but still leaves something to be desired.
We don't do enough critical colour work to be experts in this field, but, if a tint specified as "paper" (or with zero in C, M, Y & K) is printing in pink, I'd be looking at problems in the later stages. Try a laser print of the separations or a separated print to PDF to see if these show any tone where they shouldn't.
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Martha Bunch wrote from California: "I have just received my second issue and I feel compelled to let you know how much I appreciate the time and trouble you put into this publication. I have always appreciated your sense of humor as well as your well thought out input on the Pagemakr listserve and was delighted to find out you have this site. I have just finished visiting every link you mentioned and was thrilled to order the back issues of Before & After. None of this useful information would have come my way without your diligence."
5. ANSWERS
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"Ridge in New Joisey" replied to our comment about EPS export formats in CorelDraw: "Yes, there still are AI export filters and they do seem to work best for MAC users in my experience. They will create a file with an .AI extension, though, not .EPS. The filter dialogue includes a Mac flavor button, option to convert text to curves (I always do) and you have options for several levels of AI, up to 6 in my version of Corel (7.0). Export as an eps file also works, but your options for viewable headers are either windows metafile (which your Mac users won't like) or a Tiff (which can look pretty awful on for placement and non-postscript proofing."
6. BAD PROFILE TABLE IN PAGEMAKER
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In PageMaker, if you get the message "Bad profile table was repaired. Save publication and check profile assignments," the answer is in the way you save greyscale images within Photoshop. There are several answers including:
In Photoshop, choose File > Color Settings > Profile Setup. Deselect Grayscale in the Embed Profiles section of the dialog box, then click OK. Then save the image.
In PageMaker: Choose File > Preferences > General. Then click CMS Setup and choose None from the New Items Use pop-up menu, then click OK.
8. HINTS
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This works in PageMaker and in a number of word processors: To avoid spell checking a particular type of story, for example, sports results which are long lists of names, or similar lists of contest winners, assign a different body style ("List-no check"?) and set the dictionary in the paragraph setting for that style as "None".
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If you convert Word ENDnotes to Word FOOTnotes they will import as ENDnotes in PageMaker -- the markers are converted to superscript numbers and the former footnote entries will be listed and numbered at the end of the PM text block.
10. LAST WORD
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Andy Freeman writes from Lewes, UK: "Reading your latest Format re unfortunate hyphenation reminded me of a highly entertaining (as it was nothing to do with me!) example when I worked in local journalism."
The word is "therapist". We'll leave you to work out the hyphenation.
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