PageMaker: Still alive and kicking but now transformed<\/p>\n
By Zatni Arbi<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Do you still remember PageMaker? Those of you
\nout there who, at one time in the past, just like I did, thought
\nthat desktop publishing (DTP) would give you a ticket to the Hall
\nof Fame must be very familiar with this name. You spent hours
\nevery day trying to master all the techniques and tricks for
\nputting all the design elements on your page. You bought and read
\nstacks of books on creating page designs -- all with the name
\nPageMaker inside their titles. You learned terms from \"white
\nspace\" to \"em dash\".<\/p>\n
What gives? Nowadays, not much of your investment really
\nremains useful. The reason? DTP programs such as Microsoft
\nPublisher and -- surprise, surprise -- PageMaker now come
\nchockful with ready-to-use templates that look great without
\nrequiring much tinkering.<\/p>\n
It is much like having spent many hours learning how to
\ncook a sophisticated dish only to find out that a microwave-ready
\npack is available at the nearby supermarket. The taste may
\ndiffer, but not enough to justify all the trouble of learning the
\nrecipe.<\/p>\n
From artistic to instant<\/p>\n
I still remember the first time I really succeeded in creating
\na newsletter with PageMaker. It felt like a real accomplishment
\nto me. Before that, I had been playing with earlier versions of
\nPageMaker and even Ventura Publisher. Both failed to make me a
\ncredible desktop publisher, but I learned very slowly and
\neventually mastered some of the trade.<\/p>\n
At that time, PageMaker was still a product of Aldus
\nCorporation. Aldus also made FreeHand, a very popular program for
\ncreating graphics illustrations for publications. FreeHand had an
\narchrival from Adobe, and it was called Illustrator. Adobe then
\nacquired Aldus and adopted PageMaker to complete its line of
\ndesktop publishing tools: Illustrator for creating graphics,
\nPhotoshop for image editing, and PageMaker for page layout.
\nFreeHand is now in Version 10, but it has landed in the hands of
\nMacromedia.<\/p>\n
Over the years when PageMaker was still an Aldus product, it
\nenjoyed immense popularity among its fans. People formed
\nPageMaker communities in which they shared their tips and tricks.
\nTry www.makingpages.org\/pagemaker\/ and www.tek-tips.com to see
\nwhat they are doing.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, since the acquisition by Adobe, not much seems
\nto have changed in PageMaker. The look might have imparted a
\nbetter integration with Photoshop, Adobe's standard-setting image
\nand photo editing program, but most of the rest has largely
\nstayed the same. This must have enabled PageMaker's competitor,
\nQuarkXpress, to unseat it as the leading DTP program for both
\nWindows and Mac machines.<\/p>\n
Adobe also acquired FrameMaker, a page layout program
\nconsidered to be more capable of handling long documents and
\nbooks.PageMaker, which does not have the ability to create and
\nmanage footnotes automatically like our everyday word processors,
\nand is meant for shorter documents with less design structure.<\/p>\n
Strangely, at least to me, Adobe came up with an entirely new
\nprogram for page layout called InDesign (now in Version 1.5). We
\ntook a look at this program when it first appeared around two
\nyears ago. At that time I thought the book on PageMaker had
\nalready been closed forever. It was not.<\/p>\n
What is new?<\/p>\n
Adobe has apparently changed the target users of PageMaker
\nfrom professional desktop publishers to business people who would
\nlike to produce effective promotional materials -- brochures,
\ncatalogs, newsletter, etc.-- with as little effort as possible.<\/p>\n
Among the new features is the built-in capability to create a
\nfile in the tagged Portable Document File (PDF) format. If we
\nalready have PageMaker 7.0, we will no longer need Adobe Acrobat
\nDistiller. The PDF format is the de facto format that enables
\npeople to view documents in their original layout and design in
\nany computer without having to download huge amount of data -- as
\nlong as they have the freely distributed Adobe Acrobat Reader.<\/p>\n
Another major new feature is the facility to merge documents
\nwith data-text and images -- from databases. One of the intended
\nuses is perhaps the creation of direct mailing materials, i.e.,
\none document with different addressees.<\/p>\n
Then there are the import filters that enable us to open files
\ncreated in QuarkXpress 3.3-4.1, Microsoft Publisher 95 - 2000 but
\nnot 2002, and Microsoft Word, excluding 2002. PageMaker 7.0 does
\nnot export into QuarkXpress or Publisher format, understandably.<\/p>\n
However, one strong upside that we surely can still expect
\nfrom PageMaker 7.0 is the ability to produce high-quality
\nprintouts with consistent colors and precision. Another thing
\nthat does not change, and I truly wish it had changed, is
\nPageMaker's Table Editor, which remains a separate utility that
\ncreates an image file rather than an editable table.<\/p>\n
Final Word<\/p>\n
Given its historical background as a professional DTP program,
\nit is quite paradoxical that PageMaker is now positioned as a
\ntool for quick results. The tools, if you recall, are not the
\neasiest ones to learn.<\/p>\n
For example, the metaphor of pulling the window shade as the
\nplace to hold text is not really an intuitive one, especially
\nwhen compared with the text boxes that word processors use. In
\nthis sense, PageMaker does not seem to live up to our
\nexpectations.<\/p>\n
Not only that, business users have better alternatives for
\ncreating such materials. Among the best in this group is
\nMicrosoft Publisher, which now comes as Microsoft Publisher 2002.
\nMore importantly, however, is the price, which is rather steep.
\nThe full version of PageMaker 7.0 carries a price tag of US$499.<\/p>\n
If you have an earlier version, you can buy the upgrade
\nversion for $79.00. Microsoft Publisher, on the other hand, is
\nnow offered at $106.99 at amazon.com -- not including a US$ 30
\nmanufacturer's mail-in rebate. This really makes even PageMaker
\nupgrade a tough choice. (zatni@cbn.net.id)<\/p>",
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