graphics. It is easy to use. The mouse has more dexterity than the standard curser keys. When the Mac was first sold the only bonified printer for it was Apple's own dot matrix, the Imagewriter. Using the word processing software that was packaged with the Mac, -Macwrite, it was possible to type interesting looking documents. While MacWrite lacked some of the more sophisticated capabilities of other word processors, and while the Imagewriter was at best a medium-quality dot matrix printer, still the Macintosh was capable of printing in different type styles. Early Macintosh users cranked out interesting documents, modifying their appearance with dozens of type styles, shapes and sizes. But it was clearly a limited set-up. Unless one was curious to see how financial documents for in-house distribution looked in Old English type style, what was the practical application? There was another attribute of the Macintosh that users were having a great deal of fun with-graphics. Packaged with the original Macintoshes was a program called Macpaint, which allowed one to draw pictures on the screen. This capability was again thought of as cute, but really ·not of any great practical use. One critic referred to the Mac as a $2500 Etch-a-Sketch. On the Macintosh a writer, publisher or graphic artist could reproduce fairly high quality graphics and text. Now, if there were just some program that would allow one to mix the text and graphics in order to, for example, produce a newsletter. After all if you could produce both graphics and high quality text, why not also eliminate the need for mnually pasting up text on paper layout boards. So a new kind of software program entered the scene. The software programs, called page layout or page composition, allow one to work with a page of text and graphics on the screen. The typical screen imitates the typical layout table of a graphic artist-you create columns with gutters, place graphics in windows, and cut or paste things. With the software one can create multi-page documents, all with the same, or all with unique formats. Some degree of leading (spacing between lines), automatic hyphenation, and kerning (control of space between certain characters) are being added as the programs mature. With a desktop publishing system, while it is possible for almost anyone to produce cameraready pages for printing, there are still many defects in the process. Computeriz.ed layout is sometimes very slow. Advanced features like kerning and hyphenation are not really available yet. The typefaces are still maturing. Only the more expensive systems have full-page screens. The 300 dots per square inch (dpi) on the Laserwriter, compares well to the daisy-wheel (at 72-150 dpi). However, the resolution is a long way from typesetting (1200-1900 dpi). The graphic material, especially photographic material, produced is still relatively low quality. But this is all bound to change, we hear. 1987 is said to be IBM's year to enter desktop publishing. IBM has remained characteristically silent about forthcoming products from its new desktop publishing unit, dubbed the Publishing Systems Business Unit, headquartered in White Plains NY. Page layout software programs are being developed for the IBM-compatible market, including a version of the most popular page layout program for the Macintosh, PageMaker. Laserprinters are dropping in price. There are over a dozen manufacturers making printers ranging from $1500 to $5000. ,Apple is developing a personal laserprinter to compete in the low-end market. New typefaces are being designed that come closer to typeset quality. More sophisticated small optical scanners and digitizers are coming out that allow one to reproduce higher quality graphics and photographs. The long term effects of desktop publishing are far-reaching. New work relations, job redefinition, and publishing industry shakeup are all probable effects. Also, since desktop publishing may bypass the services of the typesetter and paste-up artist, the computer operator maintains a greater degree of control over the finished product, and participates fully in the creative process of publishing. The Seybold Outlook says, "we have termed desktop publishing the great equalizer." It does indeed elevate the appearance of paper output of a small organizations to the level achieved by large organizations with complete graphic and art departments. As high quality output has gotten easier to produce, documents have begun looking more and more professional, presentations have become more complex, and the amount of information provided has increased. But, even the most dedicated desktop publisher admits for written communications that demand premium quality, the typesetting industry's services are indispensable. It is not clear if desktop publishing can replace the need for ·typesetting and graphic designers. Many people may try to do more of their own publishing only to find they don't have the time, Fall/Winter 1986 RAIN Pagel1
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