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Early History Adobe Illustrator

PageMaker was the first desktop publishing program, introduced in 1985 by Aldus Corporation,^[1] initially for the then-new Apple Macintosh and soon after for PCs running the then-new Microsoft Windows. PageMaker was awarded an SPA Excellence in Software Award for Best New Use of a Computer in 1986.

As an application relying on a graphical user interface, PageMaker helped to popularize the Macintosh platform and the Windows environment. Early releases of the Windows version were shipped with a "runtime" copy of Windows (with no task-switching capabilities) to enable users who did not have Windows installed to run the application from MS-DOS.

Version 3.01 was available for OS/2 and took extensive advantage of multithreading for improved user responsiveness.

PageMaker relies on Adobe Systems' PostScript page description language, and in 1994 Adobe Systems acquired Aldus and PageMaker.

The last version is PageMaker 7.0, released July 9, 2001, though updates have been released for the two supported platforms since.

In 2004, Adobe announced that development for Adobe PageMaker had ceased but that Adobe would continue to sell and support it. InDesign is presented as the successor product,^[2] with upgrades from PageMaker to InDesign offered.

The Macintosh version runs only in Mac OS 9 or earlier; there is no native support for Mac OS X,^[3] and it does not run at all on Intel-based Macintoshes. It does not run well under Classic, and Adobe recommends customers use an older Macintosh capable of booting into Mac OS 9. The Windows version supports Windows XP, but according to Adobe, "PageMaker 7.x does not install or run on Windows Vista."^[4] However, PageMaker 6.5 will install and run on Windows Vista

Features

What's new in Adobe PageMaker 7.0

Merge text and graphics stored originally in spreadsheets or databases to create custom publications, including form letters, mailing labels, envelopes, catalogs, or direct mail campaigns.

Create and view Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) files. Add document information, change security and compatibility options, embed tags for accessibility, and modify advanced Adobe Acrobat® Distiller® settings — all from within PageMaker.

Easily place Adobe PDF files created with Adobe Photoshop® 5.0-6.0 or Adobe Illustrator® 9.0 directly into PageMaker publications.

Save time by importing native Photoshop and Illustrator files. You can drag and drop the native file or use the Place dialog box.

Use a converter utility to open QuarkXPress 3.3-4.1 publications directly in PageMaker. Use the same utility to open Microsoft Publisher 95-2000 in PageMaker (Windows® only). Import and export text and graphics to and from key business applications such as Microsoft Word.

Download Lesson for Pagemaker here

Contents of Pagemaker Lessons

11th Week 12th Week

Overview

Beginnings

John Warnock, leader of the team that invented PostScript, left Xerox PARC to market his own product. He formed Adobe Systems.

When the Apple Macintosh launched in 1984, it was to critical acclaim and consumer disdain. Macs were expensive and used an built-in PostScript printer, the Apple LaserWriter; there were cheaper and less proprietary options.

However, Macs proved popular among designers and artists; it was for them that Pagemaker was created. In 1985, Paul Brainerd founded Aldus Corporation and released the first desktop publishing program, Pagemaker, for the Mac.

Pagemaker

In 1986, Pagemaker was ported to Windows, but the Mac was firmly established as the computer for desktop publishing. Version 1.0 included drag and drop functions, type and graphics tools.

These early versions included a special version of Windows which could be run from an MS-DOS prompt. The software continued to develop; in 1986, Pagemaker won a Software Publishers Association's Excellence in Software Award (best new use of a computer) and version 3.0.1 brought Pagemaker to the OS/2 operating system.

Competition

Version 4.2 of Pagemaker introduced text rotation and a story editor, but by 1988 Quark XPress was providing serious competition, including the ability to separate out colors. Pagemaker 5 included color separation to compete with Quark, but it was already too late for Aldus' software to become number one again.

Adobe

For all its forays into graphic design, Adobe Systems had not come up with its own DTP software. In 1994, it addressed that problem by announcing it would acquire Aldus. The sale allowed Paul Brainerd to pursue other interests, and he founded the Brainerd Foundation, an environmental charity, in 1995.

Adobe released Pagemaker versions 6.0, 6.5 and 7.0. Then, in 1999, Adobe brought out its own desktop publishing software, InDesign, and started to concentrate its research there instead of on Pagemaker.

Decline

In 2004, Adobe announced that it would no longer develop Adobe Pagemaker. It offered updates and support but would not create any more versions. The last full release was Pagemaker 7.0, issued July 9, 2001. It allowed users better compatibility between document styles and introduced data merge (more commonly known as "mail merge").

Since then, Adobe has released two more updates. The current version, Pagemaker 7.0.2, may well be the last, ending an era that changed the publishing world forever.