Powerful Features Aside, Venerable Page-layout Program Strained in Move from Aldus to Adobe.
Pamela Pfiffner
Reviews Page Layout/
THE SCUTTLEBUTT on PageMaker 6.0 is that it's no QuarkXPress killer. True, the first upgrade released under the Adobe label isn't exactly flashy, but version 6.0 does boast several key features that address color publishing and printing and that improve on the program's layout flexibility. However, we were surprised to find that several features were poorly executed, giving PageMaker 6.0 the feel of a product still in the midst of a transition from one company to another.
The New Order
Anyone who appreciates PageMaker's free-form approach to layout will relish the new Arrange menu's features. New commands let you navigate stacked objects one layer at a time, and you can lock pivotal objects on the page. Version 6.0 also includes two features -- the Align Objects command and the Group command -- previously available separately as plug-ins. The Align Objects command gives you control over the uniform placement and distribution of multiple objects; the Group command provides an easier way to group multiple objects into one element than its plug-in predecessor did. As much as we liked PageMaker's new object-grouping command, it performed somewhat inconsistently. For example, we confused the program by applying a text wrap to four objects grouped as one and then ungrouping the objects -- the text boundary remained with one of the objects.
PageMaker 6.0 also gives you more control over imported images. You can mask imported TIFF files, using the rectangle, the ellipse, or the new polygon tool. The revamped Keyline plug-in automatically adds borders to images -- a great time-saver. And finally, you can specify text and graphic objects as nonprinting.
The ability to apply Photoshop filters to images within PageMaker 6.0 is an interesting idea -- too bad this feature doesn't work as well as it should. Adobe ships 12 of its Gallery Effects (GE) filters with the program, but the filters are memory hogs that crashed our Power Mac 7100/80 equipped with 32 MB of RAM. And support for third-party filters is spotty at best -- for example, Kai's Power Tools 2.1 works fine, but KPT Convolver doesn't. Also, you can apply native Photoshop 3.0.4 (only!) effects to images, but truly useful filters such as Sharpen and Unsharp Mask, which are now built into Photoshop, aren't available to PageMaker. The Acquire, Import, and Export filters aren't supported either, so you have to use TWAIN -- an inelegant solution at best -- to scan images directly into your layout.
Yes, Master
One very welcome addition to version 6.0 is support for multiple master pages, so you can define unlimited master designs for the pages within a single publication. Using a palette, you create and edit master pages and then apply them either to publication spreads or to right- and left-facing pages independently. Icons indicate which master applies to which page. When the palette is closed, PageMaker's traditional master-page icon provides a pop-up menu that tells you which page is in use. You can also design a regular page and then elect to save it as a master page -- a boon for design-as-you-go types.
PageMaker's color handling has been improved in version 6.0. The Colors palette now includes a pull-down tint menu that lets you quickly apply percentages of defined colors to lines and fills. The color None has been added, so you can create transparent lines and fills, and you can now define colors based on new color libraries, such as the Pantone Hexachrome six-process-color standard. Best of all, with the click of a button, you can eliminate unused colors from a document's palette. Not only does this cut down on clutter but it also helps prevent the inadvertent generation of unnecessary spot-color plates when printing. Finally, the much lauded TrapMaker plug-in is now built into the program.
Kodak Connection
For publishing pros, PageMaker's whizziest new features are support for Eastman Kodak's Precision Color Management System (CMS) and Photo CD image format. Precision CMS ensures that color information stays consistent throughout the publishing process, from input device to display to composite printer to proofing device to final output. You select the proper device profiles, and CMS takes over from there. PageMaker 6.0 ships with Kodak profiles for a variety of input, output, and display devices. Support for Apple's ColorSync 2.0 and ICC-compliant profiles is expected by the end of the year.
To take full advantage of Precision CMS, you should define colors and import images by using the appropriate CMS settings. Additionally, for those who plan to create color separations, PageMaker can preseparate bitmapped images. During this process, the program creates a new CMYK file from the original bitmapped image. The new file is targeted to the separation device you've specified in the CMS setup process. The advantages of preseparating are twofold: It saves you processing time, because the color-space conversion is accomplished before printing, and it simulates final output on the printer you're using for design composites. This is a powerful addition, but it begs for batch-processing capabilities.
Precision CMS really shines when employed in conjunction with PageMaker's Photo CD support. You can now open, rotate, scale, sharpen, color-convert, and place a Photo CD image in one fell swoop. Here is the way it works: Using the Place command, you open a Photo CD file, crop it, set its final size and resolution, choose a sharpening level, and opt for automatic color balancing and grayscale conversion. The Kodak import mechanism also automatically color-manages the file via Precision CMS when you select the film type used for the original image.
Our only complaint is with the interface to PageMaker's Photo CD features. For starters, there's no image preview when you select a Photo CD file. Given Kodak's absurd Photo CD filenaming convention (for example, IMG0001.PCD;1 doesn't really tell you a whole lot about the image), it seems pretty obvious that users desperately need a way to view the files on a Photo CD without opening them first. And while we're on the subject, we'd also like PageMaker to provide a preview of the images that we're importing.
Online Publishing
These days, no major upgrade to a page-layout program would be complete without the addition of online-publishing features. However, PageMaker's HTML support serves more as a trendy checklist item than as a practical tool. You can't apply the program's HTML Author plug-in to any PageMaker document and produce files instantly formatted for the World Wide Web. But you can use PageMaker as a from-scratch HTML authoring tool. The plug-in lets you map PageMaker style sheets to HTML styles, create hyperlinks between pages, and export an entire document or specific pages or stories from a simply designed existing PageMaker file in HTML.
More practical for online publishing is using PageMaker in conjunction with Adobe Acrobat. Version 6.0 lets you save PageMaker files in PDF format, which retains the look of the original document. But we got erratic results when we used this feature, particularly with graphics-rich files -- sometimes the PDF command worked, sometimes it didn't. The three-step process is also time-consuming. We agree that it makes sense for PageMaker to work hand in glove with Acrobat, but version 6.0's unpredictable performance suggests that this feature was a hasty addition to the program.
The Bottom Line
Although several of PageMaker 6.0's new features suggest that they were hasty additions by Adobe, the new release gives PageMaker loyalists quite a bit to cheer about. Page-design enhancements, flexible layout tools, and the one-two punch of Kodak's Precision CMS and Photo CD support make for one powerful publishing tool.
Adobe PageMaker 6.0
Rating: (4 out of 5 mice) Very Good
Price: $895 (list).
Pros: Flexible object layering and grouping. Good implementation of multiple master pages. Automatic import of Photo CD files. Advanced color-management features.
Cons: Poorly executed Photoshop-filter support. Incomplete Acrobat and HTML features.
Company: Adobe Systems, Seattle, WA; 800-422-3623 or 206-622-5500.
Reader Service: Circle #403.
PageMaker 6.0's Colors palette now includes a pull-down menu for quickly applying tints of existing colors. And you can use the new polygon tool to create star bursts, such as the one shown here on this Explorers cover.
Powerful and flexible, PageMaker 6.0's implementation of multiple master pages lets you assign masters to left- and right-facing pages independently.
A welcome feature in the new version of PageMaker is the ability to import, scale, sharpen, and color-manage images in Kodak Photo CD format. However, previews and a mechanism for feedback on images are sorely missed.
Commands on PageMaker's new Arrange menu let you navigate through stacked objects one layer at a time.
