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I've used PageMaker before and after Adobe bought it. Most of what Adobe
did to the product was an improvement, but they also "fixed some stuff
that wasn't broke," IMO.
If you need PageMaker-like functionality, but are not tied to a specific
product, manufacturer, or file format, I recommend PagePlus by Serif.
This is sort of the "Paint Shop Pro of desktop publishing" - just as PSP
offers most of the functionality of Adobe Photoshop at a fraction of the
cost, PagePlus is a full-featured DTP program that mimics PageMaker very
closely, for $59.95, which is WAY cheaper.
If you're accustomed to PageMaker, making the switch will be easy - it is
very similar in its design. And the company has been around for years - I
used PagePlus 4 or 5 when I was a starving writer who could not afford
PageMaker, and now it's on version 8.
The only downside is that it's not in common corporate usage, so if you're
working with a team of colleagues (or a printing company) who require
files in Adobe format, you're sunk (much like using Frame around a bunch
of Word junkies). But it does do CMYK separations and such; it really is a
professional tool. I don't know if it creates/supports PDFs.
It's worth checking out, BUT you need to make sure that it would be meet
any dependencies and requirements that your working situation may enforce.
My two cents....
- Keith Cronin
_____________________________________
Boy, giraffes are selfish!
- Barney Fife
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