On this day in 1985, Aldus Corp. released its revolutionary computer program PageMaker, thus ushering in the age of desktop publishing. The year before, The Apple Macintosh computer debuted, as did Hewlett-Packard’s LaserJet printer, the first desktop laser printer.
Aldus PageMaker, originally released for Mac but developed and released for Windows PCs two years later, eventually became Adobe PageMaker. A struggle for dominance against QuarkXPress ensued, but Adobe has triumphed. Today, Adobe InDesign is the titan of desktop publishing.
In a Business Wire Press Release (c/o LexisNexis) from July 15, 1985, Aldus Corp. President Paul Brainerd is quoted as saying:
This means that the average business can produce — nearly instantly — sophisticated materials that look like they required an investment of much more time and money. ‘This means that the average business can produce — nearly instantly — sophisticated materials that look like they required an investment of much more time and money.
Indeed, it had already had an effect on small business owner John McWade of Sacramento Magazine, who had used it for three months prior to its full release:
PageMaker has made it possible for me to start a new business. Using PageMaker, the newsletters and brochures I produce for my commercial clients are produced in a fraction of the time required by traditional typesetting methods. And the cost savings are tremendous….With PageMaker, I can do in two hours what would take 12 hours or more to do by hand. It eliminates all those costly and time-consuming production steps between preparing copy and printing the final product. It’s fantastic. There isn’t another word for it.
And that, readers, is something Open Door Publishing knows a thing or two about! We’ve just finished the initial formatting for Gwendolyn A. Faulkner’s first book in the Social Needs Roadmap series, “Life Care Planning for Your Child’s Future”. At this early stage, the book looks to be 110 pages long, not including its gorgeous glossy cover. It is split nearly half-and-half between instructional manual and workbook, allowing lots of room for readers to closely follow Gwen’s instructions on financial and legal planning.
Thanks for About.com Desktop Publishing Guide Jacci Howard Bear for the history lesson! If you need to troubleshoot or figure out of desktop publishing is for you, Jacci’s site is a great resource!