Aldus Announces PageMaker Color Extension

By Gail Rice and David Downing
Business Wire

March 14, 1989

San Francisco, CA -- Aldus Corp. Tuesday introduced Aldus PageMaker Color Extension for the Macintosh, a program that adds additional color capabilities to the company's popular desktop publishing software.

The announcement was made at a press conference held during the Seybold Seminars '89 this week in San Francisco.

"Color is becoming increasingly important to desktop publishing," said Paul Brainerd, president of Aldus Corp. "Color Extension brings professional-quality color to all phases of document creation, from on-screen color display and adjustment to multiple output options."

Color Display

With PageMaker Color Extension, users can color text and PageMaker-drawn graphics, or import color illustrations saved as Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) files, such as those created in Aldus FreeHand. Color Extension supports the full palette of PANTONE Colors, as well as the three industry-standard color models offered in PageMaker 3.0 (HLS, RGB, CMYK).

Users can also import scanned color images saved in the tag image file format (TIFF) and display them in 8- or 24-bit color, depending on the monitor.

Four Output Options

Color Extension offers four options for color and black-and- white output:

-- Color laser printers, both PostScript language and QuickDraw, print color documents, including TIFF images and EPS graphics.

-- Black and white laser printers, both PostScript language and QuickDraw, print color documents in black and white, converting TIFF and EPS images to grayscale.

-- PostScript language imagesetters, such as the Linotronic 100 and 300, print four-color separations of documents without TIFF images, using a special utility packaged with PageMaker Color Extension.

" High-end pre-press systems produce four-color separations of documents containing TIFF images, through desktop separation software and a standard pre-press interface introduced by Aldus at the company's Seybold press conference.

This new standard interface, so far endorsed by such leading pre-press system vendors as Crosfield, Diadem, Dainippon Screen (DS America), and PrePress Technologies, defines how color, sizing, positioning and cropping information for TIFF images is encoded in the PostScript language output stream.

"With PageMaker Color Extension, a significant number of creative professionals will benefit from the ability to print comprehensives that show text, graphics and photographs in color," said Stephanie Littell, PageMaker product marketing manager. "This will aid the communication process tremendously for those who need to sell ideas, such as design departments and advertising agencies."

For users who need limited quantities of their materials, Littell noted, color desktop printers will provide a quick, cost- effective color printing solution. For users who need to separate their color work for large print runs, Color Extension offers control and cost savings from the desktop.

Full Compatibility with PageMaker 3.0 files

PageMaker Color Extension is fully compatible with PageMaker 3.0 -- publications created in PageMaker 3.0 can be opened and worked on in Color Extension, and vice versa. Color TIFF images appear as a gray box in PageMaker 3.0 files.

The required system configuration for Color Extension is an Apple Macintosh Plus, SE, II, or IIx, plus a hard disk and Aldus PageMaker 3.0 for the Macintosh. A Macintosh II and a color monitor are recommended. Full display of 24-bit TIFF images requires Apple's 32-bit color system.

Color Extension is compatible with the QMS ColorScript 100 printer, Tektronix Phaser and other PostScript-language color printers; Apple LaserWriter II SC and other PageMaker-compatible QuickDraw printers; and PageMaker-compatible black and white PostScript language laser printers. It also supports the Linotronic 100 and 300 and other PostScript-language imagesetters.

Pricing and Distribution

Aldus PageMaker Color Extension is available to registered users of PageMaker 3.0 through retail channels or directly from Aldus Customer Service, for a suggested retail price of $195.

Aldus Corp. (NASDAQ:ALDC), founded in February 1984, develops, markets and supports computer software products that help business and creative professionals effectively communicate information and ideas. Aldus distributes its products worldwide through a network of more than 8,000 dealers and distributors.

NOTE: PANTONE is Pantone Inc.'s check-standard trademark for color reproduction and color reproduction materials.