Publish It! - Desktop Publishing Software Copyright 1989 David Batterson I received the review copy of Publish It! after I had reviewed Finesse, another new DTP program. Both use a runtime version of GEM (the Digital Research graphics interface similar to Microsoft Windows), so if you're familiar with one, you'll find it easy to use the other. Page layouts are either done from scratch, or by importing a style sheet (template). A few sample publications are included on disk; more page designs are available as an optional Accessory Pack. It's not terribly difficult to create your own page layouts. It's a good idea to sketch out a rough design on paper first. Then you create your Master Page, choosing page dimensions, orientation (portrait or landscape), number of columns, gutters, and so forth. Like Finesse, Publish It! uses text and picture frames which can be positioned precisely (to 100ths of an inch) anywhere you like on your pages. If you want to move frames or change their size later, this is easily done by dragging the mouse. If you choose, various borders and tints (shading) can be added to the frames you created. You'll have to experiment with these to see their effects on the printed page. Text can be imported in many popular formats, including WordPerfect, Microsoft Word, WordStar, ASCII, GEM 1st Word Plus, and others. One useful feature is that single/double quotation marks (' and ") are automatically translated into standard typesetting quote marks (`' and `` ''). You can also use Publish It! to prepare your text, as it contains word processing features like cut/paste, search/replace, headers/footers, tabs, centering, text aligning and more. Kerning (spacing between characters) is accomplished in two ways. Either click on the Kern command and make your choices, or use simply press -K to move characters .5 point closer. It is also no big deal to choose justifications, indents, and leading for your paragraphs. [By the way, the term "leading"--pronounced LED-ING--is carried over from the old typesetting days using lead type.] From the Options Dialog box, various bullet characters ("dingbats") can be added at the beginning of phrases or sentences. Or you can insert bullets anywhere within your text, by selecting Font/Style from the STYLE menu, and then typing the appropriate lowercase letter. Publish It! use Bitstream Fonts: Dutch (like Times Roman), Swiss (Helvetica equivalent), Drury Lane (an Art Deco type), Madison (related to Drury Lane), Ravinia (script), and Rockface (slab serifs). You can import clipart in the following formats: PC Paintbrush (.PCX), GEM Paint (.IMG), GEM Draw (.GEM), or Lotus 1-2-3 (.PIC). Once you have added a picture to a frame, you may click on the OPTIONS menu, and select Hide All Pictures. This replaces the artwork with an X, so that the screen is redrawn much faster. While Publish It! is not designed for preparing original graphics, you can draw lines, boxes, circles, and polygons, with the usual variety of line styles and fill patterns. For those who advise you to buy Ventura Publisher or PageMaker, I'd advise taking a look at Publish It! first. It'll save you lots of money, and take fewer hours of learning time, while offering professional results. Publish It! works with 512K RAM (640K recommended), most popular printers including HP LaserJets, LaserWriters and compatibles, most mice, most graphics cards and monitors, and most PCs (including the odd duck Tandy 1000). About 150 pieces of clipart are included; the list price is $199.95, for both 5 1/4 and 3 1/2 disks. [CompuAdd currently (Nov. '89) sells it for $109.] For more information, contact TIMEWORKS, INC., 444 Lake Cook Road, Deerfield, IL 60015-4919; 800-535-9497, 312-948-9200, FAX: 312-948-7626. # Besides writing computer articles/reviews, David Batterson does desktop publishing and business editing. Contact him via MCI Mail: DBATTERSON.