Typesetting tools/Timelines

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The Print Shop

emulator: https://theprintshop.club/

launched in 1984, made in the US, by Brøderbund

popular desktop publishing tool for APPLE II, MS-DOS, Commodore 64, Atari

that could be used with household dot-matrix printers

seems to have been most popular for making your own greeting cards

giving the computer another purpose that is not educational nor business related (!)

The Print Shop review on page 4, in Atari Computer Enthusiasts/Fuji Facts Newsletter (August 1987)

All kidding aside, a new middle ground was established (somewhere between markers and markup) and other software publishers eagerly jumped into it, creating not just ripoffs like PrintMaster, but new software such as The Newsroom, Create-A-Calendar and Awardware, each designed to provide a new ‘good enough’ solution in an area previously limited to professional or handmade alternatives. -- https://theprintshop.club/2021/07/12/a-tongue-in-cheek-look-back-at-broderbunds-the-print-shop/

PrintMaster

launched in 1985 by Mindscape(?)/Encore Inc (Los Angeles), US)

https://archive.org/search?query=subject%3A%22Printmaster%22

PrintMaster User Guide - Art Gallery

PrintMaster User's Guide (2nd Edition 1986)

in response to The Print Shop's success

also seen as a copy of The Print Shop, there was a lawsuit in 1986 started by Brøderbund (makers of The Print Shop), later merged with Brøderbund it seems, PrintMaster 2.0 was published by Brøderbund in 2009.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PrintMaster

The Newsroom

launched in 1984, in the US, published by Springboard Software

"Designed for journalists, The Newsroom was an early piece of WYSIWYG desktop publishing software with the flexibility to create stylish, sophisticated layouts. "

https://archive.org/details/a2_Newsroom_1984_Springboard_Software_cr_Ripper

WYSIWYG desktop publishing for journalists

https://oldvcr.blogspot.com/2023/03/printing-real-headline-news-on.html?lr=1

http://www.floodgap.com/retrobits/ckb/display.cgi?351

https://commodore.software/downloads/download/670-desktop-publishing/15244-the-newsroom

1984: Apple II, MS-DOS, 1985: Commodore 64, 1987: Atari 8-bit

The Newsroom Pro (1988)

Typesetter

launched in 1985, in the US, written by by Dennis Young and Len Dorfman, published by XLEnt Software

https://www.atarimania.com/pgesoft.awp?version=12536

Typesetter 2 - User Manual on archive.org

The same software makers and publisher, also published in the same year: Page Designer and Rubber Stamp

Scantext 1000

launched in 1981(?), in Germany, published by Scangraphic

a full typesetting system (! so typesetting software + printing + os + hardware in one + scanner system to "upload" new fonts?!)

https://www.flickr.com/photos/albert-jan_pool/9014869362/in/photostream/

Spread from the Scangraphic 1985 system brochure showing typesetting jobs on the Page View 1000, a preview terminal. Graphic displays of the phototypesetting systems were that time were interactive. The Digipen 512 was used for correcting scanned BW images, on screen editing of typesetting jobs was not possible.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scantext

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scangraphic

https://web.archive.org/web/20070930095501/http://www.scangraphic-fonts.com/shopdata/pdf/pdf_en/SG_We_about_us.pdf

Modular Composition System (MCS)

launched in 1981?, in the US, by Compugraphic

https://archive.org/details/bitsavers_compugraphphicModularCompositionSystemBrochure_14979239

https://archive.org/details/bitsavers_compugraphphicAutomatedPublishingSystemBrochure_7972610/page/n9/mode/2up

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compugraphic

PostScript

launched in 1984, in the US, by Adobe

PostScript had a huge impact on the printing industry

PostScript aimed to be "the" universal standard, as a business strategy and preferred way of working...

PostScript starting from geometry as main framework for aesthetics.

PostScript: A Digital Printing Press, documentation page by Computer History Museum in California

Adobe's current webpage on PostScript

The Font Magicians - Computerphile: David Brailsford explains the font rendering issue that brought PostScript its major success

PostScript: A Digital Printing Press, Computer History Museum in Mountain View (US), December 2022

Reading examples and documentation:

Links