About 10 years ago I ran across and Apple ][ that was set up
with the Gerber sign making hardware and software. At that point, I
had only seen their stuff on Windows-based systems controlling some
pretty large plotters that had been converted for cutting out the
vinyl signs and lettering. Passed on it due to the price they had it
marked at. It was a pretty impressive setup though.
Jeff
>I can't speak for Compute, but the early computer magazines I worked on did
>not use the systems they wrote about for anything other than word processing
>during production. Desktop publishing in the early to mid 80s didn't have
>the polish necessary for a glossy magazine. Instead, we used specialized
>systems from companies such as Compugraphic (the best, IMO) and
>Addressograph. These were essentially minicomputers serving as dedicated
>publishing systems. Compugraphic (and I think the others) used SGML as the
>markup language. Input was performed by a staff of typesetters who keyed in
>the copy that we produced on our micros. Output was photographic hardcopy
>that was manually pasted on boards and shipped to the printer. It's amazing
>how things have changed. Today, with direct to plate technology, you can
>produce an entire magazine on your desktop and email it to the printer.
>
>BYTE did turn to Macs and Pagemaker (I think) by the late 80s, but still
>relied heavily on a horrible Atex system to manage workflow.
>
>--Mike
>
>Michael Nadeau
>Editorial Services
>603-893-2379
--
Collector of Classic Microcomputers and Video Game Systems:
Home of the TRS-80 Model 2000 FAQ File
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Received on Sat Mar 17 2001 - 11:30:44 GMT