Retro Page Layout – InDesign’s Ancestor Aldus PageMaker, circa 1990

Toolbox for PageMaker 4.0, before Adobe Systems purchase

1990: East and West Germany reunited as the Cold War ended. The first Persian Gulf War began when Iraq invaded Kuwait. Two new shows on TV that fall were The Simpsons and Seinfeld. Driving Miss Daisy won the Academy Award for Best Picture.

Page layout and print design software circa 1990

And this is how state-of-the-art desktop publishing and page layout software arrived. Aldus released PageMaker 4.0, complete with hard copy instruction manuals and installation software on floppy disks. Only five years old, Aldus had introduced PageMaker for the Mac in 1985, and for the PC in 1987. By 1994, Adobe Systems had acquired the company.

It seems antiquated now, but the print and design business has seen a revolution over the past two decades in techonological advancement. Somehow a box full of floppy disks seems quaint and a little reassuring. It won’t be long until our iPads and mobile apps will seem equally dated and cause us to smile.

 

Rely on your printer for advice and direction in design, print and integrated marketing. They should be able to guide you through the latest changes and introduce new technology to help get your message out… if they can’t, you have the wrong printer! The best advice, always, is to ASK YOUR PRINTER!

ImageSmith is a full-service print and marketing provider located in Arden, North Carolina. Contact us at ImageSmith for quotes on all your marketing projects, and more useful tips on how to create custom, effective, high impact marketing solutions.