Hello!
As a PageStream User, you probably know that Deron has just celebrated his 20th year of working on PageStream and the start of SoftLogik. As part of that celebration, I asked that Deron take part in an online chat. I've finally got a commitment from Deron to hold a fun chat on Sunday, August 28th at 3pm Central Time (-6 GMT)!! We have reserved an IRC channel (#PageStream) on the irc.dal.net servers, and you will find Deron under PageStreamSupport when he is on. Some systems will require a specific server, and a list can be found at http://www.dal.net/servers/index.php3. A few users have used mesra.kl.my.dal.net if all else fails. I encourage you to get on and find the channel before then. For those in the US, 3pm on a Sunday may seem like an odd time, but with PageStream users spread all over the globe, be glad it isn't at 2am (which was Deron's first vote . If you have questions on getting IRC setup for you, just ask on the PageStreamSupport list, or try google.com for applications and installation instructions.
This is not only a chance to hear about how Deron got started creating PageStream, but also what is going on now and what lies in the future. This is also a good time to talk about features you would like to see in PageStream, and bring up ideas on how PageStream users can be better served. A transcript will be available afterwards and posted on our website. Deron will post an introduction and short history followed by an open forum. I do suggest that if you have a common support question that you post that on the PageStreamSupport list before hand.
More good news! A new update to PageStream5.0 is currently uploading. The big news is the first Amiga 68k release and a much improved MorphOS release. The Windows and Linux release includes several bug fixes and support for no less than 4 new languages (Turkish, Slovak, Portuguese, and Greek). That makes 22 languages! Take a look at the file ReadMe.Localizing.txt included with every 5.0 release on simple steps you can take to help create localized versions for your preferred language.
Deron had a setback last week when his Pegasas CPU board went up in smoke, but a replacement is on it's way. Until that arrives he won't be able to start the MorphOS upload but considering that it usually takes 2 days per platform it should be here before he is ready to upload it anyway. Keep an eye on the main support list or our website for the announcements as each platform upload is complete.
Mac OSX users can rejoice soon as well. Deron has cleared out room in his main office to finally have all of his computers up and running in the same room. It may seem minor, but he has been living in his home as he builds it one slow stick at a time. God willing, we hope to have a "barn raising" party this Fall and take some of the stress off of Deron.
As always, thanks! We will see you Sunday!
Your friend in PageStream,
Dan Kilroy Grasshopper LLC N5750 Langlade Price Road Bryant WI 54418 sales@grasshopperllc.com http://www.grasshopperllc.com
PageStream DTP for Amiga, Linux, Macintosh, and Windows
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Please take a minute and send a note to the developer of PageStream, Deron Kazmaier, at support@grasshopperllc.com. We are celebrating his 20th year since starting SoftLogik and his long journey in all things PageStream! Lucky for us he started when he was just a tyke. We can easily expect another twenty! In honor of this milestone, we will be celebrating electronically till the end of the month. To start with, users who purchase (or have already purchased) PageStream5.0 or PageStream5.0 Pro will find a grab bag of goodies in the download section including some excellent commercial clip art and the Amiga's much beloved TypeSmith font editor. We will also be hosting a public online IRC chat with Deron on August 27th, 3pm Central Time (-6 GMT). But hurry, when the party is over at the end of the month, the goodies will be packed up!
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The release of PageStream5.0 for Windows and Linux has been very well received by both the press and our users. We can only hope that the Amiga community will be just as eager. Take a look at what a few of our users have said about PageStream5 recently...
"If PageStream were not a superior product I would have had to abandon it long ago for better software. Deron's commitment shows in a program that is continually being updated and is simply the best!" -- MD
"... people like Deron must do it for the love of it, because they work so hard to make sure it runs correctly and is flexible. That is the major reason I love PageStream!" -- DB
"I hardly need add that I didn't just get PageStream for my PC for sentimental reasons (i.e the Amiga connections), or because of concern for the welfare of Deron: above all, it is a first-class program and I use it all the time (figuratively speaking, that is!)." -- MK
"I've been using PageStream5.0.2.2 Pro 5/14/05 exclusively" -- DS
"Pagestream is a great program!" -- RH
New PageStream 5.0 features A brief overview of the top features that we find ourselves using almost everyday. + Transparency for Text and Objects - Object and text can now appear to blend with the page underneath. + Picture Alpha Channel Transparency - Pictures created in paint programs which support alpha channels can now be imported into PageStream and the picture will be masked according to the alpha channel and blend into the page as directed. + Text Widow and Orphan Control - No longer will a single line of a paragraph appear at the bottom of one column or top of the next column if directed. + Definable Printer Marks - Set the printer marks to appear as you need them and provide the right bleed needed for any print job. + More Keyboard Shortcuts + Path Reverse, Flatten and Smooth - Unlike other publishing applications, most drawings and illustrations can be created right inside PageStream. Now additional tools are available to reverse the drawn direction of the path, flatten any curves into line segments, and smooth short line segments into curves. + Hanging Bullets, Drop Caps and Numbered Paragraph - Second and subsequent lines of a special paragraph can now be set to start at the same horizontal location as the start of the first line. + New Duplicate Objects Method - The Object Transform feature now supports new offset methods, incrementing pages, and blending between start and ending object transparencies. + Print to a Bitmap Picture - Generate a TIFF, JPG, GIF or other picture format representations of the page. + and more! - Speed ups, bug fixes, minor features and numerous new scripting commands.
New PageStream 5.0 Pro features The previous release of PageStream Professional was a bundle of PageStream and a number of add ons. With this release, PageStream Professional now includes numerous features unique to it plus TextFX, Borders 1 & 2, Gary's Effects, Paper Direct templates, and Home & Office forms. + Place PDF Objects - A specific page of a PDF can now be placed onto a PageStream page just like an EPS graphic. + Export Objects as Bitmap - In the past, selected objects could only be exported to a object oriented drawing format, but now the objects can also be rendered into a bitmap at any resolution and saved in any supported picture format. + Automatically Adjust Text Width for Justified Text - By adjusting the text width by slight amounts, the white space in justified text can be more even between lines of text in a justified paragraph. + Gradient/Radial Blend Masks for Pictures/EPS/PDF/Drawings These objects can be made to appear to fade into the page beneath it. Samples can be seen in a previous issue of eDTP World. + Path Math: Union/Add/Unique/Subtract Draw two intersecting objects, and create a single new path that is the outside trace of those objects (Add), or a new object that represents the common region in both objects (Union), a new object that removes any common region (Unique), or a new object that has the second objects area removed from the first object (Subtract). + PageStream5.0 features and more!
Further more, if you have not seen the newest versions of 4.1 Windows you may have missed all the new features that were given to 4.1 Windows users as well. That includes a numerous gems like a new interface with resizeable dialog boxes, Python scripting support, improved and simplified localization support, PNG filter, PDF document import filter for 4.1 and 5.0 Pro, MS Word text filter, improved small caps, font selector with sample display, improved hanging punctuation, and more. In fact, the unadvertised features added to 4.1 for free are more substantial than many upgrades from other publishing applications!
PageStream5.0 Pricing At any price PageStream5.0 is a bargain, but PageStream's low price is a steal. Retail price of PageStream5.0 is a fraction of the other DTP applications at only $99, and the PageStream5.0 Professional package is only $149. But don't let our low prices fool you into thinking PageStream is low-end!
PageStream4.1 customers can upgrade to 5.0 for only $40 and to PageStream5.0 Professional for just $90, while PageStream4.1 Professional customers can upgrade to 5.0 Professional for only $40, and upgrade multiple copies for even less. Customers of prior versions of PageStream (4.0, 3.x, 2.x and 1.x) can upgrade to PageStream5.0 for just $75 and PageStream5.0 Professional for only $125. Other upgrades exist. Check out our order page athttp://www.grasshopperllc.com for more details on pricing.
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