Adobe continued releasing PageMaker until version 7.0 in 2001, when it was discontinued in favor of InDesign, which itself debuted in 1999. They maintained control of PageMaker until rival Adobe Systems purchased Aldus in 1994. Needless to say, desktop publishing took off and made the old, tedious process obsolete.Īldus Corporation – named for Aldus Manutius, a Venetian printer – released the first version of PageMaker in January 1985. Whereas page layout used to be a tedious task taking place on a pasteboard, desktop publishing allowed the process to be computerized: saving time, space, and money.

The combination allowed for easier design of publications. (The Macintosh itself was unveiled to the world nearly a year earlier on January 24, 1984.) Apple’s LaserWriter printer helped start the desktop publishing revolution, in addition to the Macintosh and DTP software like Aldus PageMaker. The Apple LaserWriter, an early laser printer that offered easy networking and excellent print quality for the time, was released on the same day as Aldus PageMaker: January 23, 1985. However, the Mac didn’t create the revolution by itself. During MARCHintosh 2021, I planned to take a closer look at the early days of desktop publishing by looking at Aldus’ PageMaker software – one of the early successful desktop publishing software titles that would later heavily influence Adobe InDesign – the modern de facto standard in desktop publishing.Īpple’s Macintosh line of computers is often credited with helping kickstart the desktop publishing (DTP) revolution of the mid-late 1980s that paved the way for the modern graphic design position.

Apple desktop publishing software free