Tools tighten PageMaker

Adobe Systems (ADBE) today delivered a new version of PageMaker for Apple Computer's Macintosh and Power Macintosh platforms that makes it easier to use other Adobe applications.

This latest version of the popular page layout software--available for Microsoft's Windows 95 and Windows NT users since December--features a new user interface that facilitates working with Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator.

An Illustrator file now can be imported directly into PageMaker 6.5 without being converted into EPS format. And while users of previous PageMaker versions may find that the new interface takes some getting used to, Illustrator and Photoshop users will be right at home with key and menu commands modeled on those applications.

PageMaker 6.5 also features interactive tabbed palettes, document-wide layering, and text and graphics frames.

The upgrade also is intended to make PageMaker a better Web authoring tool. The Hyperlinks palette creates links within PageMaker and to Web URLs, which can now be dragged and dropped directly into the document. With the enhanced HTML Export plug-in, users can work in HTML format.

PageMaker 6.5 for the Mac is priced at $895; upgrades from previous PageMaker versions are $99.