Desktop publishing on the Speccy

[Journeyman]

I know I'm probably extraordinarily masochistic to even try, but I fancy doing a bit of DTP on my grey case +2. I like creative projects, and about 12 years ago I made a zine using a ZX81 and Alphacom printer. It came out looking pretty cool, and I want to do something a bit more ambitious this time.

The only DTP software I've ever really seen for the Speccy is the Page Maker addon to The Artist II, which I did actually own when I was a kid, along with the Datel mouse. Never really got the hang of it, though. The eight screens making up an A4 page looks a bit complicated and I don't really know where to begin with that. Did the Speccy have any other page-making/"DTP" software packages that are worth having a go with?

I'll be printing my masterpieces (haha) with a Brother M-1009 printer, which I can actually connect in three different ways - IF1 RS-232, built-in 128K RS-232 via a Centronics converter lead, or Kempston E interface. So...I have a few options there.

I think I'll just want to mock up a few headlines and stuff, and produce most of the text-only pages using Tasword and Tasprint.

Any ideas on a good package to use, or whether I'm just nuts and should forget it?

[ianace]

Tasman software did Tasword, that was a word processor Did they ever produce anything else for desktop publishing?

[Journeyman]

Tasman software did Tasword, that was a word processor Did they ever produce anything else for desktop publishing?

No, it doesn't look like they ever did. I've got the 128K version of Tasword, and with the Tasprint bolt-on, you can print in five different fonts. It's fiddly to control and you don't know how it's going to look on the page until you print it, but it's surprisingly impressive. I've actually used it to print letters to various businesses of late.

Nothing more sophisticated than that, though - so no mixing text and graphics.

[omega]

there were several suites for desktop publishing. I was using Word Master with plugins Typeliner, Headliner, Font Editor.
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/entry/8 ... ord-Master

- Desktop https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/entry/1 ... um/Desktop
- Text Machine / Screen Machine https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/entry/2 ... xt_Machine
- Poster Maker https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/entry/3 ... ster_Maker

worth mentioning is also spreadsheet application Calculus https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/entry/2 ... m/Calculus

[Journeyman]

there were several suites for desktop publishing. I was using Word Master with plugins Typeliner, Headliner, Font Editor.
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/entry/8 ... ord-Master

Aha! Thanks for mentioning this. I remember hearing about it once, but couldn't remember what it was called.

Not sure I'll cope too well with the stuff in the Czech/Slovak languages, but they're certainly impressive programs, and I did have a play with Desktop on an emulator a while ago.

[8BitAG]

I used to do all sorts of zine pages, adverts and things like show programmes using some DTP stuff for my Spectrum +3, but can't for the life of me remember which one... We did have Tasword Plus Three.

Can't find any printouts to hand, apart from this fairly simple advert done back in the day...


Might have been the PCG DTP pack...
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/entry/1 ... m/DTP_Pack
...which was basically the value bundle of the software mentioned above.



I may have upgraded to their SAM version at a later date.