#Hello Gold Disk!
12 messages in this thread
Tom:
Good to see Gold Disk on line again!
I have couple of comments that you may or may not have heard, but it's been
a while since I've looked around the Arts Forum (most of my time over on
AmigaTech), so I don't know the up-to-date topics.
Anyway, here goes…
1) I could really use a Forms tool that works with ProPage. We
have a
few people over in our Human Resourses departement and
Commercial
Banking Group who have tried to use ProPage to create forms.
They
get further than they would using WordPefect on PCs, but they
still
run into a large number of problems. Example forms would
include
application for employment, expense report forms, etc. Mostly
things with a lot of lines, boxes, and words that all have to
line
up.
2) I would really like to see some of the gadgets available in
ProDraw
become available in ProPage. The adjustable magnify comes to
mind!
3) Odd shaped boxes… Text flow on both sides of a box… you've
heard these before.
4) Hot links between ProDraw and ProPage. From ProPage, I would
like to
be able to click on a graphics box, select EDIT, and *POP* — be
in
ProDraw to edit the graphic. Exit ProDraw and *pop* — back in
ProPage.
5) In order to get color-filled, outlined fonts in ProPage I have
to
create my Text in a box, change the ink color to the inside
color
that I want, duplicate the box, put the second box on top,
select
the box, choose OUTLINE, and change the ink color again. If I
want
to change the text I have to be careful to change BOTH boxes.
I would rather have the option to just FILL an outline font.
6) My experience with your tech support is that you guys are pretty
good
*IF* I manage to get you on the 'phone. What are the chances of
your
getting more 'phone lines and a larger staff? I *NEED* to talk
to
you!
<continued>
<continuation…>
7) ProPage still Gurus on me from time to time. I have not yet
discovered a pattern, but it does seem to happen when the system
is "stressed". For example, yesterday we accidentally pulled up
the same DTP file twice (quadruple clicked the icon–two copies
of
ProPage in RAM at once, both reading the same file). When we
tried
to print the file, we got a memory error. That's when we
discovered
that ProPage was running twice. We QUIT the other process,
leaving
us with only the one running copy. We then tried to print the
file (a single-pager), but mistakenly chose PostScript output
when
we meant Dot Matrix (HP Color Inkjet). We cancelled the print,
and
tried again. The file printed fine, but when we (finally)
exited
ProPage–Guru city.
Well, that's all I can think of for now. Please let me know how these
things stand. Thanks!
Chris -)—–
Oh, yes… Forgot one!
8) Now that you have Compugraphic Fonts (supported by the HP III,
as
well) and ProPage can produce HP output that is as good as the
300DPI PostScript output I get, you need to have an HP PCL Level
4
driver built into ProPage and ProDraw. This would be similar to
your PostScript driver. The reason for this is that the HP
driver
provided with the OS is too slow, considering all of the
conversions and calculations that you have to do.
Thanks again!
Chris -)—-
1. We have recently expanded our tech support two-fold (read: we hired
someone
else), so it should be easier to get through. We have provisions for
another.
Now the bad news… We're probably going to be down one tech support
person
for awhile (I'm going back to college, but I may land a p/t job here
calling
CI$, running our own BBS, etc… on contract).
2. Hot Link betweem PDraw, PPage… too late… 2.0 of PDraw doesn't have
any
provisions for this.
3. "Forms tool", I could possibily see this happening as a external support
utility for PPage, but not actually in the program.
4. I forgot what else you wrote… I'll append it to the next message.
Sorry. I have a short attention span.
Tom Gandey Gold Disk, Inc. Technical Support
Tom…
GD (I like the acronym!) really needs to keep supporting users over CIS
*and* by phone. CIS is a very good place to provide support for
non-emergency questions. I hope that they a) hire you on as a part-time
support person (good luck in college!) and b) hire on a full-time person to
cover for you while you are doing your Differential Equasions homework.
RE: hot link between PDraw and PPage: don't throw away the idea just
because there's no provision for it yet! Keep it in mind for the future!
RE: forms tool: Yes, that's what I had in mind. A separate program that
would use the ProPage/ProDraw data formats.
Ok, on to your next reply.
-)—-Chris
Well, hopefully they keep me on p/t here. They'll still have a f/t guy,
and they want another f/t guy to supplement us.
Tom Gandey Gold Disk, Inc. Technical Support
Hi, Tom….Yes, it is nice to have your support. I noticed the discussion
in another category re deskjet and laserjet printout. I have an ALPS HP
compatible with 2.5 meg of memory and have had absolutely no problems, so I
suspect that at least some of the problems reported by other users are
memory related. My observation is, though, that at 300 x 300 dpi, the CG
fonts I've tried don't quite measure up, in smoothness, to the PageStream
fonts. Even at 150 x 150 on PageStream, there seem to be fewer jaggies.
I'm wondering, since the CG fonts have been so highly touted, if I could be
doing something wrong. At present, I'm putting together a book and I've
found myself switching back and forth between ProPage (so I can take
utilize PDraw for the illustrations), and PageStream, because the print
just look better.I don't have any problem outputting a PostScript file for
my service bureau, but this particular document will be coming out of my
printer camera-ready (or as ready as it's ever going to get), so I'd like
to solve the font proglem. Thanks a lot in advance. By the way, I've had
my order in (paid) for PD2 – but haven't had a reply. Would it be possible
for me to get a Beta copy? One of my editors would really like to do a DTP
feature soon and I'd like to use it if possible…..Nancy
Here is another list of items that I would like to have added to Gold Disks
"ProPage Improvement Wish List".
1) FLUSH and CENTER do not work if there is a carriage return at the end of
a line. This can be a BIG problem. 2) I need more control over paragraph
indentation. 3) Automatic bullets — To get a bullet in the current
ProPage, I have to switch fonts. Then I have to worry about the point
size, spacing, etc. I would really rather just have a key to hit and get a
selection of bullets that would match the font I'm in. 4) Drop Caps and
Large-Point subject headers. — I hear that Ventura does these
automatically. It is difficult to do these with ProPage. Drop Caps, for
instance: I have to create a box with the capital letter in it, set the
point size by eye, and then adjust the baseline to match (visually) the
baseline of the second line of the paragraph. What a mess! Same problem
with subject headers that are in a different point size and/or typeface.
5) Automatic tracking adjust. — When I use FLUSH in a column, I have to go
through the entire column line by line adjusting the tracking to get things
to look right. I would rather have an AUTO-TRACKING option that I could
turn on across a blocked area. 6) En and Em dashes! I used ProPage over
the weekend, and this is the partial list of things that frustrated me.
Please *PLEASE* add these to the wish-list (and let me know that you have
done so–it'll make me feel better)!
From what I've seen, the new PPage should give you everything you mentioned
with the exception of the automatic bullets.
Tom Gandey Gold Disk, Inc. Technical Support
(Should be out soon, 6 weeks?, …maybe)
Ok Tom,
I'll look forward to the new version, and hold off on any more comments
until I see it.
Thanks for your help!
Chris -)—–
Tom,
Will currently registered PPage users get a copy of the upgraded version?
Will there be a cost?
Paul
5. Adjustable Mag – Sure, I think that may even be already implemented in
thhe
new version.
6. Flow Text around irregular boxes – Err, um… Maybe
7. Sounds like the operations that you want to do with fonts (Color inside
the outlines) will be availible as automatic options in the new version
(No date yet!)
Tom Gandey Gold Disk, Inc. Technical Support