Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!dptcdc!tmsoft!masnet!canremote!david.megginson
From: david.megginson@canremote.uucp (DAVID MEGGINSON)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: Amiga vs. Atari ST
Message-ID: <89080106585621@masnet.uucp>
Date: 31 Jul 89 23:24:00 GMT
Organization: Canada Remote Systems Limited, Mississauga, ON, Canada
Lines: 46

I don't see any point in arguing relative merits of the machines.  I
have a lot of respect for both the ST and the Amiga, but like any
intelligent person, I'd trade both for a Sun or NeXT if I could afford
it.
  
As for Calamus, I don't know your program, so I can't argue relative
merits.  As a DTP and Typesetting program, though, Calamus has several
features which I've never heard of in another DTP program:
 
- It uses the same outline fonts on the screen and printer.  That means
that if you look at the screen at 375% magnification, you will see a
pixel-by-pixel representation of what will come out on a 300 dpi laser
printer.  These outline fonts are, of course, Compugraphic (there are
cheapie fonts available)
  
- Each character contains its own kerning information.  That means that
'To', for example, will always kern correctly, even if the characters
are in different fonts and/or point sizes.  It is almost never necessary 
to kern manually, except for special effects.
  
- Every single function or sub-function can be assigned to a function
key or alt-key sequence.  As a result, Calamus can be made practically
mouse-less for speed with an experienced operator
  
- There are also control-key macros for text, rulers and style
  
- You can rotate text at any angle from 0 - 360 degrees, by a tenth of a 
degree.  You can also print text at any raster from 0-100% by tenths of
a percent.  Since screen and printer fonts are outlined, you may use any 
point size by tenths of a point.
  
- You can search and replace any combination of style, size and font. 
For example, you could make every string of underlined Swiss into the
same point size, outlined, Times (I'm not using the right names here).
  
- The program contains a separate text editing window, which is a lot
like a photo-typesetting program (remember the control-key macros for
font, size, style, text, etc)
  
- It is amazingly fast printing, since it uses its own page-description
language (yes, it does interface to Linotronic, and is three to ten
times as fast as driving an image-setter with Postscript)
  
There's a lot more, but this message is long enough.
---
 * Via ProDoor 3.01R