COMPUTE! and printing (was: Re: Looking for Compute! Atari ST disks)

I can't speak for Compute, but the early computer magazines I worked on did not use the systems they wrote about for anything other than word processing during production. Desktop publishing in the early to mid 80s didn't have the polish necessary for a glossy magazine. Instead, we used specialized systems from companies such as Compugraphic (the best, IMO) and Addressograph. These were essentially minicomputers serving as dedicated publishing systems. Compugraphic (and I think the others) used SGML as the markup language. Input was performed by a staff of typesetters who keyed in the copy that we produced on our micros. Output was photographic hardcopy that was manually pasted on boards and shipped to the printer. It's amazing how things have changed. Today, with direct to plate technology, you can produce an entire magazine on your desktop and email it to the printer. BYTE did turn to Macs and Pagemaker (I think) by the late 80s, but still relied heavily on a horrible Atex system to manage workflow. --Mike Michael Nadeau Editorial Services 603-893-2379