ùGø ù.O. Graphics, Iønc., a leading supplier
ùof PCù-based typesettiøng software, and øùAtari
Corporation of ùSunnyvaleø, CA
have øsùignùed an agreøemenùtø to develop
a low-coøst, high-quality desktop
publishing system based on the Atari
Mega ST2 and ST4 computers and the
Atari SLM8ù04 ùlasùerù  printer which was unveiled earlier this year
and will be relø eaøsøedù in the fall quarter.The product is basedø on G.O. 
Graphics'
Deskset typesetting software which is currently available for MS-øDOS
computers and is compatible with Com
pugraphic typesetting systems. Deskset
is a professional-level typesetting
package which is popular among
typeshops, printing firms, graphics
studios and publishers. It provieds all the
functionality of dedicated typesetting
systems which typically cost $25,000 to
$50,000.Deskset uses genuine Com
pugraphic scalable outline fonts, which
will be incorporated into the Atari
system. Each font can be
set in 134 sizes from 5-point to 72-point in half-point increments. Any 
font can be set in reverse video (white type on a black background) or 
condesnced or expanded in half-point increments. The kerning capabilities 
of the fonts are unique in a personal computer-based product. The font data 
includes automatic sectored kerning, which is algorithmic kerning based on 
character shapes. User-definable kerning pairs may be specified by the user 
to supplement the sectored kerning, with 256 unique kerning pairs per 
font.The Atari system will also utilize Deskset's WYSIWYG technology. 
According to Dave Price, G.O. Graphics Product Manager, Deskset's WYSIWYG 
screen is generated from the same scalable outline font data that is used 
to print the page. You can see the actual kerning and letterspacing that 
you'll get when the page is printed or typeset. This capability is highly 
desirable and does not exist in other packages available for the Macintosh 
and IBM.Additional benefits from the G.O. Graphics technology is that font 
cartridges and bitmap fonts are not used. The fonts are not downloaded to 
the printer and there is no RAM required in the printer. Instead, the page 
is built in the RAM of the Mega ST and output to the laser printer as 
full-page bitmap through a DMA port in the MEGA ST. Because there are no 
fonts and no RAM required in the printer and a page description language is 
not used, the Atari printer can sell at a favorable price.Another advantage 
is tha printing throughput time is extremely fast for two reasons. The DMA 
printer interface accesses the page bitmpa directly and there is no 
processing overhead as with systems which use page description languages. 
The printing method is similar to that used in the MS-DOS version of 
DESKSET, which uses a 2-megabyte JLaser Plus from Tall Tree Systems which 
drives most laser printer engines directly.The Atari system will generate 
high-quality typography because all of the features which exist in the 
MS-DOS version of Deskset will be ported to the Atari version running under 
TOS, the Atari operating system. It will feature linguistic-based 
hyphenation in eight languages supported by user-modifiable exception 
hyphenation dictionaries; autmotic and manual character compensation(white 
space redution and tracking); floating tabs; auto tabs; minimum, maximum 
and preferred settings for wordspace and letterspace expansion; negative 
and positive letterspacing for attractive justification; pagination with 
widow/orphan control; rules, boxes and graophics support; automatic indents 
(including hanging indents); automatic columnar text flow with text 
runarounds; control of minimum number of characters before and after a 
hyphen; and control of maximum number of consectuively hyphenated lines. 
Deskset currently uses typesetting commands identical to those found in 
Compugraphic typesetting systems. G.O. Graphics is removing the commands 
and incorporationg the TOS windows-mouse-icons-menus interface for an 
interactive WYSIWYG product.An option planned for the system is the 
capability to typeset files from the Mega ST to approximately 24,000 
Compugraphic MCS typesetting systems installed in the United States. The 
MS-DOS Deskset product currently drives a Compugraphic typesetter directly 
via driver software and a board manufactured by G.O. Graphics, or via a 
compatible diskette written in MCS disk format. Output from the Atari laser 
printer would be an exact proof of the typeset page bacause the 
Compugraphic fonts, character sets, couting algorithms and width valuse are 
identical to those found in Compugraphic typesetting systems.G.O. Graphics 
has developed text-processing systems since 1973. It has provided 
communications and interfacing products on an OEM basis to such firms as 
Compugraphic, Allied Linotype, Varityper and Xerox. It began shipping 
Deskset in August, 1986. For further information Contact G.O. Graphics, 18 
Ray Avenue, Burlington, MA 01803 (617) 229-8900 or Atari Corporation, 1196 
Borregas AVenue, Sunnyvale, CA 94086 (408) 745-2367.