G .O. Graphics, Inc., a leading supplier
of PC-based typesetting software, and
Atari Corporation of Sunnyvale, CA have
signed an agreement to develop a
low-cost, high-quality desktop publishing
system based on the Atari Mega ST2 and
ST4 computers and the Atari SLM804
laser printer which was unveiled earlier
this year and will be released in the fall
quarter.The product is based on G.O.
Graphics' Deskset typesetting software
which is currently available for MS-DOS
computers and is compatible with
Compugraphic 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
Compugraphic 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.