Features:

• Create professional-quality publications
• Build from scratch or choose from hundreds of templates
• Achieve a uniform look with master frames to hold text and graphics
• Professional typesetting with kerning and tracking
• Includes thousands of clip art photos and illustrations

Adobe may have the lock on professional graphics production with Photoshop, but it has long been engaged in a drawn-out battle with Quark for the hearts and wallets of the desktop publishing crowd. PageMaker 7.0, Adobe's latest effort in the desktop publishing arena, won't set it ahead of QuarkXPress 4.1, but it does have plenty of appeal for small businesses and other audiences that have minor publishing needs.

PageMaker 7.0's user guide measures in at more than 400 pages, and it thoughtfully explains every aspect of the vast and complex program. A wide range of impressive-looking templates, which cover just about every type of document imaginable (including business cards, labels, newsletters, ads, posters, and more), makes PageMaker a little more accessible to users unfamiliar with its functionality. The templates are divided into various levels of complexity, with the lowest level containing helpful annotations for novice users.

While its improvements over version 6.5 are minimal, PageMaker 7.0 makes a few worthy strides to justify its sparkly new version number. Among the most welcome is a surprisingly intuitive data merge feature, which allows users to configure target areas in their publications and import respective fields from a spreadsheet or database. Unfortunately, it only recognizes comma-delineated CSV or TXT files; it doesn't import data directly from common file formats created by Microsoft Excel or Lotus 1-2-3.

Ironically, another area of improvement in PageMaker 7.0 is compatibility with other programs. It easily imports and handles layered image files from Illustrator and Photoshop 5.0 and 6.0, and features input converters for files created in QuarkXPress and Microsoft Publisher. PageMaker's PDF export capabilities have been enhanced both in the main program and with the included Acrobat Distiller applet, allowing users to configure security and embedded tag options.

Even with its plethora of templates, PageMaker 7.0 isn't by any means an entry-level application. Nonprofessional users who have never used a high-caliber desktop publishing program should probably consider a simpler package such as Microsoft Publisher. While hardened, professional magazine designers tend to prefer QuarkXPress, Adobe PageMaker 7.0 is nonetheless a complex and powerful tool that packs a serious learning curve.

PageMaker 7.0 is perfect for small businesses that can't afford to hire out designers for promotional materials, or for companies that have the need to create professional-looking PDF files. Owners of PageMaker 6.5 might not feel compelled to upgrade, but companies and creative folks newly in the market for a muscular desktop publishing tool will be well served by PageMaker 7.0

System requirements:

• Pentium processor
• Microsoft Windows 98, NT 4.0, 2000, or Me
• 32 MB RAM (48 MB recommended)
• 175 MB hard disk space (200 MB recommended)
• CD-ROM drive
• 8-bit video card with 800 x 600 resolution display and 256 colors (24-bit, high-resolution display recommended)
• For Adobe PostScript printers: Adobe PostScript Level 2 or later