Pagemaker

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A desktop publishing program used to arrange text and images into printed or digital page layouts
2. Software that lets users design and lay out documents such as newsletters, brochures and books on a computer
3. An early desktop publishing application for composing pages that combine text, graphics and columns for print

Etymology: Few software names become ordinary nouns, but this one did. The program was made by Aldus Corporation, and its name was a literal description of its purpose: a tool for making pages. Over time, the name stopped referring only to that product and came to mean any software for laying out printed material on a computer. The program is also associated with the rise of desktop publishing. Aldus's founder, Paul Brainerd, is credited with coining that term for the practice the software made possible: designing a printed page on a personal computer, previewing it on screen, and sending it to a printer. This work had previously required typesetting services and specialist equipment.