Softmagic Inc. today announced the release of Project-M Lite. It’s an XML and PDF-based publishing system designed natively for Mac OS X using Cocoa that consists of two modules in Softmagic’s complete Project M system: M-layout and SendStory, as well as 36 of Softmagic’s OpenType fonts.
M-layout is an XML based page layout program, while SendStory is an XML editor. Since the new Project-M Lite is being released to the Korean market first, Softmagic is bundling Hangul-based fonts first, but both applications are multilingual and support roman characters.
Softmagic is also hosting a “Publishing Solution Seminar for OS X” at the JW Marriott Hotel in Seoul, Korea this week. The company said it drew more than a thousand attendees to the event along with Apple, which demonstrated Mac OS X 10.1. The demonstration showed Softmagic’s software producing a brochure and catalog, from layout to output.
Softmagic president and CEO Min Soo Kim said that his company examined popular layout applications and analyzed strengths and weaknesses. “We looked at the multitude of advantages that Apple’s new Mac OS X brings to the market, matched the enhanced feature set that customers are looking for in their layout applications and workflow and developed a suite of industrial strength native Mac OS X Cocoa applications that address the needs of today’s publishing professionals that are producing in a cross media digital world,” said Kim.
Softmagic also demonstrated Project-A, a photo album application that also uses XML text. The image data is stored and repurposed for both print and Web content.