SpeedWriter is one of the first text editing systems to incorporate Adobe InCopy into a solution for newspaper editors, and adds key functionality to integrate it into a comprehensive editorial solution.
SpeedWriter 5, DTI’s text editing application, is one of the first to integrate Adobe InCopy. A new editorial application built upon Adobe InDesign professional page layout software, Adobe InCopy will only be available to the newspaper industry through systems integrators like DTI.
Among the first integrators to begin development with InCopy, DTI has been working for some time to incorporate the text editing tools into a solution that would be a good fit for newspaper editors, and work seamlessly with its editorial database and existing editorial applications.
The multi–line composition unique to Adobe InCopy and InDesign is extremely powerful. Typography handling at its best, this feature is unrivaled in any other text editing program. Most importantly, InCopy is based on the same H&J engine found in Adobe InDesign and integrated into DTI’s page design application PageSpeed. Integrating Adobe InCopy into SpeedWriter has enabled DTI to produce a unified solution in which text editing will match pagination 100% throughout the entire editorial process.
SpeedWriter adds key functionality to Adobe InCopy for newspaper editors Among the most significant features of SpeedWriter is XML enhancement of text. With an intuitive graphic interface, SpeedWriter makes it simple to add XML labels to tag various story elements in a single step.
XML tagging of information enables computer–automated pagination as well as dynamic publishing of Internet pages from the same data. XML tagged data from outside sources such as wire services or ad agencies can be accepted directly into the database and is recognized as a native format in SpeedWriter.
Intra–system messaging is enabled between users in the SpeedWriter Message Center, enhancing collaboration between users Key to enabling a multi–user editorial environment is SpeedWriter’s database. The user accesses the database through the Data Center window – a directory of stories – which allows the user to search, preview and route stories throughout the editorial process. SpeedWriter can also be integrated with a graphics database, in which case the same Data Center would include a directory for images as well. Integration at this level makes it possible for editors to assign graphics and images to stories, linking them to the story even before a layout has been created.
Another important enhancement found in SpeedWriter is a powerful full–text search engine which enables editors and researchers to set up and save both simple and complex searches. Searches are not limited to keywords or header information, but are capable of rapidly returning search results on the full content of the database.
In a newsroom, where more that one person works with a story before it is published, SpeedWriter’s ability to track not only the changes made to a story, but also the user who made the changes, is a critical enhancement.
Editioning control is also enabled with a window that tracks the relationships between different stories that originated with a single story – such as a version that ran with a few differences in a different edition, on the Internet, or which was based on a previous story. This becomes particularly useful when critical corrections made in one story need to be carried through to related stories, which are now separate.
A perfect match between editing and layout In addition to a galley view of text, InCopy features a layout–editing mode. In this mode, the writer can see the story in the exact shape and with the same font and size attritbutes as it appears in the PageSpeed layout. Writers will be able to edit stories in the exact shape that they will appear on a page, making it easy to spot widows, orphans, or bad run–arounds. Editors can also write headlines to fit the layout exactly, all within SpeedWriter.
Behind the scenes, there will be no compromise when stories are edited. Any changes made in SpeedWriter, or later as the story is edited directly on the page, are always in sync, and will be instantly reflected in all other views of the story. The story exists once in the database and can be accessed by any of the DTI client applications.
Completing the solution SpeedWriter is a modular application in that it can be seamlessly integrated with any other application within DTI’s unified publishing solution.
Other applications in the NewsSpeed editorial suite:
- PageSpeed: page design, editorial pagination.
- SpeedDriver: database controlled output, database OPI.
- PlanSpeed: tracking and planning of editorial and/or advertising.
- PageSpeed Web Publisher: database–driven Internet publishing.
