Lifetree Software Europe Ltd believes it has made word processing and desktop publishing accessible to secretaries and graphic designers alike with Total Word, the new package launched in the UK the other day. According to Lifetree, Total Word has all the features of a word processor with additional desktop publishing functions thrown in for good measure. Chesham, Buckinghamshire based Lifetree says it requires 340Kb of RAM and can run on all MS-DOS machines. A second release for use with the OS/2 operating system is expected next October. Total Word, more than an upgraded Volkswriter features the ability to import graphics regardless of their source, 10 keyboards – including ones for maths, chemical symbols and the standard IBM board – a dictionary of 170,000 words, unlimited macros up to 1Mb and support for CGA, EGA and VGA graphics cards. Lifetree Software Europe, with a turnover last year of UKP1.5m, has around UKP417,000 worth of forward orders in the US, listing the Bank of America and Pacific Gas and Electric among the takers. With 600 companies in the UK and Switzerland also expressing an interest, Lifetree looks to increase its turnover by 133% to UKP3.5m in the next year. Lifetree distributes microcomputer software throughout Europe on behalf of its parent, Lifetree Software Inc of Monterey, California, and San Carlos, California-based Individual Software Inc. There is a UKP95 tag on upgrading Volkswriter to Total Word and the complete new package costs UKP425.
