Pat Bensky - Publishing Consultant

With more than 30 years in the publishing industry, Pat has a wide range of experience in all aspects of the business. For the last 20 years she has been running CatBase Software Ltd., a software company that specialises in database publishing solutions. During this time Pat has helped many clients across the globe to get their catalogue, directory, price list, and classified ad projects up and running.

Pat will take an objective look at your project and suggest the best solutions for you to get it going quickly, efficiently, and cost-effectively. Her advice may include such topics as:

Choice of database
Choice of page layout program
Help with setting up a database
Help with setting up a page layout template
Training

Pat's Experience

Photographer and photojournalist for 4 years, based in the Los Angeles area; freelance and as an employee of a news agency
Bureau Chief of Hollywood-based news agency Media Press International
Managing Editor, then Editor-in-Chief, of MacGuide Magazine, a quarterly magazine devoted to the Macintosh computer. At MacGuide we were one of the first - possibly the very first - publication to be published entirely using the new desktop publishing application, QuarkXPress, in 1987. A large part of the magazine was the product directory section – about 300 pages of product listings with reviews and illustrations. In an effort to streamline the production of the directory section, Pat wrote the first version of CatBase in 1990.
Developer of CatBase, the database publishing solution.
In 1991 Pat moved back to her native England, set up CatBase Software Ltd., and has continued to develop the software since then.

Areas of Expertise

Technical Background

Pat studied computer programming and information processing in college, and has a Post-Graduate Diploma in IT from Liverpool University.

Page Layout (Desktop Publishing) Software

Pat has worked extensively with the three major page layout programs:

QuarkXPress
Adobe InDesign CS
FrameMaker

Being familiar with all three she is able to make impartial and informed recommendations on which one is best suited for a particular publishing project.

Databases

Pat has worked with various databases over the years, from early version of dBase, FoxBase and FoxPro, FileMaker, Access, MySql, SqlServer, and 4th Dimension. She is most accomplished with 4th Dimension, the database that is used to create CatBase.

Publishing Projects

Pat has advised clients on the best way to produce a variety of publications such as:

Books
Catalogues
Classified Ads
Directories
Holiday Guides
Hotel Guides
Personnel Directories
Price Lists
Provider Directories
"White Pages"-style telephone directories
"Yellow Pages"-style Telephone Directories

Contact Pat

Our contact details can be found here.

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