A method was developed that allows the mode-locking process to go to its steady state condition before the laser is Q-switched. This is done by pumping the laser quasi-cw for about 5 ms. During this time, the loss in the Q-switch is such that the laser will just slightly go above threshold. The active modulator is on during this time, and the laser oscillates quasi-cw for a period long enough to obtain stable transform-limited short pulses. At the end of this prelase period, the laser is Q-switched, and a train of stable, short pulses is obtained.