Desktop publishing

Marissa m. andal-zamora
 What is Desktop Publishing?

Desktop publishing is a term coined after the development of a specific type of software. Before
the invention of desktop publishing software the tasks involved in desktop publishing were done
manually, by a variety of people and involved both graphic design and prepress tasks which
sometimes leads to confusion about what desktop publishing is and how it is done.

Answer: Although the definition, below, is still valid see

Desktop Publishing in the 21st Century for a detailed explanation of this new definition:
Desktop publishing is the use of the computer and software to create visual
displays of ideas and information. Desktop publishing documents may be for desktop or
commercial printing or electronic distribution including PDF, slide shows, email
newsletters, and the Web.

OLD / TRADITIONAL DEFINITION: Desktop publishing is the use of the computer and
specialized software to create documents for desktop or commercial printing. Desktop publishing
refers to the process of using the computer to produce documents such as newsletters, brochures,
books, and other publications that were once created manually using a variety of non-computer
techniques along with large complex phototypesetting machines. Today desktop publishing software
does it all - almost. But before PageMaker and other desktop publishing software there were e-
scales, paste-up, and other non-desktop computer ways of putting together a design for printing.

What is Desktop Publishing - It is the process of using the computer and specific types of
software to combine text and graphics to produce documents such as newsletters, brochures,
books, etc.

When was desktop publishing

invented?
Several events of the mid-1980s including the development of Aldus PageMaker (now Adobe PageMaker) ushered in
the era of desktop publishing.
Answer: It was primarily the introduction of both the Apple LaserWriter, a PostScript desktop printer, and PageMaker
for the Mac that kicked off the desktop publishing revolution. Aldus Corporation founder Paul Brainerd, is generally credited
for coining the phrase, "desktop publishing." 1985 was a very good year.
1984 - The Apple Macintosh debuts.
1984 - Hewlett-Packard introduces the LaserJet, the first desktop laser printer.
1985 - Adobe introduces PostScript, the industry standard Page Description Language (PDL) for professional
typesetting.
1985 - Aldus develops PageMaker for the Mac, the first "desktop publishing" application.
1985 - Apple produces the LaserWriter, the first desktop laser printer to contain PostScript.
1987 - PageMaker for the Windows platform is introduced.
1990 - Microsoft ships Windows 3.0.
Fast forward to 2003 and beyond. You can still buy Hewlett-Packard LaserJets and Apple LaserWriters but there are
hundreds of other printers and printer manufacturers to choose from as well. PostScript is at level 3 while PageMaker is at
version 7 but is now marketed to the business sector.
In the intervening years since PageMaker's introduction and purchase by Adobe, Quark, Inc.'s QuarkXPress took over
as the sweetheart of desktop publishing applications. But today Adobe's InDesign is firmly planted in the professional
sector and wooing over many converts on both the PC and Mac platforms.
While Macintosh is still considered by some to be the platform of choice for professional desktop publishing, dozens of
"consumer and small business desktop publishing" packages hit the shelves in the 1990s, catering to the growing legions
of PC/Windows users. Most notable among these low-cost Windows desktop publishing options, Microsoft Publisher and
Serif PagePlus continue to add features that make them more and more viable as contenders to the traditional
"professional apps.
Dektop Publishing in the 21st Century has seen a change in the way we define desktop publishing including who does
desktop publishing and the software used, even if many of the original players remain.

How Do You Do Desktop Publishing?

The mechanics of desktop publishing after the design stage involves using software tools to set up the document, place text
and graphics, and prepare digital files that will print properly using desktop or commercial printing processes or display properly
onscreen.
Answer: There is no quick, pat answer and probably the better question is, "how do you learn to do desktop publishing?"
You learn by reading, studying, and doing. This entire site is devoted to providing the tutorials and other resources needed to
learn how to do desktop publishing. Use these five starting points in your quest to learn how to do desktop publishing.
How a Desktop Publishing Document Is Created
Before worrying about what software to buy and how to use it, learn what is involved in the process of desktop publishing. There
are many processes and procedures in desktop publishing but the basic creation of a document using desktop publishing
techniques involves 4 steps:
Design: Research / Brainstorming / Planning
Create: Document Setup / Text Acquisition / Image Acquisition / Page Composition
Digital Prep: Proofs / Prepress & Preflight / File Preparation
Publish: Printing and/or On-Screen / Electronic Distribution
Software Needed for Desktop Publishing
You'll need several different programs to do most types of desktop publishing, with a page layout application being the
minimum desktop publishing software requirement.
Using Page Layout Software
While learning the mechanics of desktop publishing you may also need to learn how to use your desktop publishing software at
the same time. These tutorials cover basic to advanced techniques in many of the major page layout applications.
Graphic Design Tutorials and Procedures
Desktop publishing involves the technical application of the principles of graphic design. Explore everything about using desktop
publishing skills from the basics of page composition and design to specific elements such as white space and grids, plus overall
desktop publishing and graphic design tutorials and guidelines.
Page Layout Tutorials
Beyond the technical operation of the software, good design needs the right colors, exciting layout ideas, and tried and true
elements such as balance, contrast, and white space. Grids tie the elements of a design together and provide a framework for
the page layout.
Speedy Desktop Publishing
There is another speedy option when you need to jump in, get it done, and make it look good without knowing all the ins and
outs of desktop publishing. Simply Follow the Rules of Desktop Publishing.

Where is desktop publishing used?

Desktop publishing software can be found in both graphic design firms and
other types of businesses of all sizes, homes, schools, quick copy centers,
service bureaus, and print shops. Just about anywhere there is a need to
produce printed communications from billboards to baby announcements to
business cards, you can find desktop publishing software and people using it.
Answer: The type of desktop publishing software in use varies. Homes and
small businesses may utilize consumer-level desktop publishing software
packages designed for non-designers while freelance graphic designers,
graphic design firms, corporations, and print shops utilize high-end
applications designed for professional and high-volume use. Despite the
differences in the software, types of documents created, and where the
software is used, all these types of uses fall under the umbrella of desktop
publishing.

 Why is Desktop Publishing

Important?

Desktop publishing and graphic design can make documents look

better, prettier. But it's about more than just appearance. Desktop
publishing, used properly, enhances visual communication and
streamlines the process of disseminating information of all kinds.
Answer: Desktop publishing is important as a tool that can
enhance communication by making it possible to quickly and
efficiently produce printed and electronic (online or on-screen)
documents. Desktop publishing software allows the user to rearrange
text and graphics on screen, change typefaces as easily as changing
shoes, and resize graphics on the fly, before finally committing a
design to paper.
There are drawbacks to desktop publishing in that it also makes it
easier and less expensive to produce really bad designs. So, while
desktop publishing is important, education in basic principles of
graphic design and desktop publishing techniques is equally
important.

What is Desktop Publishing

Software?
Desktop publishing software is a tool for graphic designers and non-designers to create visual
communications for professional or desktop printing as well as for online or on-screen electronic
publishing.

Answer: The term desktop publishing was

originally coined to describe Aldus (now Adobe) PageMaker and among professional designers refers
primarily to high-end page layout software applications including Adobe InDesign and QuarkXPress.

Desktop Publishing Revolution Increases Software Options

However, an explosion of consumer programs and the associated advertising hype stretched the
use of "desktop publishing software" to include sofware for making greeting cards, calendars,
banners, and other crafty print projects as well as all the peripheral programs for handing fonts,
graphics, and later Web design. It also resulted in a wider range of low-cost, easy-to-use software that
didn't require traditional design and prepress skills to understand and use.

Desktop Publishing Software Becomes a "Catch-All" Phrase

Other applications and utilities often lumped into the "desktop publishing software" category are
better classified as graphics, Web publishing, or presentation software, and any number of utilities
and plug-ins for specific related tasks such as color calibration, font management, or imposition. The
DTP software lists below are those that do the core task of desktop publishing - composing text and
graphics into page layouts for publishing.
Desktop Publishing in the 21st Century further expands the meaning of desktop publishing and thus
broadens the definition of desktop publishing software to include software for Web design and other
forms of visual communications beyond print design.
Who Makes Desktop Publishing
Software?
Who Makes Desktop Publishing Software?
The main players in the field are Adobe, Corel, Quark, and Serif with products that stick close to the original use of
desktop publishing software for professional page layout. Additionally, Microsoft, Nova Development, Broderbund and
others have been producing consumer or print creativity and business desktop publishing software for many years.
Adobe makes many software packages used by designers. You've probably heard of Photoshop, for example. But these
other programs are not page layout software applications for print publishing. They are graphics software, Web design
software, programs for creating and working with the PDF format, such as Adobe Acrobat, and other related software tools.
The primary desktop publishing software or page layout software applications are:
Adobe FrameMaker ,Adobe InDesign , Adobe PageMaker
Corel is best known for its graphics suite that includes CorelDRAW and Corel Photo-Paint. In the past it has produced
creative printing or home publishing programs used for desktop publishing too but the primary page layout software from
Corel is:
Corel Ventura
Microsoft produces Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and various consumer graphics and creative printing programs used
alone or in conjunction with other applications to do some form of desktop publishing. Their entry into page layout for print
is:
Microsoft Publisher
Quark has other software but the one most closely associated with desktop publishing is QuarkXPress and its many
XTensions (produced by many third party vendors) that enhance and expand the basic capabilities of QuarkXPress.
QuarkXPress
Serif produces a suite of applications for graphics and Web design but the core desktop publishing software application is:
Serif PagePlus
Broderbund produces a number of design and publishing programs in the consumer desktop publishing arena. Although
some users do use these programs as freelance designers, the programs are not typically considered professional or high-
end tools. The primary audience for Broderbund creative printing software are individuals wanting to create personal
projects. The two titles most closely associated with desktop publishing are:
The Print Shop
PrintMaster
Specialty programs primarily designed just for greeting cards, calendars, or other specific print tasks are also frequently
changing names, changing hands, and changing focus. These include programs such as Calendar Creator and Scrapbook
Factory.

Types of Software Used in

Desktop Publishing
In addition to the sometimes fuzzy division of desktop publishing into
professional, home, and business categories, there are other types of
software closely associated with desktop publishing. Of the
four types of software for desktop publishing, the Page Layout category
encompasses the programs also known as desktop publishing software. The
others are specialized or auxilliary tools used in desktop publishing. But the
lines are blurred. Much of the best design software is used for both print and
Web and sometimes doubles as both page layout and graphics software or
creative printing and business software or other combinatons.
For the most complete list, see the
A-Z Really Big List of Desktop Publishing Software.

http://desktoppub.about.com/cs/beginners/f/when_dtp.html
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