Desktop publishing 54257 224595621 2008-07-09T16:04:41Z Sudarevic 7337562 {{refimprove|date=May 2007}} '''Desktop publishing''' (also known as '''DTP''') combines an inexpensive [[personal computer]] and [[WYSIWYG]] page layout [[software]] to create [[publication]] [[documents]] on a computer for either [[Publishing|large scale publishing]] or small scale local [[Multifunction printer|multifunction peripheral]] output and distribution. Users have flexibility to create complex page '''layouts''' that can incorporate body text, numbered footnotes, graphics, [[photography|photos]] and other visual elements using software such as [[QuarkXPress]], [[Adobe InDesign]], [[Microsoft Publisher]], [[Pages|Apple Pages]], the free [[Scribus]] and (to some extent) any [[graphics software]] or [[word processor]] that combines editable text with images. The term "desktop publishing" is commonly used to describe [[page layout]] skills. However, the skills and software are not limited to book publishing. The same skills and software are often used to create graphics for [[point of sale display]]s, [[promotional item]]s, [[Trade fair|trade show exhibits]], [[packaging|retail package designs]], and [[Out-of-home advertising|outdoor signs]]. ==History== Desktop publishing began in 1985 with the introduction of [[Adobe PageMaker|PageMaker]] software from [[Aldus Corporation|Aldus]] and the [[LaserWriter]] printer from [[Apple Computer]] for the Apple [[Apple Macintosh|Macintosh]] computer. The ability to create [[WYSIWYG]] page layouts on screen and then [[printing|print]] pages at crisp 300 [[dots per inch|dpi]] resolution was revolutionary for both the typesetting industry as well as the personal computer industry. Newspapers and other print publications made the move to DTP-based programs from older layout systems like [[Atex (software)|Atex]] and other such programs in the early 1980s. The term "desktop publishing" is attributed to [[Aldus Corporation]] founder [[Paul Brainerd]], who sought a marketing catch-phrase to describe the small size and relative affordability of this suite of products in contrast to the expensive commercial [[phototypesetting]] equipment of the day. Often considered a primary skill, increased accessibility to more user-friendly DTP software has made DTP a secondary skill to [[art direction]], [[graphic design]], [[multimedia|multimedia development]], [[marketing communications]], [[Administration (business)|administrative careers]] and advanced high school literacy in thriving economies. DTP skill levels range from what may be learned in a few hours (e.g. learning how to put clip art in a word processor) to what requires a college education and years of experience (e.g. [[advertising agency]] positions). The discipline of DTP skills range from technical skills such as [[prepress|prepress production]] and [[programming]] to creative skills such as [[communication design]] and [[graphic image development]]. By the standards of today, early desktop publishing was a primitive affair. Users of the PageMaker-LaserWriter-Macintosh 512K system endured frequent software crashes, the Mac's tiny 512 x 342 1-bit black and white screen, the inability to control [[letter spacing]], [[kerning]] (the addition or removal of space between individual characters in a piece of typeset text to improve its appearance or alter its fit) and other [[typography|typographic features]], and discrepancies between the screen display and printed output. However, it was a revolutionary combination at the time, and was received with considerable acclaim. Behind-the-scenes technologies developed by [[Adobe Systems]] set the foundation for professional desktop publishing applications. The LaserWriter and LaserWriter Plus printers included high quality, scalable Adobe [[PostScript]]-fonts built into their [[Read-only memory|ROM]] memory. The LaserWriter's [[PostScript]] capability allowed publication designers to proof files on a local printer then print the same file at DTP [[service bureaus]] using [[optics|optical resolution]] 600+ ppi PostScript-printers such as those from [[Linotronic]]. Later, the [[Macintosh II]] was released which was much more suitable for desktop publishing because of its larger, color screen, support for multiple displays, greater RAM capacity and its [[SCSI]] storage interface which allowed fast, high-capacity hard drives to be attached to the system. Although Macintosh-based systems would continue to dominate the market, in [[1986]], the [[Graphical Environment Manager|GEM]]-based [[Ventura Publisher]] was introduced for [[MS-DOS]] computers. While PageMaker's pasteboard metaphor closely simulated the process of creating layouts manually, Ventura Publisher automated the layout process through its use of tags/[[style sheet (desktop publishing)|style sheets]] and automatically generated indices and other body matter. This made it suitable for manuals and other long-format documents. Desktop publishing moved into the home market in 1986 with [[Professional Page]] for the [[Amiga]], [[PageStream|Publishing Partner]] for the [[Atari ST]], GST's [[Timeworks Publisher]] on the PC and Atari ST, [[Calamus (DTP)|Calamus]] for the [[Atari TT030]], and even Home Publisher, Newsroom, and GEOPublish for 8-bit computers like the [[Apple II]] and [[Commodore 64]]. During these early years, desktop publishing acquired a bad reputation from untrained users who created poorly-organized [[ransom note effect]] layouts — criticisms that would be levied again against early [[World Wide Web|web]] publishers a decade later. However, some were able to realize truly professional results. For example, [[.info (magazine)]] became the very first desktop-published, full-color, newsstand magazine in the last quarter of 1986, using a combination of Commodore Amiga computers, Professional Page desktop publishing software, and an [[Agfagraphics]] typesetter<ref>Evidence for this can be found at Mark R. Brown's[http://airship.home.mchsi.com/infomag.htm .info history page]</ref>. ==Page layout concepts== ===Page=== A page is a prefixed size of virtual printing material which can be viewed on the monitor in [[WYSIWYG]] format. Each page has full size and printable area. They are separated with margin guides. In most cases, the full size of page are set to international standard [[paper size]]s such as A4, letter, etc. ===Printing components=== There are three main types of components to be laid out on a page. They are text, natural or scanned images, artificial or creative images. ===Layout=== Layout is the process by which the printing components are laid on the page aesthetically and precisely. ==Comparisons with word processing== While desktop publishing software still provides extensive features necessary for print publishing, modern word processors now have publishing capabilities beyond those of many older DTP applications, blurring the line between word processing and desktop publishing. In the early days of [[GUI|graphical user interfaces]], DTP software was in a class of its own when compared to the fairly spartan word processing applications of the time. Programs such as [[WordPerfect]] and [[WordStar]] were still mainly text-based and offered little in the way of page layout, other than perhaps margins and line spacing. On the other hand, word processing software was necessary for features like indexing and spell checking, features that are today taken for granted. As computers and operating systems have become more powerful, vendors have sought to provide users with a single application platform that can meet all needs. Software such as [[OpenOffice.org_Writer|Open Office.org Writer]] and [[Microsoft Office Word|Microsoft Word]] offers advanced layouts and linking between documents, and DTP applications have added in common word processor features. ==Comparisons with other electronic layout== In modern usage, DTP is not generally said to include tools such as [[TeX]] or [[troff]], though both can easily be used on a modern desktop system and are standard with many [[Unix-like]] operating systems and readily available for other systems. The key difference between electronic [[typesetting]] software and DTP software is that DTP software is generally interactive and [[WYSIWYG]] in design, while older electronic typesetting software tends to operate in [[batch mode]], requiring the user to enter the processing program's markup language manually without a direct visualization of the finished product. The older style of typesetting software occupies a substantial but shrinking niche in technical writing and textbook publication; however, since much software in this genre is freely available, it can be more cost-effective than the professionally-oriented DTP systems. It is also particularly suitable for corporate newsletters or other applications where consistent, automated layout is important. There is some overlap between desktop publishing and what is known as [[Hypermedia]] publishing (i.e. Web design, Kiosk, CD-ROM). Many graphical HTML editors such as [[Microsoft FrontPage]] and [[Adobe Dreamweaver]] use a layout engine similar to a DTP program. However, some Web designers still prefer to write HTML without the assistance of a WYSIWYG editor and resort to such software, if at all, solely for complex layout that cannot easily be rendered in hand-written HTML code. ==See also== *[[List of desktop publishing software]] *[[Camera Ready]] *[[Database publishing]] *[[ebook|eBook]] *[[Graphic design]] *[[Printing]] *[[Publishing]] *[[Template system]] *[[Typesetting]] *[[Typography]] *[[Word processing]] *[[Desktop video]] ==References== <references/> [[Category:Copy editing]] [[Category:Publishing terms]] [[Category:Graphic design]] [[Category:Communication design]] [[Category:Desktop publishing software]] [[Category:Typesetting]] [[Category:Visual journalism]] [[ar:النشر المكتبي]] [[ca:Autoedició]] [[cs:Desktop publishing]] [[da:Desktop publishing]] [[de:Desktop Publishing]] [[es:Autoedición]] [[eo:Perkomputila eldonado]] [[fr:Publication assistée par ordinateur]] [[ko:탁상출판]] [[it:Desktop publishing]] [[he:הוצאה לאור שולחנית]] [[hu:Asztali kiadványszerkesztés]] [[ms:Penerbitan atas meja]] [[nl:Desktoppublishing]] [[ja:DTP]] [[pl:DTP]] [[pt:Editoração eletrônica]] [[ro:DTP]] [[sk:Desktop publishing]] [[fi:Julkaisuohjelma]] [[sv:Desktop publishing]] [[tr:Masaüstü yayıncılık]] [[uk:Комп'ютерна верстка]] == External links == * [http://www.dtpwiz.com DTP resources]