DESKTOP PUBLISHING
Desktop publishing (also known as DTP) combines a
personal computer and page layout
software to create
publication documents on a computer for either
large scale publishing or small scale local economical
multifunction peripheral output and distribution. Users create page layouts with text, graphics,
photos and other visual elements using desktop publishing software such as
QuarkXPress,
Adobe InDesign, the free
Scribus,
Microsoft Publisher, or
Apple Pages. For small jobs a few copies of a publication might be printed on a local printer. For larger jobs a computer file can be sent to a vendor for high-volume printing.
Page layout skills and software are not limited to paper and books. The same skills and software are often used to create graphics for
point of sale displays,
promotional items,
trade show exhibits,
retail package designs, and
outdoor signs.
Desktop publishing began in 1985 with the introduction of
PageMaker software from
Aldus and the
LaserWriter printer from
Apple Computer for the Apple
Macintosh computer. The ability to create
WYSIWYG page layouts on screen and then
print pages at crisp 300
ppi resolution was revolutionary for both the typesetting industry as well as the personal computer industry. 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 development,
marketing communications,
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.)
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Early systems
By today's standards, 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 and other
typographic features, and discrepancies between the screen display and printed output. However, for that moment in time, it was received like a magic trick: difficult to believe, but everyone wants to know how to do the trick. 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 fonts built into their
ROM memory. The LaserWriter's additional PostScript capability allowed publication designers to proof files on a local printer then print the same file at DTP service bureaus using
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.
In
1986, the
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 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 with
Publishing Partner for the
Atari ST in 1986 and later for the
Amiga, GST's
Timeworks Publisher on the PC and Atari ST, Calamus for the
Atari TT030, Home Publisher and Newsroom for 8-bit computers like the
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