Desktop publishing is the production of page designs with your computer using a special DTP software that integrates text and images.
The first DTP software was released in the mid-80s and desktop-publishing skyrocket from there. In the early 90s desktop publishing had almost completely replaced previous technologies used for that purpose
When was desktop publishing invented?
1985Desktop publishing began in 1985 with the introduction of PageMaker software from Aldus and the LaserWriter printer from Apple Computer for the Apple Macintosh computer.
What is the desktop publishing process?
Desktop publishing is the process of using computer software to combine and rearrange text and images and create digital files that are either sent to a commercial printer for printing or printed directly from a desktop printer.
What are the types of desktop publishing?
Publications fall into one of three categories: General publications and graphics (newsletters, magazines, brochures, small booklets, posters, and flyers). For general desktop publishing, I recommend QuarkXPress, Adobe InDesign, and Adobe PageMaker.
Use of desktop publishing
Desktop-publishing software can be used to create the layout for a wide range of different publications, such as:
- newspapers and magazines
- brochures, posters, flyer, leaflets and catalogues
- books and e-books
- web pages
- banner
- newsletter
- design of resume
Desktop publishing programs:
InDesign, Word and others
The number of desktop publishing programs is growing and growing. The good news, a lot of them are for free or available for subscription.
The leading desktop publishing software these days comes from Adobe. Products from the Adobe Creative Cloud are available for subscription. The costs vary, depending on the product and plan selected. For example, you can subscribe to all the apps starting from US$52.99 per month. This package includes programs, such as Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign. But you can also opt for a single app.
Adobe InDesign CC is a top-rated desktop publishing software, one of the market leaders and used by most professionals.
Functions of desktop publishing software these days seem endless and InDesign CC is no exception. It offers a wide range of tools, to just name a few:
- layout and typesetting tools
- setting character and paragraph attributes
- tools to create multicolumn pages
- transparency and vector editing
In InDesign you create a page layout by placing frames onto your page. Those frames can be filled with content, such as text, photos, videos or graphics.
What are the advantages of desktop publishing?
Some advantages of desktop publishing are:
- Increased productivity.
- Reduced production costs.
- Improved appearance of documents.
- Enhanced creativity with an element of fun.
- Ability to produce customized documents.
- Reduced time to print.
goes on to list seven steps in the desktop publishing process:
- Planning the publication
- Preparing preliminary page designs
- Preparing the text
- Preparing the artwork and graphics
- Finalising page layout
- Printing
- Reproducing
This course deals with the first six steps, but not with step 7.
Desktop publishing software
Why use Microsoft Publisher? Publisher is a desktop publishing program (DTP). Publisher simplifies the design, creating and publication of professional looking documents.
Publisher makes it especially easy by giving you hundreds of professionally designed designs to start from. Creating your own professional-looking publication with Publisher is as simple as replacing the text and graphics in a pre-designed publication with your own content.
Publisher includes designs for newsletters, brochures, business cards, postcards, greeting cards, media labels, Web pages, and more. Once you pick up the basic skills you need to start and customise a publication, you’ll be able to apply those same skills to the entire range of personal and business publications now at your fingertips.
You are able to create single page and multi-page documents as well as booklets.
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