Desktop publishing facts for kids
Desktop publishing (often called DTP) is a way to create documents using special computer programs. You use a personal computer, like a desktop or laptop, to design things. At first, DTP was mostly for printing books, magazines, and flyers. Now, it's also used to make things for the internet, like websites and online newsletters.
DTP software helps you arrange text and pictures on a page. It lets you make documents that look professional, similar to what big printing companies used to do. This technology makes it possible for anyone, from individuals to businesses, to create and share many types of content. You can design anything from restaurant menus to full books without needing expensive commercial printers.
To do DTP, you usually need a computer and software that shows you exactly what the final page will look like. This is called "What You See Is What You Get" (WYSIWYG). While DTP software gives you lots of control over design, modern word processing programs can now do many similar things.
The skills and software used for DTP can also help create graphics for many other uses. These include signs for stores, presentations, cool charts called infographics, brochures, and even designs for product packaging.
Contents
How Desktop Publishing Started
The Early Days of DTP
Desktop publishing began in the 1970s at a research center called Xerox PARC. Some say it truly started in 1983 with a program named Type Processor One. This program ran on a PC and showed designs on screen, much like today's DTP. It became available for sale in 1984.
In 1978–1979, a system called TeX was introduced for typesetting, which is arranging text for printing. This was improved in 1985 with LaTeX.
DTP Takes Off in the 1980s
The DTP world really took off in 1985. This was when Apple released the Apple LaserWriter printer. It worked with the Apple Macintosh computer, which was only a year old then.
In July 1985, Aldus released PageMaker software. This program quickly became the main tool for desktop publishing. PageMaker had advanced features for arranging pages. It made word processors like Microsoft Word seem basic, only good for writing text. Word didn't get many DTP features until much later.
The name "desktop publishing" was created by Paul Brainerd, who founded Aldus. He wanted a catchy phrase to describe how small and affordable these new tools were. Before DTP, professional printing equipment was very large and expensive.
Before DTP: The Typewriter Era
Before DTP, most people used typewriters to create typed documents. Typewriters offered only a few basic fonts and sizes. A popular DTP book was even titled The Mac is Not a Typewriter. It explained how a Mac could do so much more than a typewriter.
Being able to design pages on a screen and then print them with good quality was a huge step forward. This also changed the traditional printing industry. They used to buy expensive, all-in-one systems. Newspapers and other publishers started using DTP programs in the early 1980s.
Challenges in Early DTP
In the early 1980s, DTP was still new. Users of the first Mac and LaserWriter systems faced problems. Software often crashed, and the Mac screen was black and white with low quality. It was also hard to control small details like letter spacing. What you saw on screen didn't always match the printout perfectly. Still, it was an amazing new way to create documents.
Technologies from Adobe Systems helped build the foundation for professional DTP. LaserWriter printers had special fonts built in. This allowed designers to print test copies on a local printer. Then, they could print the same file at special DTP shops using very high-quality printers.
DTP Expands to More Computers
Later, the Macintosh II computer came out. It was much better for DTP because it could be expanded. It supported large color screens and could connect to hard drives. Macintosh computers remained popular in publishing.
In 1986, DTP programs also came out for MS-DOS computers, like Ventura Publisher. While PageMaker was like arranging things on a pasteboard, Ventura Publisher automated layouts using tags and style sheets. This made it great for creating manuals and long documents.
DTP even reached home computers in 1986. Programs like Professional Page for the Amiga and Publishing Partner for the Atari ST became available. Even older 8-bit computers like the Apple II and Commodore 64 had DTP software.
DTP Skills Today
In its early years, DTP sometimes got a bad name. This was because untrained users created messy, unprofessional-looking designs. However, skilled DTP users could achieve nearly professional results.
In the 1980s, DTP skills were very important for careers. But now, DTP software is easier to use. So, DTP is often a secondary skill for jobs like graphic design or marketing. Learning DTP can take a few hours for simple tasks or a college education for advanced skills. DTP involves technical skills like preparing files for printing and creative skills like designing images.
As of 2014, Apple computers are still very popular in publishing. The most used software has changed from QuarkXPress to Adobe InDesign.
Understanding DTP Terms
Digital vs. Paper Pages
In desktop publishing, there are two main types of pages:
- Digital pages are for screens. Their size is only limited by your computer's memory.
- Virtual paper pages are designed to be printed. They match standard paper sizes like A4 or letter paper. You can also set custom sizes for large prints like posters.
A virtual paper page looks like the final printed page on your screen (WYSIWYG). Each page for printing has a trim size (where the paper will be cut). It also has a printable area, especially if you can't print right to the edge. A web page is an example of a digital page. It's not limited by paper size and can often change its size to fit your screen.
Master Pages and Layout
Master pages are like templates. They let you automatically copy or link design elements to many pages in a document. If you change something on a master page, it updates on all the pages that use it. This is great for consistent page numbers or headers. For web pages, Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) do a similar job.
Page layout is the process of arranging everything on a page neatly and beautifully. The main things you arrange are text and images. Images can be linked from outside files or embedded directly into your document. Text can be typed directly, brought in from another file, or even linked to a database for large projects.
You can also add design styles like color, transparency, and filters to your layout elements. Text can get automatic styles from style sheets. Some programs also have style sheets for images. These can control borders, colors, and how text flows around the image.
DTP Compared to Other Software
DTP vs. Word Processing
Desktop publishing software still has many features needed for professional printing. However, modern word processors now have many design abilities that older DTP programs lacked. This makes the difference between them less clear.
In the early 1980s, DTP software was very different from word processors. Programs like WordPerfect were mostly text-based. They offered very little page design beyond basic margins. But word processors were good for things like spell checking. As computers became more powerful, software companies tried to create single programs that could do almost everything.
DTP vs. Other Digital Layout Tools
In the past, DTP usually didn't include tools like TeX or troff. These are used for digital typesetting. The main difference is that DTP software is usually interactive and WYSIWYG. You see your design as you create it.
Other typesetting software, like TeX and LaTeX, work differently. You write special code (like HTML) and then run a program to see the final result. This is called "batch mode." It's less user-friendly than WYSIWYG. But it's great for scientific papers or long documents where consistent layout is very important.
However, some newer TeX tools now offer a "What You See Is What You Mean" (WYSIWYM) approach. This combines DTP and batch processing. It focuses more on the meaning of the content than just how it looks.
There's also some overlap between DTP and hypermedia publishing, like web design. Many HTML editors use a layout engine similar to DTP programs. But some web designers still prefer to write HTML code directly. This gives them more control and helps avoid extra, unnecessary code.
DTP vs. Web Design
Desktop publishing mainly creates static documents for print or digital files. Web design uses similar skills and terms. Digital typography is about fonts for DTP. Web typography is about fonts for the internet.
Desktop style sheets control formatting for print. Web Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) control how things look on a website. Web HTML font families help your website use fonts that are available on a user's computer or device.
DTP Software and Files
Software for DTP
There are many different DTP programs and websites available. You can find a full list of them separately.
File Formats for DTP
The main file format used in the design industry is PDF. The older EPS format is also used and works with most DTP programs.
More to Explore
- Comparison of desktop publishing software
- List of desktop publishing software
- Document processor
- E-book
- Digital publishing
- Web design
- WYSIWYG
See also
In Spanish: Autoedición para niños
