Desktop-publishing meaning

(computer graphics) The use of page layout software on a desktop computer to produce publishable documents.

Using a desktop computer to produce high-quality printed output or camera-ready output for commercial printing. It requires a desktop publishing program, such as Adobe InDesign or QuarkXPress, a large monitor and laser printer. The term "desktop publishing" was more popular when personal computers emerged in the 1980s. Today, almost everything is created on a desktop or laptop computer for publication, whether for print, CD, DVD or online.Beyond Word ProcessingA desktop publishing program (DTP), also called a "page layout program" or "publishing program," provides complete page design capabilities, including magazine style columns, rules and borders, page, chapter and caption numbering as well as precise typographic alignment. A key feature is its ability to flow text around graphic objects in a variety of ways. Although many word processing programs offer many of these features, a desktop publishing program provides ultimate flexibility.The Final LayoutOriginal text and graphics may be created in a desktop publishing program, but graphics tools are often elementary. Typically, all data are created externally. Text is generally created in a word processing program, and graphics are created in a CAD, drawing or paint program and photographs are taken with a digital camera. All text and graphic elements are imported into the publishing program.Print or Publish OnlineA laser printer may be used for final output, but shaded drawings and photographs print better on commercial high-resolution imagesetters. For transfer to a commercial printer, documents are generally saved as PostScript or PDF files. For Web publishing, PDF files are the de facto standard for downloading documents. See PDF.It Was a RevolutionDesktop publishing dramatically brought down the cost of page layout, causing many projects to be taken inhouse. Predefined templates for newsletters, brochures and other publishing tasks help rank novices do respectable jobs. Nevertheless, there is no substitute for a graphic designer who knows which fonts to use and how to lay out the page artistically.