Introduction to Desktop Publishing

							Introduction to Desktop
      Publishing




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Desktop Publishing (DTP)

               The world of
                publishing was
                radically
                transformed in the
                1980's by the
                introduction of
                desktop publishing



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Producing a publication
involves many steps

                Writing text
                Editing text
                Producing art
                 (drawings, photos,
                 etc.)
                Designing the basic
                 format


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The steps of production (cont.)
                 Typesetting text
                 Paste-up, arranging
                  text and graphics on
                  a page
                 Going to press,
                  typesetting, shooting
                  plates, printing the
                  pages
                 Binding the pages
                  into a finished
                  publication
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With traditional publishing


                 This process was
                  very labor intensive
                 It required a lot of
                  equipment, trained
                  people and time
                 It was hard and
                  expensive


                                         5
DTP, going beyond
word processing!

               Very precise layout
                and design
               Software focus is on
                the page
               Done with tools that
                are small,
                economical and
                easy to use

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Desktop Publishing History

   Invented in 1978
     TeX program showed publishing could be
      done on a desktop computer
   1985, DTP came to the masses
     Aldus PageMaker software
     Apple Macintosh computer
     Adobe PostScript page description
      language
   Today virtually all publishing is DTP

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Typical DTP system

          GUI computer(s)
          DTP software (also
           called page layout
           software)
          Laser or other high
           resolution printer(s)
          Other peripherals
           (like digital camera)


                                   8
          DTP Advantages

 Saves money and time
 Able to keep in-house and maintain
  quality control
 Provides affordable publishing
  alternative for small batch jobs and non-
  mainstream periodicals



                                          9
         DTP Software Today
 DTP software is precise
 DTP software aggregates!
     QuarkXpress® isthe market leader
     Adobe InDesign has come on strong
       Adobe   PageMaker®
   Apple Macintosh® is predominate
    platform



                                          10
Precision and Aggregation
   Content from other programs:
       Text produced with word processors or text editors
            Careful control of font usage
     Charts and spreadsheets from spreadsheet and/or
      statistical analysis programs
     Photos either produced digitally or scanned, often
      manipulated with programs like Adobe
      PhotoShop®
            Half-toning and resolution issues
            Color space considerations
                  Control that what appears in printed page is as close as
                   possible to what appeared on the screen



                                                                              11
Precision and Aggregation
(Continued)
                  Content from other
                   programs (Cont.):
                      Maps, charts and other
                       illustrations either
                       produced in, or
                       manipulated with,
                       graphics or illustration
                       programs like Adobe
                       Illustrator®
                  Items need to be
                   converted into formats
                   the DTP software will
                   import
                      Quality control

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Precision and Aggregation
(Continued)
 The page-layout process combines the
  various source documents together into a
  coherent, visually appealing publication
 Uses own measurement system and printing
  trades language
       Sample terms: serifs, leading, points, picas
 In the printing trades DTP was once called
  “electronic pagination”
 The “Zen” of desktop publishing:
  Digital preparation of pages for press quality

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Output methods

   Print:
     Laser   printing
        600+  dpi, (mostly for small batch, in-house,
         flyers, newsletters, forms, black and white jobs)
     Electronic   pre-press
        Professional service bureaus, 1200+ dpi, and
         large press runs for bigger jobs
        Prepare “camera ready” output
        Produce “color separations” (for color)
        Version management and other work flow
         considerations

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Output methods (Continued)

                 Electronic Output
                     PDF® is the standard
                     Cross platform
                     Printable
                     Editable
                     Deployable on-line
                     Importable into DTP
                      software
                 XML
                 eBooks

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This is an Pagemaker page




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