poniedziałek, 27 grudnia 2010

Daily Dose of DTP: 11. The Softer Side of Desktop Publishing

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11. The Softer Side of Desktop Publishing
Jacci Howard Bear
From Jacci Howard Bear, your Guide to Desktop Publishing

I've alluded to the use of software in desktop publishing in some earlier lessons. Now it's time to look just a little bit closer at the tools that define desktop publishing. In reality, it's a subject that could take days to cover but I'm going to give you just two main concepts to chew on today: page layout software vs. graphics software. It's not an either-or proposition for desktop publishing. In most cases you need one from the first category (page layout) and two from the other (graphics software) to do any serious desktop publishing.

You've been wondering when I was going to get around to telling you which software is the best for doing desktop publishing, haven't you? You're trying to decide between the attractive cost of Publisher and the glamour of InDesign but a friend said he uses nothing but PowerPoint so you're stumped. Sorry to disappoint but that's not a topic I'm tackling in-depth in this class. But if you pay close attention to today's definitions and trivia, you may start to glean a better understanding of why there is no 'best' desktop publishing software and that it's not a decision to be based solely on price, prestige, or what the other guy is using.

(Oh, but I will say this... move PowerPoint over to your list of optional 'specialty' programs. It's not for page layout or graphics work. It's for slide shows and multimedia presentations.)

There are exceptions, of course. But one of the main ideas I want you to take away from today's lesson is that having Microsoft Word and Adobe Photoshop is usually not enough to do desktop publishing.

Class Notes: This is not simply a word-a-day course. The lessons follow a specific order in roughly the following groupings: General concepts > Things you need > Font specifics > Image specifics > Prepress & Printing > Rules & T utorials (bold indicates the stage in which this lesson fall! s)

Today's Definitions
Page Layout Software
The workhorse of DTP... If you don't have one of these, you're probably not doing desktop publishing.


Graphics Software
It's difficult to discuss graphics software without delving into the differences between bitmap or image-editing and vector or illustration software. But at this point I'd just like you to understand that graphics software is only one class of program used in desktop publishing. We'll cover bitmap and vector in a few more days so don't worry too much over the differences right now.

Today's Trivia
Expanding the Boundaries of DTP
In the beginning (1985 to be exact) desktop publishing software was synonymous with PageMaker. Then along came QuarkXPress, powerful word processors, PowerPoint, specialized software for business cards, greeting cards, and even labels all trying to cash in on the desktop publishing revolution by calling themselves desktop publishing software. So now asking "What's the best desktop publishing software?" can elicit confusing and conflicting answers. That's why I make a distinction between page layout software and all those other desktop publishing programs. It doesn't eliminate all the confusion since there are many "levels" of page layout software, but at least we've narrowed the field.

Q&A
What is Desktop Publishing? Who Makes It?
Find out who the major players are in developing desktop publishing software.

What are the Minimum Software Requirements for DTP?
There is one absolute requirement for desktop publishing and that is a page layout application, also known as "desktop publishing software." However, the realistic mininum requirements depend on what type of desktop publishing you plan to do, most notably how you plan to print your documents. (Remember our earlier Q&A on desktop printing and commercial printing? You may want to go back and review Lesson 4: It's a Print!)


This email is written by:
Jacci Howard Bear
Desktop Publishing Guide
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