Delving into the world of desktop publishing is
an investment for any business, and AchieveMax®
was no exception. Throughout the years, we've expanded our publishing
investment by purchasing an optical scanner, CD-ROM, a laser printer, a color
inkjet printer, and various software programs to develop and refine our seminar
booklets and transparencies.
But what is desktop publishing and what can it do for your business?
Desktop publishing, or dtp, is the process of using a micro-computer to create,
edit, and lay out reports, newsletters, books, brochures, magazines, and other
publications. As a result, it allows businesses to produce more of their own
publications without outsourcing projects. It also allows greater control over
projects.
As more word-processing programs, such as WordPerfect and Microsoft Word,
take on characteristics of desktop publishing software, businesses are able
to create publications with various fonts and font sizes, graphics, and templates.
The newest versions of these word- processing programs include many of the most
used aspects of dtp, including graphic rotation, drawing capabilities, and text
shaping, such as changing text into semicircles or waves.
However, desktop publishing software, such as PageMaker and QuarkXPress,
allows still greater capabilities. Since a desktop publisher can specify the
size and location of objects based on degree increments, text and graphics are
easier to control and move around in a document. These programs also provide
controlled use of different tools for drawing objects, such as ellipses and
rectangles. Moreover, dtp software programs include tools for easy rotation,
scaling, skewing, and cropping of photographs and graphics. More advanced users
of desktop publishing may also use special 3-D effects or morphing to add creativity
to their print and multimedia publications.
Deciding to use desktop publishing in your business has advantages and disadvantages.
Here are just a few:
Advantages
