The Desktop Publishing DTP Computer Science Essay

The Desktop Publishing DTP Computer Science EssayRefers to the use of computers to invent and publish books, brochures, newsletters, magazines and new(prenominal) markered pieces. DTP is really a cabal of several different processes including word processing, graphic design, information design, output and pre-press technologies, and sometimes image manipulation.DTP centers around a knave layout program. Typically, a layout program is apply to import Texts created in word processing programs Ch contrivances and graphs from Spreadsheet programs drawings and illustrations created in CAD,Drawing or paint program is then employ to combine and ar pluck them all on a page. It is this ability to manipulate so many different items and control how they ar used that makes layout computer computer software package so popular and useful. However, modern word processors likewise have produce capabilities, meaning the line separating such programs from DTP software is becoming less cle ar.in general, though, powerful new issue systems use steep-quality scalable fonts and declare you control over typographic features such as Kerning(adjusting the spaces between letters to achieve even, consistent spacing).Another key feature of DTP software is text hang up the ability to put text around graphic objects in a variety of ways.Once composed, DTP documents are printers on a laser printer or on a high resolution imageaetter.for transfer to a commercial printer, their native page layout format (such as adobe brick inDesing or QuarkXpress) or as PDF files. PDF stands for Portable Document Format and allows people to view, search and print documents exactly as the publisher intended, you dont need to have the software and the fonts used to create it.HistoryDesktop publishing began in 1985 with the introduction ofMac publisher, the firstWYSIWYGlayout program, which ran on the original 128KMacintoshcomputer. (Desktoptypesetting, with only extra page makeup facilities, h ad arrived in 1978-9 with the introduction of Text, and was extended in the primeval 1980s byLatex.) The DTP market exploded in 1985 with the introduction in January of theAppleLaserWriterprinter, and subsequently in July with the introduction ofPageMakersoftware fromAlduswhich rapidly became the DTP industry standard software.The ability to createWYSIWYGpage layouts on screen and thenprintpages at crisp 300dpiresolution was revolutionary for both the typesetting industry and the personal computer industry. Newspapers and other print publications made the move to DTP-based programs from older layout systems likeAtexand other such programs in the early 1980s.The term ground publishing is attributed toAldus CorporationfounderPaul Brainerd1, who seek a marketing catch-phrase to describe the small surface and relative affordability of this suite of products in contrast to the expensive commercialphototypesettingequipment of the day.By the standards of today, early screen backgroun d publishing was a primitive affair. Users of the PageMaker-LaserWriter-Macintosh 512K system endured frequent software crashes, the Macs tiny 512 x 342 1-bit black and white screen, the inability to controlletter spacing,kerning(the addition or removal of space between individual characters in a piece of typeset text to improve its appearance or alter its fit) and othertypographic features, and discrepancies between the screen display and printed output. However, it was a revolutionary combination at the time, and was received with considerable acclaim.Behind-the-scenes technologies civiliseed byAdobe Systemsset the foundation for professional desktop publishing applications. The LaserWriter and LaserWriter Plus printers included high quality, scalable AdobePostScript-fonts built into theirROMmemory. The LaserWritersPostScriptcapability allowed publication designers to proof files on a local printer then print the identical file at DTPservice bureaususingoptical resolution600+ pp i PostScript-printers such as those fromLinotronic. Later, theMacintosh IIwas released which was much more capable for desktop publishing because of its larger, color screen, support for multiple displays, greater RAM capacity and itsSCSIstorage interface which allowed fast, high-capacity hard drives to be attached to the system.Although Macintosh-based systems would continue to dominate the market, in 1986, theGEM-basedVentura Publisherwas introduced forMS-DOScomputers. While PageMakers pasteboard metaphor closely simulated the process of creating layouts manually, Ventura Publisher automated the layout process through its use of tags/style sheetsand automatically generated indices and other physical structure matter. This made it suitable for manuals and other long-format documents. Desktop publishing moved into the home market in 1986 withProfessional Pagefor theAmiga,Publishing Partner(now Page Stream) for theAtari ST, GSTsTimeworks Publisheron the PC and Atari ST andCalamusfo r theAtari TT030. Even for 8-bit computers like theApple IIandCommodore 64software was published Home Publisher,The Newsroomandgeo Publish.During these early stratums, desktop publishing acquired a bad reputation from untrained users who created poorly-organizedransom note effectlayouts criticisms that would be levied again against earlywebpublishers a decade later. However, some were able to finish truly professional results. For example,.info magazinebecame the very first desktop-published, full-color, newsstand magazine in the last quarter of 1986, using a combination of CommodoreAmigacomputers, Professional Page desktop publishing software, and anAgfaGraphics typesetter.2Often considered a primary skill, increased accessibility to more user-friendly DTP software has made DTP a secondary skill toart direction,graphic design,denvelopment, marketing,administrative careersand advanced high school literacy in thriving economies. DTP skill levels range from what may be learned in a a few(prenominal) hours (e.g. learning how to put clip art in a word processor) to what requires a college education and years of experience (e.g.advertising agencypositions). The discipline of DTP skills range from practiced skills such asprepress productionandprogrammingto creative skills such ascommunication designandgraphic image development.TerminologyThere are two types of pages in desktop publishing,electronic pagesand virtual paper pages to be printed onphysical paper pages. All computerized documents are technically electronic, which are limited in coat only bycomputer memoryorcomputer data storagespace.Virtual paper pages will ultimately beprinted, and therefore require paper parameters that coincide withinternational standard physical paper sizessuch as A4, letter, etc., if not custom sizes for trimming. Some desktop publishing programs allow custom sizes designated for large format printing used inposters,billboardsandtrade show displays. A virtual page for printing has a predesignated size of virtual printing material and can be viewed on a monitor inWYSIWYGformat. Each page for printing has trim sizes (edge of paper) and a printable area ifbleed printingis not possible as is the case with mostdesktop printers.Aweb pageis an example of an electronic page that is not constrained by virtual paper parameters. Most electronic pages may be dynamically re-sized, causing either thecontentto scale of measurement in size with the page or causing thecontent to re-flow.Master pages are templates used to automatically copy or link elements and graphic design styles to some or all the pages of a multipage document. Linked elements can be modified without having to change each instance of an element on pages that use the alike(p) element. Master pages can also be used to apply graphic design styles to automatic page numbering.Page layoutis the process by which the elements are put on the page orderly, aesthetically, and precisely. Main types of component s to be laid out on a page includetext, linkedimagesthat can only be modified as an external source, and embedded images that may be modified with the layout application software. Some embedded images arerenderedin the application software, while others can be lay from an external source image file. Text may bekeyedinto the layout, placed, or (withdatabase publishingapplications) linked to an external source of text which allows multiple editors to develop a document at the same time.Graphic design styles such as color, transparency, and filters, may also be applied to layout elements.Typographystyles may be applied to text automatically withstyle sheets. Some layout programs include style sheets for images in addition to text. Graphic styles for images may be border shapes, colors, transparency, filters, and a parameter designating the way text flows around the object called wraparound or runaround.ComparisonsWith word processingWhile desktop publishing software still provides ext ensive features necessary for print publishing, modern word processors now have publishing capabilities beyond those of many older DTP applications, blurring the line betweenword processingand desktop publishing.In the early days of graphic user interfaces, DTP software was in a class of its own when compared to the fairly Spartan word processing applications of the time. Programs such as record book PerfectandWordStarwere still mainly text-based and offered little in the way of page layout, other than perhaps margins and line spacing. On the other hand, word processing software was necessary for features like indexing and spell checking, features that are common in many applications today.As computers and operating systems have become more powerful, vendors have sought to provide users with a single application platform that can meet all needs.With other electronic layout softwareIn modern usage, DTP is not principally said to include tools such asTeXortroff, though both can easi ly be used on a modern desktop system and are standard with manyUnix-like operating systems and readily available for other systems. The key difference between electronictypesettingsoftware and DTP software is that DTP software is generally interactive and WYSIWYGin design, while older electronic typesetting software tends to operate inbatch mode, requiring the user to enter the processing programs markup wrangle manually without a direct visualization of the finished product. The older style of typesetting software occupies a substantial but shrinking niche intechnical writingand textbook publication however, since much software in this genre is freely available, it can be more cost-effective than the professionally-oriented DTP systems. It is also particularly suitable for corporate newsletters or other applications where consistent, automated layout is important.One of the early and comprehensive reference books on the art of Desktop Publishing is Desktop Publishing For Everyone by K.S.V. Menon. This publication deals with virtually every facet of publishing and nearly all tools available as at the time of the publishing of this book in the year 2000. It is currently out of print.There is some overlap between desktop publishing and what is known asHypermediapublishing (i.e. Web design, Kiosk, CD-ROM). Many graphical hypertext mark-up language editorssuch asMicrosoft FrontPageandAdobe Dreamweaveruse a layout engine similar to a DTP program. However, some Web designers still prefer to write HTML without the assistance of a WYSIWYG editor, and only resort to such software, if at all, solely for complex layout that cannot easily be rendered in hand-written HTML code.DTP applicationsAdobe FrameMakerAdobe InDesignAdobe PageMakerCorelDRAWCorel VenturaiStudio PublisherMicrosoft Office PublisherOpenOfficePageStream(used to be Publishing Partner)QuarkXPressReady,Set,GoScribusSerif page plus