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DESKTOP PUBLISHING (DTP). Introduction to Desktop publishing

1.0 Introduction

Publishing is the process of producing publications such as newspapers,cards,pamphlets,pictures,

calendars, books, etc that has special text and graphical layouts & designs.
Traditionally, publishing involved drawing and writing manually on wooden or metallic

boards. The artwork would then be painted with ink and pressed on papers to produce a

printout. Today, the art of publishing makes use of Personal computers & smaIl printers that

are able to print high-quality text and graphics. All the publishing processes can be done on a

desk in the office or at home.

1.1 Definition of Desktop Publishing

Desktop publishing refers to the process of producing publications by designing their text

and graphics layout using special desktop publishing software installed on personal

computers. The text and graphical objects can then be inserted, edited, formatted and printed.

Examples of desktop publishers;

Adobe PageMaker
Adobe Photoshop - mainly used for editing & formatting photographs.
Adobe illustrator - used for creating complex freehand artwork such as drawings & logos.
CorelDraw.
Microsoft Publisher.
Ventura.
Harvard graphic.

Difference between a desktop publisher and a word processor.

- A DTP software gives the user more tools and control of the page layout,text manipulation and graphic
design than a word processor.
However,today's word processors have been incorporated with text and graphic formatting and editing
tools, e.g., you can design a full publication in Microsoft Word by using the available Drawing and Picture
tools, create columns, etc.

1.2 Purpose of Desktop publishing software

DTP programs give the typesetter (the person designing publications) a lot of control on:

(a).Graphic design:
Using DTP software,a typesetter can create and edit very complex text & graphical objects of high
quality.
For example, the software provides the user with rulers & ruler guides that can be used to place an
object in the correct position within the publication.

(b).Page layout design:

With a desktop publisher, the user can design a page layout by setting consistent (constant) picture and
object locations, divide a page into a number of columns, and also create layers.
Layering is the arrangement of objects on top of each other with the one on top being on the first layer.

(c).Printing:
To produce any publications, they must be printed. Therefore, DTP software helps the user to prepare
artwork (i.e., publications that are ready for printing).
 002

DESKTOP PUBLISHING (DTP).Introduction to Desktop publishing

1.0 Introduction

Publishing is the process of producing publications such as newspapers,cards, pamphlets,pictures,

calendars, books, etc that has special text and graphical layouts& designs.
Traditionaly, publishing involved drawing and writing manually on wooden or metallic boards. The artwork
would then be painted with ink and pressed on papers to produce a printout. Today, the art of publishing
makes use of Personal computers & small printers that are able to print high-quality text and graphics. All
the publishing processes can be done on a desk in the office or at home.

1.1 Definition of Desktop Publishing

Desktop publishing refers to the process of producing publications by designing their text

and graphics layout using special desktop publishing software installed on personal

computers. The text and graphical objects can then be inserted, edited, formatted and printed.

Examples of desktop publishers;

Adobe PageMaker
Adobe Photoshop - mainly used for editing & formatting photographs.
Adobe illustrator -used for creating complex freehand artwork such as drawings & logos.
CorelDraw.
Microsoft Publisher.
Ventura.
Harvard graphic.

Difference between a desktop publisher and a word processor.

- A DTP software gives the user more tools and control of the page layout,text manipulation and graphic
design than a word processor.
However, today's word processors have been incorporated with text and graphic formatting and
editing tools, e.g., you can design a full publication in Microsoft Word by using the available Drawing
and Picture tools, create columns, etc.

1.2 Purpose of Desktop publishing software

DTP programs give the typesetter (the person designing publications) a lot of control on:
(a). Graphic design:
Using DTP software, a typesetter can create and edit very complex text & graphical objects of high
quality.
For example, the software provides the user with rulers & ruler guides that can be used to place an
object in the correct position within the publication.
(b). Page layout design:
With a desktop publisher, the user can design a page layout by setting consistent (constant) picture
and object locations, divide a page into a number of columns, and also create layers.
Layering is the arrangement of objects on top of each other with the one on top being on the first
layer.

(c). Printing:
To produce any publications, they must be printed. Therefore, DTP software helps the user to prepare
artwork (i.e., publications that are ready for printing).
 1.3 Types of Desktop publishing software Introduction to Desktop publshing
There are 2 main types of DTP software:
1).Graphical based:
They are specifically developed for editing & formatting graphic objects like pictures.Examples;
- Adobe Photoshop. - Harvard graphic.
-CorelDraw.
Graphic-based desktop publishers have superior capabilities for handling images such as setting resolution,
brightness, contrast, cropping, and filling the images with colour.
2). Lavout based:
They are specifically developed to create different page layout designs for text and pictures.
Examples;
- Adobe PageMaker.
- Microsoft Publisher.

1.5 Designing a publication

Different publications have different design layouts and formatting.

Types of publications
There are several types of publications that can be produced using DTP software. They include:
(a). Cards:
They may be for special occasions such as weddings, graduations, harambee, and for congratulations.
(b).Certificates:
These are types of publications used to show completion of courses and special events.Note. Certificates are
very sensitive, and must be designed to discourage any type of duplication orcounterfeits.
(c). Newspapers, Magazines, Pamphlets and Newsletters:
They contain news targeting a group of people.
(d). Books:
Are bulky publications with many pages that are bound together.
(e). Calendars:
They are used to show dates. They are also used by companies to advertise their products.
(f).Notices, Brochures, Posters / Advertisement, and Catalogues.

t 1.5 Features of DTP software.

1). Text can be entered directly into a DTP publication. Alternatively, the text can be entered into a Word
processor and then copied into the DTP document.
- Graphics can be created in a separate program, then incorporated into a Desktop publishing program.
- A Scanner can also be used to copy images, such as photographs and drawings, into a Desktop publishing
document. A Scanner is a device that reads text and images into a document.

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 Introduction to Desktop publishing
2). A DTP program gives you more control over the graphics in a publication.You can:
move -change the position of a graphic on a page,
size - make a graphic larger or smaller,
Rotate - turn or spin a graphic, and
Crop - trim part of a graphic.
3).Has a wide range of Fonts & print sizes that can be merged with useful symbols,such as arrows
and stars.
4). Has Columns of varius widths, in which the text is fitted automatically using sensible
hyphenation. The columns can also be reorganization automatically.
5). Enables Scaling and cropping of publications so as to fit the available space.
6). Page numbers can be inserted.
7). Enables production of multiple page documents.
Steps in using a DTP System.
1.Prepare your text and illustrations with a Word processor or a Graphics package.Alternatively, use a
Scanner to input text and graphics from other sources.
2. Using the DTP program, develop the format of each page.
Your screen becomes an electronic paste board with rulers, column guides and other page design aids.
3. Copy the text and illustrations into the page format you have designed in the DTP program.The DTP
program will automatically move the excess text to another column or page and also help size and
place illustrations and headings.
4. Format the pages on the screen to look the way you want them, then store them electronically on
your hard disk. If necessary, print them on a Laser Printer to produce the finished printed material.

Printing terminologies used in DTP.

1). Ranner-the main headline across the top of the page.
2). Cross head -a small heading used to break up text into easily readable sections.
3). Bullet-solid dot printed before pieces of text in order to add an emphasis.
4).Cast off-a calculation as to how much space the text will use on a page.
5). Footer-a line of text at the bottom of each page giving the publications title, author's name,etc.
6). Masthead-details of the person involved in printing the publication.
7).WYSIWYG(What You See Is What You Get)-this means that, the presentation on the screen is exactly
what you will get from the Printer.
8). Jigging-moving text around by means of DTP software.

Review Questions.
1.(a). What is Desktop publishing?
(b). Why is a desktop publisher preferred in designing documents than a word processor?
2. Give three examples of desktop publishing software available in the market today.
3. (a).What is layering?
(b).Why is layering a very useful feature in a desktop publisher.
4. Mention the three main purposes of a desktop publishing software.
5. List TWO areas of DTP application.
6. State FIVE features of a Desktop publisher.
 BUBENDORFF MEMORIAL GRAMMAR SCHOOL ADAZENNUKWO

NAME OF TEACHER: OCHOIFEOMA CHIKA

TERM:THIRD
CLASS: JSS 2
Graphic Packages
Graphics package are specially designed software that are used for graphic production of images,
drawing, designs, pictures and other graphic related jobs.
They are also packages use in designing professional art work. It uses lines, shapes, colours and patterns
to show information. They have some special tools that enables one to design or draw any type of image
like letter head paper, birth day card, wedding card, complementary card, invitation card, logos, banners
etc. Graphic images can be created using computers.

Examples of Graphic Packages

1. Ms-Paint
2. Instant Artist
3. Corel Draw
4. Harvard Graphics
5. Adobe Photoshop
6. Logo Graphic
7. Corel Photo-paint
8. Print Master
9. Jasc's paint shop pro etc.
1. Ms-Paint: This is a drawing software you can use to create simple or elaborate drawings. In this
software, you select the line or shape you want to draw from the paint toolbox,choose a colour,and then
drag the mouse pointer over the page to create the lineor shape.
2. Instant Artist: The instant photo artist lets anyone to paint like a master, and the advantage is that
absolutely no experience is needed. You can add elegant artistic images to your website that are
guaranteed to make your competitors and create stylish art for use in cards, calendars and so on.
3. Harvard Graphics: Harvard graphics was the first presentation program which includes text, graphs
and charts in one program. They made it easy for people to put together presentations with text slides,
charts based on numeric data and graphic drawn with various tools.
4. Adobe Photoshop: Photoshop is an image editing software for Macintosh and windows operating
systems from Adobe Corporation that allows you create, modify,combine and optimize digital images. It
has the ability to filter and creates sophisticated images both for print and the web. You can also perform
complex color manipulations or distortions with the help of Photoshop filters.

5. LOGO:This stands for Language Of Graphic Oriented is a programming language that is use to draw
figures, calculate numbers and print words by giving simple commands with the help of the keyboard. It
uses turtle to draw figures and lines on the screen.
6. CorelDraw: This is an integrated vector graphics editor developed and marked by Corel Corporation. It
is also the name of the Corel graphics suite which includes the bitmap image editor Corel photo-paint as
well as other graphics related programs.
 BUBENDORFF MEMORIAL GRAMMAR SCHOOL ADAZI NNUKWU

Corel Photo-Palnt: This is a raster graphics editor developed and marketed by Corel since 1992.The software is meant for
windows operating systems and stores image data as well as information objects,colour profiles,text, transparency and
effect filters.

Types of Graphic Packages

Painting Packages
Drawing Packages

1. Painting Packages: This is a types of package that produces images by changing the colour of the
pixels on the screen. These are coded as a pattern of bits to create a bitmapped graphics file.
Bitmapped graphics are used for images such as scanned photographs orpictures taken with a digital
camera. Examples are: Ms Paint,Adobe Photoshop, JASC's Paint Shop Pro.

Advantages of painting graphics

The main advantage of this type of packages is that individual pixels can be changed which makes very
detailed editing possible.

Disadvantages of Painting Graphics

· Individual parts of an image cannot be resized.
· Only the whole picture can be increased or decreased in size.
· Information has to be stored about every pixel in an image which produces files that use large amount
of backing storage space.

2. Drawing Packages: This is a type of graphic package that produces images that made up from
coloured lines and shapes such as circles, squares and rectangles.They are also known as vector graphics
which stores files as a series of instructions that can be used to recreate it. Examples are: Corel draw,
Micrographix Designer, Computer Aided Design,Computer Aided Manufacturing etc.

Advantages of Drawing Packages

··They use less storage space than bitmap graphics.
Each part of an image is treated as a separateobject,which means that individual parts can be easily
modified.

Disadvantages of Drawing Packages

· They don't look as realistic as bitmap graphics.

Features of Graphics Package Environment

1. Title Bar: This is the top most part of the graphics environment. It contains the name of the program,
the name of the file and the sizing bar. It is blue in colour.
2. Toolbar:The toolbar is where all the tools needed for graphic jobs are kept.it includes the select tool,
text tool, fill tool and outline tool.
3. Menu Bar: The menu bar contains the menu items which contains submenus that are commands
used to carry out tasks. Examples are File, Edit,Image,View,Format,Tools, Window and Help.

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