Desktop Publishing, PCs, and the Internet AGED 401V

Desktop Publishing  Less than 20 years old, desktop publishing has been the industry standard for about 10 years.  The two most popular desktop publishing programs are PageMaker and Quark  The skill of desktop publishing is useful in many communications and education professions:  Graphic designer, photographer, writer, editor, publisher, Web designer, public relations officer, marketing specialist, educator, sales representative, and many more.

Computer Anatomy and Terminology  Why you need to understand your PC  Your technology needs to match your printer’s technology  Your system must be able to support your software  The information in your system is valuable and expensive, and you must know how to protect it  You must be able to communicate with computer salespeople and technicians

Computer Anatomy and Terminology, cont’d  Monitor  Size and resolution (pixels per inch) and color quality are key  Color calibration is a must  CPU (base unit)  Processing speed, RAM, and storage space are key  Storage devices and peripheral devices  Floppy drive, Zip drive, and CD-RW are necessary  Flatbed scanner and laser printer are necessary

Computer Anatomy and Terminology, cont’d  Network access  In office settings, computers are commonly connected to a LAN  Internet access is necessary for most designers   WWW access  FTP capabilities  Designers require fast internet connections because they normally work with large, high-res files

Using Graphics from the Web  Web graphics = 72 dots per inch (dpi)  Print graphics = 266 dpi or better  The electronic file for a cover photo could be as large as MB  Low-res files in a print publication = amateur

Using Graphics from the Web, cont’d  Some web sites exist that provide high resolution graphics for publication designers  Most charge for using their graphics  Many photographers sell stock photography on their Web sites

Summary  Publication designers must be near experts with their PCs  They must be able to speak the language and put together and maintain a system that works well  They must know how to use the internet to work efficiently  They must recognize pitfalls inherent in using the Web for information and graphics