Designing Documents with Desktop Publishing
| Date | 01 April 1991 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/02635579110006663 |
| Pages | 12-18 |
| Published date | 01 April 1991 |
| Author | T.D. Corbitt |
| Subject Matter | Economics,Information & knowledge management,Management science & operations |
12 INDUSTRIAL MANAGEMENT & DATA SYSTEMS 91,4
H
ere is a run-through off the principles
of design and their application in creating
documents with DTP.
Designing
Documents
with
Desktop
Publishing
T.D. Corbitt
Industrial Management & Data Systems, Vol. 91 No. 4, 1991, pp. 12-18,
© MCB University Press Limited, 0263-5577
Documents are the most effective form of communication.
They are used to inform, to educate and to stimulate
action. There are many documents competing for
attention, the ones that
will
be noticed are those that are
presented most effectively.
Desktop publishing (DTP), which became available on
microcomputers in 1985, gives users the opportunity to
have closer creative control over the production of
documents and allows experimentation with different page
layouts. There are also cost and time savings in document
production procedures such as marking up text for
typesetting, page layout, proofing and corrections.
In DTP the term document is used to describe anything
that is put onto paper, such as newsletters, magazines,
newspapers, posters, books, brochures, reports, price
lists,
business forms, user guides or catalogues.
Users of DTP who do not have relevant experience will
have to learn about document design and typography as
well as learning how to use the DTP programs; without
this knowledge they will not produce well-designed
documents.
Preparing a document for publication goes through a
number of stages. Using DTP the stages are:
● The text is written by the author.
● Graphics are prepared. These can either be
prepared for pasting on to the final document or
they can be scanned and incorporated into the
document when it is assembled using DTP.
Graphics can be cropped; this means removing
unwanted parts of the image.
● The designer prepares an outline of the pages of
the document combining text and illustrations.
●
Using the
designer's outline as
a guide
and the DTP
program, the document is created on screen.
●
A
copy of the document
is
printed out. This is then
checked for its appearance and for any errors in
spelling or positioning of text and graphics; any
changes or corrections that need to be made are
carried out.
● This camera-ready copy of the document is
checked and is then either photocopied or sent to
the printer.
Using desktop publishing one person can carry out all
of
the stages of producing camera-ready copy provided that
they have the requisite skills; in practice this is unlikely.
It is better to have skilled copywriters and graphics
designers produce their material and then to have a DTP
expert user combine these in the document in the way
laid down by the design specialist.
DTP must also go through these stages, but the delays
that occur through different people being involved in the
various stages are removed as design and typesetting are
all taken care of by the DTP program. Because of this
DTP reduces the origination costs of preparing material
for
publication.
Also, and more importantly, it reduces the
time that origination takes and keeps
control
of
the
process
in the hands of the originator.
The initial cost of the equipment for desktop publishing
is high and training
will
be required
to
produce professional
quality material. On the other hand, quality documents
can be produced in less time, changes to layouts can be
made quickly, allowing alternative layouts to be considered,
and confidential documents are kept within the business.
Document Design
Before the design of a document can commence its
intended function and likely readership must be decided.
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