Steven G. Belant

Professor Michael S. Babayco

CIS 11A

November 19, 1999

Word Processing vs. Desktop Publishing

Many organizations distribute brochures and newsletters to promote their products and/or services. In the past, preparing these desktop publishing documents was best accomplished through outside agencies. In the 1980s, however, word processors began including graphics and different fonts as part of their standard software package (Larkin and Green, 8 Oct. 1998). That is, many word processors were emerging with desktop publishing capabilities.

Desktop publishing software (DTP) allows users to design and produce professional looking documents that contain both text and graphics. Examples of such documents include newsletters, marketing literature, technical manuals, and annual reports. The common thread among these packages is the ability to import graphic images, change fonts, draw lines, and display in WYSIWYG mode (What You See Is What You Get).

Graphic images can be imported from previously created art, called clip art. Clip art may be included with the software package being used or may be purchased. [1] Collections of clip art contain several hundred to several thousand images grouped by type, such as holidays, vehicles, or people. Input devices, called scanners, also can be used to import photographs and art into DTP documents (Brown 14-15). Regardless of how it is accomplished, once the image has been imported into the document, it can be enlarged, reduced, rotated, or moved.

Many word processing software packages today include features that previously were considered to be the realm of desktop publishing software. Conversely, many recent releases of DTP software contain enhanced word processing capabilities. The table below outlines the DTP features in word processing packages and features not yet in most word processing packages.

Table

DTP Features

DTP Features in Word Processing Packages	Additional DTP Features in DTP Software
Alters typefaces, styles, and point sizes	Includes color libraries
Adjusts margins, alignment, and spacing	Creates master pages, larger page sizes, and page grids
Includes columns, tables, graphics, borders, and shading	Stacks and overlaps multiple objects on a page and traps objects

 

            With each release of word processing and DTP software, the differences between the two will decrease and their similarities will increase.

Works Cited

Brown, Robert. Introductory Computer Concepts and Techniques. Boston: International Publishing Company, 1998.

Larkin, Henry P., and Janice A. Green. “Word Processing.” Word 97, Project 3. http://www.scsite.com/wd97/r3.htm (8 Oct. 1998).

Winters, Jill. “Word Processing Software Packages Today.” Microcomputer Journal Nov. 1998: 58-66.