Frederic E. Davis, John Barry, Michae Wiesenberg Desktop Publishing How digital type is formed in a desktop publishing output device: creating and filling an outline to make a letter. Three representations of a. Three stages of a digital letter design. Left: Original outline design of Lucida® lowercase a. Center: Solid letterform showing the relationship of black letter to white counterform. Right: Scan conversion of digital outline to a bit map for use on a laser printer or digital phototypesetter. Lucida is a registered trademark of Bigelow & Holmes, San Francisco. Desktop Publishing Frederic E. Davis Executive editor of A+ Magazine and a specialist in information technology John A. Barry Writer, editor, and etymologist Michael Wiesenberg Technical writing specialist and free-lance writer EVA LANGFELDT Contributing writer and editor DOW JONES-IRWIN Homewood, Illinois 60430 @ DOW JONES-IRWIN, 1986 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright holder. This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the copyright holder is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional service. H legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought. From a Declaration of Principles jointly adopted by a Committee of the American Bar Association and a Committee of Publishers. ISBN 0-87094-766-4 Library of Congress Catalog Card No. 86-70718 Printed in the United States of America 234567890ML32109876 Introduction This book is for people who want to publish their own newsletters, reports, books-whatever-and save time and money in the process. Desktop Publishing examines one of the most promising and exciting new areas of computer technology: the use of personal computers to produce printed materials. If you already own a computer, you may want to use it as a publishing tool. Knowing that a personal computer can be the foundation of a publishing system may spur you to go out and buy one to put a publishing system on your desk. Desktop publishing. We hear and see the term a lot these days. What exactly is it? What does it mean? This book answers these questions and others. We define desktop publishing as the use of a personal computer, writing and graphics software, and page layout software to produce printed material. We suggest the ·best systems for certain applications, including business publishing, which we be­ lieve is currently the most promising arena for desktop publishing. Here is a brief road map to the book: Initially, we briefly discuss publishing-how it originated and evolved and the state of publishing today. Then we go into the main part of the book: applications for and tools of desktop publishing. Appllcations. Here, we explore the realm of desktop publishing. We explain what comprises a desktop publishing system, what you can use it for, and how. We provide an overview of the primary components of a system: • personal computer • word processing software • graphics software • page layout software and the secondary components: • communications software • database and information management software • spreadsheets and number processing software v We then go on to categorize publishing. We have identified three areas for which desktop publishing technology is best suited: • business publishing, the most fertile ground for the new tech­ nology • periodical publishing, including newsletters-an area we be­ lieve is ripe with opportunities • book publishing, an embryonic area of desktop publishing whose potential is only beginning to be explored Throughout our discussion of these three publishing categories, we have interspersed profiles of people and organizations that are putting desktop publishing to work for them. A fourth publishing category is personal publishing, and we offer some hints about personal desktop publishing in the "Money-Making Ideas" appendix. Having yo~ own publishing system automatically gives you access to page formatting software, a gallery of electronic art, a range of type sizes and styles, and many other resources. With all these tools at your disposal, you may be tempted to become an overnight publication designer. As we explain in chapter 3, however, effective design takes time, study, and effort, so we give you rules of thumb about good design and how to best achieve it. As in other chapters, we steer you toward other, more detailed sources of information on the subject. Since we believe that desktop publishing represents a fine oppor­ tunity for current and would-be newsletter publishers {the United States alone accounts for more than 100,000 newsletters), we have devoted an entire chapter to desktop newsletter publishing. Tools. The second major part of the book covers the tools of desk­ top publishing. Two computer systems-Apple's Macintosh and the IBM PC series of computers and "compatibles" -are the sys­ tems of desktop publishing, and we give extensive coverage to each system. We show you what products have emerged to fulfill the needs of desktop publishers and how to put them together to form the system that's best for you. We also examine, in less detail, desktop publishing systems based on high-performance-and high­ cost-workstations. vi Before we delve into laser printers and typesetting machines-the output devices that bring your creations into print-we discuss the page layout software and typesetting languages that give form to your creations. Finally, we examine scanners and digitizers, with which you can incorporate photographic and video images into your publications. Although we have made no attempt to provide a comprehensive source of products, we have endeavored to describe all the major products and product categories in the text and have included a re­ source guide in the back of the book that will help you locate many other products. Since companies announce new products continu­ ously and make upgrades to previous products, you should consult with manufacturers and dealers and read magazines before you make a purchase, just to ensure that you get the most up-to-date informa­ tion. Appendixes give you: • money-making ideas to help you recoup some of those costs • a resource guide listing products, companies, and services • a selected bibliography to point you to more information on desktop publishing • a glossary of terms found in the book, as well as general publishing terminology HOW TO USE THIS BOOK Because Desktop Publishing covers a lot of territory, we've ar­ ranged it in a modular format to make the information you need easy to find. The road map above shows you the various sections. This arrangement not only makes information you need easy to lo­ cate, but it also allows you to skim areas about which you're already knowledgeable, or that don't particularly relate to your needs. For example, say you publish a small newsletter about coin col­ lecting, and your current method of production involves typing its contents on an IBM Selectri~ typewriter, pasting the typescript onto art boards, and having the printing done at an instant print shop. You want to computerize your operations, but you're not sure what to do. In such a case, you'd probably want to concentrate on the tools and resources section, although the chapters on newsletters and design might give you some fresh ideas for your existing publication. vll If you already own a personal computer and decide you want to start a newsletter, the first place to look is the newsletter chapter. Next, you'll likely look at the tools section to discover what products are best for you. Say you're a manager in charge of acquiring computer systems for your company or setting up an in-house publishing system. Busi­ nesses have tended to select IBM PCs, although the Macintosh is making strides as a business computer system. You're likely to be in a situation that requires you to integrate PCs and Macintoshes into a cohesive system whose purpose is to produce publications of some sort. By reading the chapter on the Macintosh and that on the PC series, you '11 be ready to develop a functional system that exploits the best of both worlds. In short, we believe this book is your essential guide to the realm of desktop publishing. A WORD OF ADVICE ABOUT BUYING Something to keep in mind when selecting hardware and software for a desktop publishing system is to pay more attention to the difference between good enough and not good enough than to the difference between good enough and the best. Desktop publishing has established itself as a major area of personal computing and is supported by a wide variety of hardware and software. Before con­ sidering equipment purchases, it's a wise idea to determine what your needs are. Sometimes it's handy to write down a needs analysis list­ ing what your desktop publishing system must do, what you would like it to do, what is nice but not necessary, and so forth. Knowing clearly what your needs are will help you avoid making purchasing mistakes. Once you've decided what your needs are for your particular appli­ cation, you can then start to look at hardware and software products. You will probably find that some products are not good enough, oth­ ers are good enough, and yet others are considered the best. It is easy to be dazzled by the best and be tempted to purchase these products. Your application may not demand the best, however; it may only need something that is good enough, and you may end up spending a lot more money than you need to if you purchase some­ thing that offers advanced capabilities that you will seldom, if ever, use.