Desktop Publishing Degrees
Desktop Publishing is a broad term that encompasses graphic design skills using standard desktop software to design high-quality documents and other print materials. These skills may be used to develop newsletters, marketing and promotional materials, internal communications, packaging, and other print materials. The overall goal of the desktop publisher is to produce something that is publication-ready using a personal computer.
Typically, the desktop publisher will use a personal computer to determine print type, column width and spacing, the placement of images and other elements of a print piece to determine its overall appearance. A newsletter, newspaper, magazine, book, slide presentation, brochure or similar publication can be created on screen and then printed using professional publishing software.
In the early days of personal computing, desktop publishing was considered a skill set of its own. However, more recent word processing software blurs the distinction between word processing and desktop publishing, allowing users to incorporate increasingly sophisticated images and graphics, and print multicolor documents at high resolution. As a result, desktop publishing skills are becoming an integral part of more multifaceted positions.
Students with advanced training in desktop publishing and graphic design often find work in advertising, communications, public relations and related fields. As more and more communication moves to the internet, desktop publishing skills have come to include the ability to design and program content for the web. So if you’re interested in desktop publishing, you’re smart to learn electronic publishing technologies like Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) and other tools to help publish content online.
