Jobs, Careers and Occupations

Desktop Publishing

Desktop Publishing Nature of Work

Desktop publishers produce professionally designed and presented documents, according to specified design and presentation requirements, using desktop publishing.

Desktop Publishing Work Conditions

Desktop publishers may work long hours when a particular deadline must be met.

Desktop Publishing Personal Requirements

• able to work under pressure to meet deadlines
• artistic ability for drawing, design and layout
• creativity, imagination and versatility
• enjoy working with computers
• good visual, oral and written communication skills
• patience for fine, detailed work

Desktop Publishing Employment Requirements

• Completion of secondary school
• Completion of a college program in graphic arts or other training in typography, computer typesetting, or desktop publishing is usually required.

Desktop Publishing Duties and Tasks

Desktop publishers may perform the following tasks:

• amend layout, select fonts and integrate text with graphics to create a balanced and readable document
• design and arrange layouts to meet clients' requirements by studying drawings, photographs, texts and artwork to be reproduced
• merge photographs with computer images, scan and adjust colors for the publication
• prepare quotations for work contracts
• prepare sketches and discuss design concepts with clients
• produce graphics from an original concept, either free-hand or by computer
• save finished to camera-ready stage copy to disk or cartridge, and forward it either to the printing or publishing house for mass production
• talk to clients about problems arising during the production phase and advise on possible solutions
• talk to clients to obtain a clear understanding of their requirements

Desktop Publishing Example Titles

• Computer Typesetter
• Copy Marker
• Desktop Compositor
• Phototypesetter Operator
• Typesetter
• Typographer

Desktop Publishing Related Occupations

• Copy Stylists
• Graphic Designers
• Proofreaders

Publishing Related Industries

• Advertising
• Graphic Arts
• Printing

Nieman Journalism Lab at Harvard

Will Apple Revolutionize Textbooks? Sci-Tech Today By Barry Levine Apple has a long track record of transforming existing content spaces or creating new ones by providing tools and a platform, such as in Apple's desktop publishing, music listening and creation, film editing and smartphone apps. ... A GarageBand for ebooks: Simplifying publishing could mean a flood of new contentNieman Journalism Lab at Harvard all 128 news articles »

Immense Employment Opportunities In-Store for DTP Professionals, According to ... San Francisco Chronicle (press release) GIA announces the release of a comprehensive global outlook on the Desktop Publishing (DTP) Industry. The desktop publishing (DTP) industry, which came into existence by the end of 1980s to provide professional and better print production capabilities ... and more »

Scribus 1.4.0 publishing software released The H After nearly four years of development, the Scribus development team has released version 1.4.0 of its open source desktop publishing (DTP) application. The major change in the 1.4.0 is the switch to the Qt4 framework, updating the application from its ...