Learn desktop publishing one or two words at a time and one rule at a time with this free desktop publishing class. Available as an email course also, below you'll find the online version. It's designed to be read one day at a time for 48 days. Of course you're free to read as many or as few lessons each day as you want. The numbers refer to the day of the lesson in order from day 1 to day 48.
This is an introductory class designed primarily for those with little or no experience or training in desktop publishing and graphic design. The Daily Dose of DTP is not a hands-on how to do desktop publishing course. However, once completed you will have a much better understanding of the desktop publishing process which will make future classes and other tutorials on this site easier to understand.
General Concepts
There are 8 lessons in this section that focus on defining desktop publishing and related terms. You'll find definitions, trivia, and extra credit articles that allow you to dig deeper into the subject if you want.
1. What is Desktop Publishing?
(Desktop Publishing, Graphic Design, & Web Design)
2. Paging All Designers
(Page Layout)
3. Is Prepress Anything Like Permanent Press?
(Prepress)
4. It's a Print!
(Printing, Printing Presses)
5. Elements: Not Just for Design Geeks
(Elements of Design)
6. Well-Behaved Pages
(Principles of Design)
7. It's Just Fonts, Right?
(Typography)
8. Compose Yourself, It's Only Words
(Text Composition)
Things You Need
Software, yes, but these 3 lessons also look at other tools used in desktop publishing. We're still in overview mode at this point in the course.
9. Grid-Lock is a Good Thing
(Templates and Grids)
10. It's Greek To Me
(Greeking and Lorem Ipsum)
11. The Softer Side of Desktop Publishing
(Page Layout Software and Graphics Software)
Fonts
There are three lessons dealing with the basics of fonts.
12. Que Serif, Serif
(Serif, Sans Serif)
13. When in Rome...
(Roman, Italic, Blackletter)
14. Be True to Your Type
(TrueType, OpenType, PostScript Type 1)
Images
These four lessons cover the basics of resolution and graphics formats.
15. Everyday Resolutions
(DPI, LPI, SPI, PPI)
16. The Art & Science of Graphics
(Bitmap and Vector)
17. Pictures in Print
(TIFF and EPS)
18. Pictures in Pixels
(GIF and JPG)
Prepress & Printing
There are 10 lessons in this section covering concepts and tasks related to file preparation and the type of printing used in desktop publishing.
19. How Many Colors?
(CMYK, Spot Color)
20. How Many Separate Colors?
(Separations)
21. On the Hunt for Color Gaps
(Trapping)
22. Show Me Some Proof
(Proofs & Press Checks)
23. Here's the Proof in B/W or Color
(Contact, Digital, Overlay, & Laminate Proofs)
24. At Your Service
(Service Bureaus)
25. PS, Check Your Toner
(Laser Printing, PostScript)
26. Inkspots
(Inkjet and other ink-based Printing)
27. Stop the Presses! No, Start the Presses!
(Relief, Intaglio, Offset Printing, & Printing Plates)
28. The Finish Line (Sort of)
(Finishing Techniques)
Rules & Tasks Part 1: 12 Rules of Desktop Publishing
These 12 lessons are also available as a standalone listing or as a separate 12-day email class or as an online gallery. In the lessons, below, you'll also find additional trivia or extras.
29. One Space or Two?
30. No More Double Hard Returns
31. Use Fewer Fonts
32. Smoothing Out the Ragged Edges
33. Right Down the Middle
34. How Long is the Line?
35. STOP SHOUTING
36. Punctuate Like a Pro
37. You've Been Framed
38. Cut the Clip Art Clutter
39. Give Me Some Space
40. It's Not My Default
Rules & Tasks Part 2: How a Desktop Publishing Document is Created
For these seven lessons we revisit everything learned previously but show how it is all connected and fits into the desktop publishing process when working on a specific document. There main focus of this part of the Daily Dose of DTP is becoming familiar with the steps that are involved although you're free to dig deeper into the outlines and explore all the tutorials in-depth (or come back later).
41. The Desktop Document
(an overview)
42. Bring Out the Designer in You
(doing graphic design)
43. Where the Desktop Publishing Begins
(creating your document; using the software)
44. It's Not What You Say But How You Say It
(working with text)
45. A Picture Is Worth... Doing Right
(working with images)
46. Getting Ready to Get it Printed
(prepress tasks)
47. Getting It Printed
(printing methods and choices)
