What are the Minimum Software Requirements for Doing Desktop Publishing?

Question: What are the Minimum Software Requirements for Doing Desktop Publishing?

There is one absolute requirement for desktop publishing and that is a page layout application, also known as "desktop publishing software." However, the realistic mininum requirements depend on what type of desktop publishing you plan to do, most notably how you plan to print your documents.

Answer: Desktop Publishing Software Needed for Desktop Printing. For personal publishing, SOHO publishing, and even freelance desktop publishing, if the final product comes from your desktop printer or if a desktop printer is used to produce camera-ready artwork, then the minimum requirement is any type of page layout application (aka Desktop Publishing software) from the creative printing programs such as The Print Shop to the industry standard QuarkXPress or Adobe InDesign. As long as the desktop publishing software can print to your printer and your desktop printer prints acceptable quality then you can spend from under a $100 to over $1000 and still be able to do desktop publishing for fun and possibly for profit.

Desktop Publishing Software Needed for Commercial Printing.Whether using a quick print shop or producing 4-color work on an offset press if you need to provide digital files to your service provider, the minimum desktop publishing software requirements become more stringent. Programs used primarily for home publishing, such as The Print Shop and PrintMaster are generally no longer an option. The bare minimum in terms of cost will be programs such as Microsoft Publisher, Serif PagePlus, and Adobe PageMaker because they can produce digital files acceptable for commercial printing.

For serious freelance desktop publishing a minimum suite of desktop publishing software tools would be:

1. Word Processing Software
2. Page Layout Software
3. Graphics Software (two kinds)

1. Word Processing Software
   Your word processing software doesn't necessarily need to be the latest versions of Microsoft Word or Corel WordPerfect but should provide features such as spell checking and be able to import/export file formats that are compatible with your page layout software including RTF and TXT. If not producing text-intensive documents, word processing software could be forfeited in favor of utilizing the less robust text editors found in most page layout software.

2. Page Layout Software
   The industry standards of QuarkXPress and Adobe InDesign are not the only available choices for desktop publishing software but should be seriously considered. Where cost is a major issue, Microsoft Publisher, Serif PagePlus, and Adobe PageMaker offer most of the essential features required. Where multi-page documents are not needed, Illustration programs — primarily Adobe Illustrator, CorelDRAW, and Macromedia Freehand — could stand in for page layout software.

3. Graphics Software
   For most print publishing an illustration program and an image editor are the types of programs needed. Some graphics software programs may incorporate a few features of the other type, but for most professional work you'll need each one.
   • Illustration
     Illustration or drawing programs work with vector graphics formats. Vector-based drawing programs allow more flexibility when creating artwork that is to be resized or must go through multiple edits. Logos, for example, should be created first in illustration programs.
     Examples: Adobe Illustrator, CorelDRAW, Macromedia Freehand

   • Photo/Image Editing
     Image editors, also called paint programs or photo editors work with bitmap images. Bitmap graphics tools are needed for working with photos, scans, or other "realistic" images. Although illustration programs can export images in bitmap formats, paint programs are still usually superior for final output of images for the Web or for many special effects to photos.
     Examples: Adobe Photoshop, Corel Photo-Paint, Jasc Paint Shop Pro

Also see:

• How does commerical offset printing differ from desktop printing?
• What is desktop publishing software? Who makes desktop publishing software?