There are two different situations to consider when evaluating the computer equipment needed for desktop publishing:
* The person who already owns a computer and is wondering whether it is sufficiently powerful for use as a desktop publishing platform.
* The person who doesn't yet own a computer, wants to get one for use in desktop publishing, and needs to balance current purchase price against longterm usefulness.
With this in mind, we'll briefly examine the major components of a typical desktop publishing system, dealing first with the necessities:
* A computer equipped with a hard disk and high-resolution display;
* A mouse or trackball, used for pointing at objects on the computer screen;
* A printer that produces high-resolution output.
We'll cover scanners, modems and other highly desirable "extras" in a later segment.
COMPUTER
The minimum requirement for running entry-level desktop publishing software today is a PC-compatible computer based on a 386SX or faster microprocessor, with at least 1 megabyte of RAM and at least 40 megabytes available on the hard disk. There are still some programs you can run on an old 286-based machine you might have lying around, but you'll feel the lack of speed in ongoing sluggish performance.
In the current market, 486-based PC compatibles are commodity items -- it's getting difficult to find a machine running with less than a 486 microprocessor. Even a 486SX (the lower-level chip in the 486 line) can run Windows-based desktop publishing software effectively though in desktop publishing as in all else, you can never be too rich, too slim, or have a computer that runs too fast.
Memory becomes an important consideration when running Windows-based applications, since Windows can make good use of as much memory as you install. Less than 4 megabytes is impractical for high-end desktop publishing software, and 8 megabytes is substantially better.
You'll also need plenty of hard disk space for desktop publishing. If you're shopping today, looking in the 200 megabyte range seems to make sense. The price per megabyte of storage space goes down as the capacity goes up, so it's reasonable to buy as large a drive as you can afford.
DISPLAY SYSTEM
Here again, the "standard" offering today is perfectly adequate for the task at hand. The minimum requirement for desktop publishing is VGA display capability. Most computers on the shelf today come with SVGA (or Super VGA) capability, which is clearly even better (if it wasn't, why would they call it "super?"). But seriously, an SVGA display system with a high-resolution Windows driver will let you run Windows-based desktop publishing software with a nice, crisp screen image, and much of the best desktop publishing software today does run under Windows. And for programs that don't support SVGA, these systems are backwards compatible with the older VGA standard.
If you have a choice of monitors, it usually pays to go for the model with a finer dot pitch -- you'll be staring at that screen for hours on end. And whenever possible, don't buy monitors based on product specs alone. Go and look at the screen yourself.
A large-screen display that shows an entire page (or even an entire spread) at one time is a tremendous help in desktop publishing -- you get a better visual sense of the design you're working on, and you eliminate lots of time-consuming scrolling around the page. There are two sizes of large-screen monitors to consider: single-page portrait monitors and larger, double-page screens that display an entire two-page spread at approximately actual size. While this is certainly a luxury item area, the time you save is worth money if you're pursuing desktop publishing on a business basis, and you can find a worthwhile monochrome portrait monitor for well under $1000 today.
PRINTER
If you want your desktop published projects to be taken seriously, then the minimum acceptable standard for output is 300 dot-per-inch laser printing. I've seen people devote hours to writing, designing and producing desktop-published documents, then effectively waste all that hard work by printing out blurry, amateurish-looking final copy on dot matrix or inkjet printers.
The ante on laser printing has been raised in the past year to encompass a number of excellent 600 dot-per-inch models. If I were shopping for a laser printer today, I would scrounge around to come up with the price difference if at all possible, since the difference in the quality of output is very significant. As for even more expensive lasers claiming 1200 dot-per-inch resolution, I'd advise you to look at actual output from any system you're considering and compare it to one of the top 600 dot-per-inch models (from Apple or Hewlett Packard, for instance). As is often the case in buying computer equipment, the decision should be based on what you actually see rather than statistical claims in product specifications that are frequently fudged.
Even laser printed output isn't good enough for a really slick, professional-looking job. For that you need to take your work to a desktop publishing service bureau for output between 1,270 and 2,540 dots per inch on imagesetting equipment -- at that point, your work will look as crisp and precise as any magazine on the newsstand. We'll have more to say on preparing for imagesetter output in a later segment. If you're in a hurry, though, look in your yellow pages for desktop publishing service bureaus, or ask a local print shop for a recommendation.
Finally, the question of PostScript comes up. With the rapid acceptance of TrueType as a standard font format, you can have scalable fonts (the ability to set type at any size and still get smooth output) with a less expensive, non-PostScript printer. However, PostScript is a well established desktop publishing standard, with tremendous selections of typefaces and clip art available in PostScript format. If you are planning to take your projects to a desktop publishing service bureau for final high-resolution output, it will be easier if you are working in PostScript all along. And while PostScript capability still adds to the price of a laser printer, today it is a difference of a few hundred dollars, where even a year ago it might have cost $1000 more for the PostScript model. For the casual user, a non-PostScript laser will be adequate. For the more committed desktop publisher, PostScript capability is worth the extra investment. And even if you decide on a non-PostScript model, it pays to select one which can be expanded to include PostScript capability at a later date.
SOFTWARE TIPS FOR DESKTOP PUBLISHING
You'll find a wide range of page layout capabilities in the software available today. To help you understand what's being offered and evaluate whether a given program will fit your own distinctive needs, let's briefly define the function of some software features that vary significantly from program to program:
TEXT HANDLING
* Autoflow
When a text file you're importing is too long to fit onto a single page or into a single text box, a program with autoflow capability will ask whether you'd like it to automatically add pages to your document to hold the remaining text -- very handy when dealing with lots of copy in simple layouts, such as books or catalogs.
* File Import Filters
Ideally you'll want to bring the text you write in your word processing software into your page layout with its formatting (italics, boldface, superscripts and subscripts, etc.) intact. This requires that the page layout program include a file import filter for your specific word processing program.
* Indexing and Table of Contents Generation
If you work with lengthy documents, you may want a high-end page layout program with the ability to automatically generate an index and/or table of contents.
* Spellchecker
You probably already have a spellchecker in your word processor, but it doesn't hurt to have one in your page layout program also, to search out words that got mangled in the last-minute-editing process.
* Stylesheets
A stylesheet is a named set of text formatting decisions: typeface, leading, indents, tab settings, etc. If your page layout program has stylesheet capability, you can define a style containing paragraph formatting information and give it a label. Then, whenever you want to apply the same formatting to a new paragraph, you simply "tag" it with the style you created and all the formatting settings are taken care of at once. Ideally, styles should remain "live" while you work with a document. That is, if you change the definition of a style, all of the text you've formatted with that style name should change to match the revised definition. Some midrange page layout programs offer a less desirable one-way style capability: they'll format the text to match your style specification but won't update text you've already formatted if you change the style definition later.
LAYOUT
* Column Guides
The program you choose should be capable of automatically creating on-screen guidelines based on the number of columns you want and the amount of space you want between those columns, to make text and graphic placement easier.
* Document Length
Some programs set limits on the number of pages you can have in your document.
* Graphic File Import
All page layout programs are not created equal when it comes to the ability to import graphics files saved in diverse file formats. Many of the latest programs will let you use images stored in Kodak Photo CD format, which is becoming increasingly popular as a way of distributing photographic clip art.
* Master Pages
To keep you from having to individually place text and graphic elements that repeat from page to page, most programs offer master page capability. When you place an item on a master page, it is automatically displayed and printed for every page in the document. Ideally, the program should provide separate master pages for left- and right-hand pages.
* Multiple Chapter Compilation
Some page layout programs allow you to work on lengthy projects in separate chapter files, then bring them together at print time with automatic page numbering, table of contents and index generation accurately reflecting the complete project contents.
* Rotation
The ability to freely rotate text and graphics ("freely" contrasts with merely rotating in 45- or 90-degree increments) can be very useful, particularly in creating ad layouts or decorative magazine pages.
* Text Wrap
Programs differ in their ability wrap text around graphics -- that is, to shape the edge of the text to conform to the outline of a picture.
* User-Defined On-Screen Guides
When you're trying to align page elements, it's very helpful to be able to create an on-screen guideline wherever you need it.
SOFTWARE TIPS FOR DESKTOP PUBLISHING
You'll find a wide range of page layout capabilities in the software available today. To help you understand what's being offered and evaluate whether a given program will fit your own distinctive needs, let's briefly define the function of some software features that vary significantly from program to program:
TEXT HANDLING
* Autoflow
When a text file you're importing is too long to fit onto a single page or into a single text box, a program with autoflow capability will ask whether you'd like it to automatically add pages to your document to hold the remaining text -- very handy when dealing with lots of copy in simple layouts, such as books or catalogs.
* File Import Filters
Ideally you'll want to bring the text you write in your word processing software into your page layout with its formatting (italics, boldface, superscripts and subscripts, etc.) intact. This requires that the page layout program include a file import filter for your specific word processing program.
* Indexing and Table of Contents Generation
If you work with lengthy documents, you may want a high-end page layout program with the ability to automatically generate an index and/or table of contents.
* Spellchecker
You probably already have a spellchecker in your word processor, but it doesn't hurt to have one in your page layout program also, to search out words that got mangled in the last-minute-editing process.
* Stylesheets
A stylesheet is a named set of text formatting decisions: typeface, leading, indents, tab settings, etc. If your page layout program has stylesheet capability, you can define a style containing paragraph formatting information and give it a label. Then, whenever you want to apply the same formatting to a new paragraph, you simply "tag" it with the style you created and all the formatting settings are taken care of at once. Ideally, styles should remain "live" while you work with a document. That is, if you change the definition of a style, all of the text you've formatted with that style name should change to match the revised definition. Some midrange page layout programs offer a less desirable one-way style capability: they'll format the text to match your style specification but won't update text you've already formatted if you change the style definition later.
LAYOUT
* Column Guides
The program you choose should be capable of automatically creating on-screen guidelines based on the number of columns you want and the amount of space you want between those columns, to make text and graphic placement easier.
* Document Length
Some programs set limits on the number of pages you can have in your document.
* Graphic File Import
All page layout programs are not created equal when it comes to the ability to import graphics files saved in diverse file formats. Many of the latest programs will let you use images stored in Kodak Photo CD format, which is becoming increasingly popular as a way of distributing photographic clip art.
* Master Pages
To keep you from having to individually place text and graphic elements that repeat from page to page, most programs offer master page capability. When you place an item on a master page, it is automatically displayed and printed for every page in the document. Ideally, the program should provide separate master pages for left- and right-hand pages.
* Multiple Chapter Compilation
Some page layout programs allow you to work on lengthy projects in separate chapter files, then bring them together at print time with automatic page numbering, table of contents and index generation accurately reflecting the complete project contents.
* Rotation
The ability to freely rotate text and graphics ("freely" contrasts with merely rotating in 45- or 90-degree increments) can be very useful, particularly in creating ad layouts or decorative magazine pages.
* Text Wrap
Programs differ in their ability wrap text around graphics -- that is, to shape the edge of the text to conform to the outline of a picture.
* User-Defined On-Screen Guides
When you're trying to align page elements, it's very helpful to be able to create an on-screen guideline wherever you need it.
