Desktop Publishing

Overview

Desktop publishing is publication design done on computers, with an emphasis on print media. This class teaches electronic graphics and digital typesetting for a variety of media types, through the use of popular page-layout programs. The emphasis is on the usability of the finished design, and the acquisition of computer and printing skills required for press-ready output.

Two hours lecture and three hours lab per week.

Topics

1. Technical orientation.
   1. System software user interface.
   2. Recommended workflow practices.
   3. Typical desktop publishing hardware and software.
2. Digital publication design orientation.
   1. Historical overview of publication design.
   2. Impact of digital techniques on publishing.
   3. Professional publishing practices and job descriptions.
   4. Requirements and constraints of common publication formats.
3. Desktop publishing application software interface.
   1. Default settings and user preferences.
   2. Document setup.
   3. Document-window features.
   4. Tools and commands palettes.
   5. Object-selection tools and techniques
   6. Object-management features.
4. Text and image acquisition
   1. Graphics source devices (scanners, cameras) and file formats.
   2. Importing and Linking Graphics.
   3. Text extraction from printed matter (OCR).
   4. Text file formats.
   5. Text conversion utilities and options.
5. Objects
   1. Drawing Vector Graphics
   2. Drawing adjustments
   3. Working with Transparency
   4. Color spaces fundamentals
   5. Creating and Applying Colors, Tints, and Gradients
   6. Working with Frames
6. Text processing
   1. Importing and Editing Text
   2. Typography fundamentals
   3. Character attributes
   4. Paragraph formats
   5. Style sheets
   6. Creating Tables
7. Cross Media Applications
   1. Publishing with XML
   2. Electronic media export
8. Long Documents
   1. Combining files into books.
   2. Marking up text for table of contents generation
   3. Indexing and cross-referencing.
9. Pre-press and Printing
   1. Calibrating and characterizing monitor.
   2. Setting up color management.
   3. Ensuring color consistency across devices.
10. Image export options
    1. Transferring layouts and layout elements to other programs.
11. Digital media as a design device.
    1. Typology of digital styles.
    2. Working with and against the traditional norms of graphic design.
    3. Visual role models: researching print publication case studies.

Outcomes

Students successful in this class will:

• Read and analyze source texts and design briefs, and demonstrate their understanding of project requirements by compiling a visual treatment proposal.
• Assess the need for text, images and other preparatory information, thereafter planning, implementing, and summarizing their research.
• Present the contents of the publication with clarity and visual appeal. The work should assert the value of digital page layout.
• Discriminate between projects suitable for desktop publishing, and those requiring other types of software.
• Develop a storage structure for varied file types that will be efficient, flexible, and fail-safe. Clearly communicate the purpose of each item handed off upon delivery of the project.
• Schedule their work to fit time and equipment constraints, establishing an effective workflow.
• Create layouts that comply with project requirements and with the characteristics of the delivery medium.
• Appraise the pictorial outcomes of each software feature presented in class, identifying the ones to incorporate in their personal stylistic repertoire.
• Evaluate software vendors' claims against the actual needs of professional designers.

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Created: 1992-08-22. Last Updated: 2005-03-07 This document originally at <http://www.sanedraw.com/ED/CURRICLM/ACG140.HTM> Copyright 2005 by | Sandro Corsi |