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Backup

A duplicate of electronic files (programs. data or operating systems). It is available in place of the original in case of corruption/loss/availability problems. A wise person creates backups frequently.

Bold

In printing, a heavier version of a particular typeface. An enhancement of the text.

Bubble jet printer

Generically applied brand name for an Ink Jet Printer.

Bullet

In printing, a graphic symbol usually in the form of a large dot marking the commencement of a new paragraph. Used to attract the reader's attention.

Caption

Text placed under an illustration to describe it.

Central Processing Unit [CPU]

This term is used variously to describe the base unit of the computer system or the main chip within it.

Clip-Art

Pictures of general use which are provided in a library for easy inclusion in publications. Clip art libraries are usually provided without copyright restrictions.

Clipboard

A temporary storage area in computer memory to which objects are cut or copied and from which they can be posted directly into a position into a page or a DTP work area. The clipboard holds one object at a time.

Copy

(1) To reproduce an object by placing it into the clipboard then pasting it elsewhere in the same publication or into a document belonging to another program. (2) To reproduce a file by renaming it or placing it on another drive or directory. Often done as a form of data security. [See Backup.]

Crop

To cut the edges of an illustration to fit in a given space or to show a particular detail.

Cut

In electronic text or graphic production, the transfer of objects from one file to a temporary storage area in memory called the clipboard from where they can be pasted into a different page, file or into the DTP work area.

Default

An option that is used automatically unless an alternative is specified. For example a default font of Times New Roman 12 is very common.

Digital camera

A camera which stores images as digital information rather than on photographic film. This allows images to be easily displayed and edited on computer.

Dot matrix

Usually applied to printer and screen output devices which make up character/images from a matrix of dots. Quality depends on dot density and size. (See also resolution). Historically a type of printer that used inky ribbons and mechanical contact.

Draft

(1) A rough layout of a page, document or publication. (2) Used to describe print quality - particularly with respect to dot matrix printers, where draft quality is synonymous with poor quality but high speed output.

File

An organised and structured collection of information. In computing it is the basic unit of stored or accessible user data held in auxiliary storage. Programs as well as data are held in file format.

File names

The names used by the Operating system to identify files. Two files cannot have the same name and occupy the same storage location on a disk.

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Font

A complete collection of letters, punctuation marks, numbers, and special characters with a consistent and identical typeface, weight (Roman or bold), posture (upright or italic) and font size.
Technically, font still refers to one complete set of characters in a given typeface, weight, and size, such as Helvetica italic 12 - but the terms has come to be used interchangably for refering to typefaces or font families.

Footer

Information that appears at the bottom of every page (within the normal bottom margin) of a document - for instance, page number. (See also Header)

Format

(1) The system used for storing a file on disk. Different programs use different methods of recording identical information. (2) The layout and arrangement of tracks and sectors on a disk. (3) Sometimes also applied to the layout or arrangement of graphics and/or text on a page or screen.

Gigabyte

About a thousand megabytes.

Graphic

In computing, the presentation of information which is not in character form. Picture information as distinct from textual. Some characters may be constructed in graphic form, these are considered to be graphics.

Gutter

The space between columns of text on a page.

Hard disk

An auxiliary storage device able to store very large quantities of data that is usually mounted inside the System unit. Typically holds greater than I Gigabyte of data.

Header

Information that appears at the top of every page (within the normal top margin) of a document - for instance, the title of a report, or page number. (See also Footer)

Import

Bring an object (graphic or text) into a DTP page.

Ink jet printer

A non-impact printer which prints by spraying a finely controlled jet of ink from a nozzle onto paper. The electrically charged ink droplets are moved by electrical fields to form the characters in dot matrix form.

Input device

A unit of hardware from which the computer reads data.

 

Internet

system of connecting computers together via telephone lines managed by network management computers. Enables transmission of data around the globe. and is a rich source of graphic material.

Intranet

A communicating system of computers that is theoretically confined to one place.

Italic

A typeface variation in which letters slope forward.

Justification

To format text so that lines are of equal length producing vertical columns of space at the left and right margins. Spaces between words are enlarged so that text characters always touch both left and right margins.

Kerning

The space between characters. Now used to define proportional spacing between characters which is dependent upon the character width.

Landscape

Describes the paper orientation - in this case the width is greater than the height and so often referred to as wide. (See Portrait.)

Laser printer

A non-impact printer which uses a laser beam and toner applied to paper to produce fast, quiet, high density (typically 75 to 1600 dpi or greater) dot matrix images.

Leading

The distance in points between lines of text - pronounced as in 'ledd-ing' (see also Inter-line spacing.)

Logo

A visual image used as a company trade mark or instead of the company name.

Lowercase

The set of 26 characters 'a' to 'z'. Not capital (uppercase) characters.

 

Master page

A page which contains objects (such as headers, page numbers or borders) which will be reproduced on every other page of a document.

Megabyte

About a thousand kilobytes (actually, 1,048,576 bytes)

Network

Computers connected together for the purpose of sharing resources and communication.

Output device

A device to which the computer writes data. Often converts the data into a human readable form. A printer is an output device.

Paste

A command which transfers an object from the clipboard into the DTP work area.

Pixel

The smallest addressable point on a VDU. One pixel is one of the dots forming the dot matrix on the screen of a VDU. The commonest monitors use a 640 by 480 pixel grid.

Point size

A measurement of the size of type; one point is equal to one-seventy-second of an inch. On systems that use millimetres 3 points to one rnillimetre is a useful approximation.

Portrait

A piece of paper, an image or page which is turned so that the height is greater than the width. Often simply called tall.

 

RAM (Random Access Memory.)

The part of a computer's memory in which information is stored. RAM is volatile; its contents are lost when power is removed.

Resolution

The amount of detail visible in any display or copy. Most computer system output devices produce images from a matrix of small dots. Resolution then depends on the size and number of dots per unit length or area.

ROM (Read Only Memory)

Memory which can be read repeatedly, but cannot be changed. ROM is non-volatile, its contents are retained when power is switched off. (See CD-ROM)

Rulers

Guides on screen display to enable accurate measurements.

Sans serif

Characters which do not have serifs. (Sans is French for 'without').

Scanner

A device which reads (in dot matrix form) a document and can reproduce it as a bit map on an electronic file. Scanners may be handheld, suitable for scanning small amounts of text or small graphics, or Flatbed, which usually take a single sheet of A4 paper. Monochrome and colour versions are available. Colour is more expensive. (See OCR)

Storage device

A device from which the computer reads data, and to which the computer writes data. Therefore an input/output device. Most often a disk drive, either local or on a network.

Text wrap

A feature whereby text flows round a graphic object. Wrap can be set off, so text flows over the object, square, so that it forms a rectangular frame, or set to follow the contours of the object.

Uppercase

The set of 26 characters 'A' to 'Z'. THIS IS UPPERCASE (not lowercase).

VDU (Visual Display Unit)

Also called monitor or screen. An output device on which text or graphics is displayed in dot matrix form.

Zoom

The feature of a system which varies the size of the screen display of a publication. These setting between 400% (4 times actual size) and 10% (a tenth of actual size)  

 

 

 

Desktop publishing (also known as DTP) combines a personal computer and page layout software to create publication documents on a computer for either large scale publishing or small scale local output and distribution. Users create page layouts with text, graphics, photos and other visual elements using software such as Microsoft Publisher, In fact any graphics software or word processor that combines editable text with images. For small jobs a few copies of a publication might be printed on a local printer. For larger jobs a computer file can be sent to a vendor for high-volume printing.

The term "desktop publishing" is commonly used to describe page layout skills. However, the skills and software are not limited to paper and books. The same skills and software are often used to create graphics for point of sale displays, promotional items, trade show exhibits, retail package designs, and outdoor signs.