How to Desktop Publish

This wikiHow teaches you how to desktop publish using your Windows or Mac computer. Desktop publishing simply refers to using a computer program, such as Microsoft Publisher or Adobe InDesign, to create a file that contains text, images, and formatting designed to make it look appealing.

Part 1
Part 1 of 4:

Preparing to Desktop Publish

  1. Your document's publication medium can dictate the form of the end result; for example, a document designed for web publication will look different than one optimized for printing.
    • If you plan on creating a document that you're just going to share with other people via email or similar, the formatting may not matter as much.
  2. Before you create the document itself, you should know approximately what you want the document to look like. Draw a mock-up of the document—making sure to include space any additional resources such as images—to ensure that you have an idea of how you'll need to format your document.
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  3. 3
    Determine whether or not you want to print. If you're printing your document, you may need to use different formatting guidelines or cut back on the number of images you're including in the document.
  4. 4
    Hook up a printer to your computer . This is only necessary if you're printing from your own desktop computer.
  5. The program you use to publish your document will vary depending on your needs, but popular desktop publication programs include the following: [1]
    • Microsoft Office (specifically Microsoft Publisher and Microsoft Word)
    • Adobe InDesign
    • Adobe Illustrator
    • Serif PagePlus
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Part 2
Part 2 of 4:

Creating Your Document

  1. Click or double-click the app icon for the program that you want to use to create your document.
  2. If asked, determine a document type and/or canvas size before proceeding.
    • This is a common first step for Adobe and Microsoft Office programs.
  3. If you have a specific template that you want to use for your publication and you're able to select it from the file creation menu, select the template before you proceed.
    • Templates have built-in formatting, so they're recommended for anyone new to desktop publishing.
  4. The specific formatting you use for your document will vary, but you'll usually have to add columns or other types of partitions to the document in order to section off different pieces of content.
  5. 5
    Add text and images. Once you've formatted your canvas or document, you can begin adding your text, images, and other content as needed.
  6. As you add text and images to your document, you may need to widen the margins, increase the size of your artboard, or change the spacing for text; make sure you're changing the formatting as you go rather than saving it all for the end.
    • You may also need to resize images or add formatting (e.g., bolding or italicizing) to text.
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Part 3
Part 3 of 4:

Saving as a PDF

  1. Click File in either the top-left corner of the program's window (Windows) or the top-left corner of the screen (Mac) to do so. A drop-down menu will appear.
  2. It should be in the File drop-down menu. Doing so will open the "Save As" window.
    • If this doesn't work, pressing Ctrl + S (Windows) or ⌘ Command + S (Mac) if the document hasn't ever been saved will open the "Save As" window.
  3. 3
    Enter a file name. In the "File name" or "Name" text box, type the name of your document.
  4. Click a folder (e.g., Desktop ) in which you want to save the document.
    • On a Mac, you must first click the Where drop-down box before you can select a save location.
  5. Click the "Save as type" (Windows) or "Format" (Mac) drop-down box near the bottom of the Save As window. A drop-down menu should appear.
  6. It should be in the drop-down menu. This indicates that you want to save your document as a PDF file.
    • If you can't find a PDF option, try scrolling down; virtually all desktop publishing software includes an option for saving as a PDF.
  7. It's at the bottom of the window. Doing so saves the document as a PDF in your selected file location.
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Part 4
Part 4 of 4:

Printing Your Document

  1. Click File in either the top-left corner of the program's window (Windows) or the top-left corner of the screen (Mac), then click the Print option in the resulting drop-down menu.
    • In most cases, you can also press either Ctrl + P (Windows) or ⌘ Command + P (Mac) to bring up the "Print" window.
  2. In the "Printer" text box near the top of the window, make sure that you see your printer's name; if you don't, click the text box, then click your printer's name in the resulting drop-down menu.
    • If you still don't see your printer's name in the drop-down menu, make sure your printer is connected to your computer and turned on.
  3. If you need to print your document in a different orientation (e.g., "landscape" which means horizontally), check the box next to the correct orientation.
    • You might also want to set your document to print double-sided (or disable double-sided printing).
  4. If your printer has a color printing option, you should be able to select color printing from the "Color" (or similar) menu.
    • This is usually unnecessary if you're just printing a text document.
  5. In the "Copies" (or similar) text box, type the number of times you want to print your document.
  6. It's usually at the bottom of the "Print" window. Doing so will cause your document to begin printing from the connected printer.
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      Tips

      • Any word- or image-processing program can be used for desktop publishing, though publication-specific programs such as Publisher or InDesign will allow for significantly more freedom while creating your document.
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        Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0
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      Warnings

      • When desktop publishing, remember to save a copy of the original document before uploading the document to your website or sending the document to someone else. This ensures that you have a time-stamped original copy in the event of a copyright incident.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://www.lifewire.com/what-is-desktop-publishing-software-1078923

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