Desktop publishing services are those services offered by someone who specializes in providing professionally designed pages for print and the web. Desktop publishing (DTP) creates documents using a desktop computer and page layout software to format and combine the text, data, graphics and other visuals as prototypes.
Desktop publishing also assists in the creation of various forms of online content. Desktop publishing software together with a DTP professional can generate layouts and produce typographic-quality text and images which are comparable to traditional typography and printing.
Desktop publishers use computer software to format and combine text, data, photographs, charts, and other graphic art or illustrations into prototypes of pages and other documents that are then to be printed. This can then be printed on a high-resolution printer or the materials can then be sent to a commercial printer.
Desktop Publishing: A Brief History
There is some uncertainty about when desktop publishing was first developed. One claim is that it was first developed at Xerox PARC in the 1970s. Another possibility is that James Davise developed a program in 1983 at a Philadelphia community newspaper. The program Type Processor One ran on a PC using a graphics card for a WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) display and was offered commercially by Best info in 1984.
However, everyone can agree that things came together in the mid-1980s to usher in the new era of desktop publishing.
Apple LaserWriter, a PostScript desktop printer, and Aldus (now Adobe) PageMaker for the Mac really kicked off the desktop publishing revolution. The term “desktop publishing” has been attributed to Aldus founder Paul Brainerd, co-founder of the Aldus Corporation.
The DKP market gained momentum when the Apple LaserWriter printer was introduced in 1985, which was the first desktop laser printer to contain PostScript. That same year Adobe introduced PageMaker for the Mac, one of the first desktop publishing applications. Then in 1987, PageMaker for the Windows platform was introduced.
Desktop publishing has come a long way since then. In the ’80s and ’90s, it was used almost exclusively for professional print materials by graphic designers. While the software still provides extensive features required for print publishing, today’s word processors have such advanced publishing capabilities that they sometimes blur the line between word processing and desktop publishing.
What to Look for in a Multilingual Desktop Publishing Service
Today’s global outreach in business makes it critical to work with experienced multilingual desktop publishing services for all your desktop publishing needs. You want a desktop publishing service that will retain the content, meaning, and format when translating from one language into another. This requires native-speaking professionals throughout the entire process of translating, editing, and proofreading of the product before handing it back to you for approval.
A desktop publishing service that utilizes state-of-the-art technology to convert your original document into a clear and culturally sensitive translation is an absolute must. To achieve that, professional, native-speaking translators, editors, and proofreaders must work closely with desktop publishers to ensure success. The service you select should use a variety of operating systems, design programs, and have access to extensive font libraries for you to get the quality finished product you desire.
Service Accuracy
The accuracy of the published content is critical if you want to communicate clearly and accurately, and convey your message and content. Translating from one language into another can sometimes be difficult at best. Many errors, often crucial to the understanding, can occur along the way. You want a multilingual desktop publishing service that works with native-speaking professionals who understand your language, as well as the language into which you want it translated.
Gaps and inaccuracies can often occur in direct language translations. Certain words or phrases may not have a direct translation, while sentence structure can sometimes end up sounding disjointed, or nonsensical. At best the error can be embarrassing; at worst, insulting. Either way, inaccuracies can cost you business.
Desktop publishing and typesetting must be combined with multilingual desktop publishing for a guaranteed accurate, print-ready copy.
Highly Experienced
Look for a multilingual desktop publishing service team that has years of experience translating in a wide variety of business and technology sectors; one that understands global cultural differences and has a thorough understanding of your business needs. They will take your document and use state-of-the-art technology to prepare an attractive, highly professional finished product that will combine text and visual elements to meet your needs.
They should have experience accurately translating and typesetting:
- Brochures
- Flyers
- Technical Manuals
- Reports
- Newsletters
- Catalogs
- Posters
- Business Forms
- Presentations
- Websites
and more into many languages.
A highly experienced multilingual desktop publishing service team will understand that your timeframe needs may vary, so they can handle your urgent needs, as well as short-term and longer-term projects. You want to know that your final translated document will be ready to print, looking just as professional as the original English one, when you need it.
Experience gives you professional results, combining text and visual elements to meet the needs of your project, as well as saving you time and money.
Excellent Customer Support
Having excellent customer support available to help you every step of the way is crucial, from your initial inquiry, throughout the entire process of formatting, layout, and right up to your satisfaction with the final product.
You need to be able to get hold of a real person who can help, and give you strong customer support. If you have questions you need, and deserve, to have them answered.
Cost-Effective Service
Of course, you want the best publishing service available for the best results! But paying top dollar doesn’t necessarily guarantee you the best result. The ideal multilingual desktop publishing service will give you the best possible results the first time, accurately conveying your original message into the final product, thereby saving you time and money in the long run.
Closing Thoughts
Desktop publishing may have come a long way since its inception, but the need for accuracy in the final product has not changed. Translating a document from one language into another adds to the overall complexity and challenge, but choosing the right multilingual desktop publishing service will give you guaranteed accurate and print-ready copy the first time around.