Which application software is a desktop publishing software used for creating magazines books and SOS?

Desktop publishers and graphic designers typically use four types of software. These programs make up the core of a designer's toolbox. Additional utilities, add-ons, and specialty software not covered here can enhance the basic desktop publishing arsenal.

Anyone interested in producing designs for commercial printing or for publication on the web can benefit from the following kinds of software.

Use a word processor to type and edit text and check spelling and grammar. You can usually format elements on the fly and include those formatting tags when you import text to your page layout program.

While you can do some simple layout work, word processors are best suited for working with words, not for designing a page layout. If your goal is to have your work commercially printed, word processing file formats are usually not suitable. Choose a word processor that can import and export a variety of formats for maximum compatibility with others.

• Word processing software examples include Microsoft Word, Google Docs, Apple Pages, and Corel WordPerfect.

Page layout software is closely associated with print and desktop publishing. This kind of software allows for the integration of text and images on the page, easy manipulation of page elements, artistic layout creation, and multipage publications such as newsletters and books. High-end or professional-level tools include prepress features, while software for home publishing or creative projects often involves more templates and clip art.

• Professional page layout software is dominated by Adobe InDesign, which is available for Windows and macOS computers. Other page layout software includes QuarkXPress for PCs and Macs, along with Serif PagePlus and Microsoft Publisher for Windows PCs.
• Home publishing software includes special-purpose applications for calendars, T-shirt transfers, digital scrapbooks, and greeting cards. Home publishing programs that aren't limited to one purpose include The Print Shop and Print Artist for Windows PCs and PrintMaster for PCs and Macs.

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Print publishing and webpage design often require a vector illustration program and a photo editor. Some graphics software programs incorporate a few photo editing features, but for most professional work, you will need each one.

• Illustration software makes use of scaleable vector graphics to create artwork that can be resized and edited through multiple iterations. Adobe Illustrator and Inkscape are examples of professional vector illustration software for PCs and Macs. CorelDraw is available for PCs.
• Photo editing software, also called paint programs or image editors, works with bitmap images, such as scanned photos and digital images. Although illustration programs can export bitmaps, photo editors are better for web images and many special photo effects. Adobe Photoshop is a popular cross-platform example. Other image editors include Corel PaintShop Pro for Windows PCs and Gimp, the free open-source software available on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

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Most designers today, even those in print, need web-publishing skills. Many of today's page layout or other desktop publishing programs include some electronic publishing capabilities. Even dedicated web designers still need illustration and image-editing software. If your work is exclusively web design, you may want to try a comprehensive program such as Adobe Dreamweaver, which is available for PCs and Macs.

Desktop publishing (DTP) software is designed for creating visual communications such as brochures, business cards, greeting cards, web pages, posters, and more for professional or personal printing online or on-screen.

Programs such as Adobe InDesign, Microsoft Publisher, QuarkXPress, and Scribus are examples of desktop publishing software. Professional graphic designers and commercial printing technicians use some of these, whereas office workers, teachers, students, small-business owners, and non-designers use others. Their choices depend on capabilities, budget, and personal preference.

Among professionals, "desktop publishing software" refers primarily to high-end professional page layout software applications including Adobe InDesign and QuarkXPress.

Other applications and utilities often included in the desktop publishing software category are better classified as graphics, web publishing, and presentation apps. Nonetheless, they play important roles in print and digital media. The DTP programs discussed here all accomplish the core task: composing text and graphics into page layouts for publishing. 

Since the 1990s, the explosion of consumer programs and the associated advertising hype has stretched the phrase "desktop publishing software" to include software for making greeting cards, calendars, banners, and other crafty print projects. This resulted in a wide range of low-end, low-cost, easy-to-use software that doesn't require traditional design and prepress skills to use. 

In contrast, the primary page layout applications that professional graphic designers and commercial printing prepress technicians use is quite advanced and draws on refined skills ranging from graphic design to computer proficiency. These most often include Adobe InDesign and QuarkXPress.

The main players in this arena are Adobe, Corel, Microsoft, and Quark, with products that stick close to the original intent of desktop publishing software for professional page layout. Additionally, Microsoft, Nova Development, Broderbund and others have produced consumer-oriented creativity and home desktop publishing software for many years, of varying quality.

Adobe makes many professional software packages used by designers. You've probably heard of Photoshop and Illustrator, for example. The company's other programs are not page layout software applications for print publishing; they are graphics software, web design software, programs for creating and working with the PDF format, all of which are important adjuncts to the publishing process. Adobe InDesign dominates the field of professional page layout software.

Corel is best known for its CorelDRAW Graphics Suite, which includes apps and tools for vector illustration, layout, photo editing, and typography. In the past, Corel produced creative printing and home publishing programs, too, but the primary page layout software from Corel is the vector-based CorelDraw.

Microsoft produces Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and various consumer graphics and creative printing programs used alone or in conjunction with other applications to do some form of personal desktop publishing. Microsoft's entry into page layout for print is Microsoft Publisher.

Quark makes other software, but the one most closely associated with desktop publishing is QuarkXPress. Its many XTensions enhance and expand the software package's basic capabilities, allowing users to customize the app to their needs.

Generally, four types of software make up the tools for desktop publishing: word processing, page layout, graphics, and web publishing. The lines between them are blurry, though, in much the same way as that between professional and home apps are. Much of the best design software is used for both print and web, and sometimes, it also serves as page layout and graphics software, creative printing and business software, or other combinations. For this reason, manufacturers often offer these interrelated apps as suites.

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