DTP or Desk-top Publishing is a method of designing, editing and laying out a publication electronically using a personal computer and word processing, graphics and page layout software. This term, DTP, was first coined by Paul Brainerd, a British pioneer in this field.
In a DTP process, whatever be, the matter or layout of a page, it is composed electronically and stored in the computer with the help of a page making software. Corrections of any type or changes can be easily done any number of times on the computer and the desired output is then obtained from a laser printer on paper. The camera ready text matter is then converted into photographic film (negative or positive) from which plates are made for printing. In newspaper publishing, it provides for incorporation of text, as it arrives by e-mail, directly into the pages being prepared. DTP is a versatile technology for applications in the advertising, designing and publishing business.