Name: ____________________________________
Date: _______________
Period ___
DTP Hardware and Software Notes
What you need to know:
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What is the difference between hardware and software?
How is the speed of the computer measured?
What is the working space in a computer called?
What is RAM and how is it measured?
How does having more RAM in a computer effect it?
What type of programs requires a high amount of RAM?
What type of memory contains a set of instruction that is used to "boot up" the computer
What are the types of portable storage?
What are the peripheral devices used for desktop publishing?
How is a monitor measured?
How is printer resolution measured? Will color on the monitor match the printed color?
What makes a printed image sharper?
What is the definition of a scanner? How is a scanned image resolution measured?
What is the process called when text is scanned?
How is the resolution of a digital camera measured?
What are the popular desktop publishing software packages? What was the first desktop publishing software?
Hardware versus Software:
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Hardware is the physical components of a computer, such as the monitor, keyboard, mouse,
central processing unit, etc.
Software refers to programs and files, digital information which you cannot actually touch.
Desktop Publishing Hardware
1. Processor: the brains of the computer; previously know as the Central Processing Unit (CPU)
a. Speed:
i. measured in megahertz (MHz) and gigahertz (GHz)
ii. the higher the hertz, the faster the computer performs
b. RAM (Random Access Memory):
i. your computer’s short term memory. It can be thought of as the “working space”
in your computer.
ii. measured in megabytes (MB) and gigabytes (GB) and terabytes (TB)
iii. the more RAM a computer has, the faster it works and the more programs you
can have running at one time
iv. RAM is a volatile memory, which means that when power is lost and the
computer is shut down; anything in RAM will be lost.
v. most draw and paint programs require a high amount RAM
vi. there are many types of RAM that are differentiated based on the way and
speed in which information is stored and retrieved (DDR2, SDRAM, ETC.)
c. ROM (Read Only Memory):
i. contains a set of instruction that is used to "boot up" the computer
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2. Storage
a. Hard disks:
i. built into the computer, can also have an external hook up to the computer
ii. system files and software programs take up most of the hard disk space, but
documents can be saved on the hard disk as well
iii. KISD student’s files are saved on the network drive, not on the local hard disk
b. Portable Storage:
i. Compact disks (CDs)
1. portable and hold a lot more data than floppy or zip disks (usually 700
MB)
a. CD-ROM can only be read by a computer (Read Only Memory)
b. CD-R can be written to (meaning you can save files on it)
c. CD-RW can be written and rewritten to like a flash drive
ii. USB Flash drive or Pen drive
(the most common portable media today):
1. Portable and can be written and rewritten to just like a
floppy or zip disk
2. Memory ranges from 256 MB to 256 GB.
www.kingston.com
iii. Flash cards or Flash memory
1. used in digital cameras, some MP3 players, and smart phones
iv. How many bits in a byte, how many kilobytes in a megabyte, how many
megabytes in a gigabyte, how many gigabytes in a terabyte?
1. 8 bits = 1 byte
2. 1,000 bytes = 1 kilobyte (KB)
3. 1,000 KB = 1 megabyte (MB) or1,000,000 bytes
4. 1,000 MB = 1 gigabyte (GB) or 1,000,000,000 bytes
5. 1,000 GB = 1 terabyte (TB) or 1,000,000,000,000 bytes
6. 1,000 TB = 1 petabyte (PB) or 1,000,000,000,000,000 bytes
3. Peripheral Devices
a. Monitor:
i. displays your documents
ii. the size is measured in inches diagonally
iii. resolution and color can be adjusted
iv. color on the monitor may not always match the
printed color
www.hp.com
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b. Printer:
i. Definition: an output device used to print a digital
document to paper
ii. printed image resolution (sharpness) is measured in
dots per inch (dpi)
iii. the higher the dpi, the clearer and sharper printed text
and images appear
iv. higher dpi also allows for more middle or gray tones,
making photographs look smoother and less grainy
v. higher resolution printers also print faster because they
usually have more memory built into them
c. Scanner:
i. Definition: a device used to transfer graphics or
photographs from paper into a digital format that can
be read by the computer, where they can then be
edited
ii. scanned image resolution (sharpness) is measured in
dots per inch (dpi)
iii. text can also be scanned through a process called
Optical Character Recognition (OCR)
www.xerox.com
www.canon.com
d. Digital Camera:
i. allows a picture to be used by the computer without the extra step of scanning or
waiting for the film to develop
ii. digital cameras either save images on a memory card, connect directly to the
computer for image uploading, or shared via Wi-Fi.
iii. the resolution of a digital camera is measure in megapixels
Desktop Publishing Software
Desktop publishing defined is the process of using a personal computer to design and print
professional quality documents – controlling graphics and text layout with the ability to preview on the
screen.
• allows users to create professional documents that combine text, graphics, illustrations, and
photographs and are suitable to outside, professional printing
• is used to create documents such as calendars, greeting cards, brochures, business cards,
postcards, and letterhead
Examples of different desktop publishing software programs:
1. Aldus PageMaker – the first desktop publishing software out on the market in 1985
2. Microsoft Publisher – usually bundled in Microsoft Office Professional
3. Adobe InDesign – originally was PageMaker; Adobe bought out Aldus PageMaker in
1994. InDesign may be purchased alone or bundled in a package with Adobe Photoshop
(photo editing software) and Adobe Illustrator (drawing software)
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