Job Overview Everybody enjoys reading books, seeing postcards and good photography results which are a fad these days. These products are being prepared by the desktop publishing specialists. Desktop publishing specialists prepare brochures, cards, books as well as other hard-copied documents for printing. They create computer files which involve test files, graphic files as well as page layouts and backgrounds. Either they compose original texts and graphics just like those that we see in posters, or work on the files pre-prepared by their clients for editing and finalization of the overall appearance.
Education, Knowledge and Trainings Required
As early as high school, an applicant can prepare to become a future desktop publishing specialist by taking classes in computers (both the hardware and the software), arts and designs. Minor classes such as drafting, print shop as well as typing will serve to widen the background of the applicant to the soon to be carreer. A post secondary training or a college degree is not at all necessary. However, most of the desktop publishing specialists have a bachelor's degree in areas ranging from English studies to Graphic design. There are technical institutes that offer courses in desktop publishing or related fields that can be taken as a more direct training for the career.
Skills and Abilities
As desktop publishing specialists,they should have a very rich artistic skills and talents, proofreading skills as wide array of knowledge in computers. Aside from the techincal skills that they should have developed, it is also important that they know how to close sales and makret their products and services. Here, the asset that they should always carry is their skills in good personal relations. Good communication skills and interpersonal skills are going to be useful in closing sales for the businesses to prosper.
Duties
Desktop publishing specialist spend most of their time working with the computers. They do editing, designing or laying out pages.
Whatever the projects at hand are, be it a book construction, poster making, photo editing and the like, they should be flexible enough to use several programs to satisfy their client's needs. They are the ones to sought for whenever related technical issues arise. These technical issues include problems in resolutions, problems in colors as well as difficulties in the software usage. Other duties that they perform may include image manipulation or editing, color scanning, laminating, as well as poster making and production.
Earnings and Job Outlook
Desktop publishing specialists are employed either by an individual or by small business owners such as publishing houses printing shops and advertising or graphic design agencies. Approximately, the range of their earnings span from 15 USD to 50 USD in an hour. Freelancers however, earn more up to 100USD in an hour. As for the job outlook, it is predicted that there will be more opportunities for the desktop publishing specialists until the year of 2014 as electronic printing processes are rapidly replacing the manual ones.
Paula Hiz is a researcher and a human resource specialist who helps newly graduates, job applicants and post graduate professionals be aware of their job opportunities and available trainings for skills and practice upgrading.