patience or skill. The graphic design and typesetting businesses may just learn to use the tools themselves. They would then become the primary target of marketing and new technical developments. Also, while documents look better now, in the long term, as we get used to the higher quality printers, the standards will get higher, and today's laserprinter document will look like yesterday's electronic typewriter. A Desktop Publishin~ Service For Nonprofit Orgamzations For the last eight months the Information Technology Institute has offered a desktop publishing service for nonprofit organizations. Apple Computer Company's Community Affairs Program provided the equipment and the Oregon Community Foundation provided a grant to develop the service. It has turned out to be one of the most dynamic programs we have instituted. The institute provides training in the use of Macintosh computers, including word processing (in effect, typesetting), graphics, and page layout. An organization can choose between two levels of training-one for typesetting only, the other designed for design, typesetting, and layout of more complex documents. After going through the training, organizations can use the computers and laserprinter in the institute's computer lab to produce newsletters, flyers, resumes, business cards, forms, or whatever else demands a typeset-like appearance. The institute has built up a library of graphic images-called, in the desktop publishing trade, digital clip art-that can be incorporated into documents. We also transfer data for cJjents from IBM-comptib.le machines to the Macintosh. One of the most exciting elements of the desktop publishing program has been the development of a desktop publishers users group. The group has met regularly since last spring. It is made up of typesetters, graphic designers, publishers and writers, and others who have begun to use computers for publishing. In this context we have been able to discuss very practical issues (just how do you get tabs from word processing documents into page lay programs?), and more theoretical issues involving changes in the publishing industry. We have learned many things about the ups and downs of publishing on a personal computer. There's no doubt it is a wonder. The times it works, Page 12 RAIN Fall/Winter 1986 and the times one feels satisfied, and delighted far outnumber the bad experiences. But there is also a tendency for computer hardware and software manufacturers _or retailers to over simplify the publishing process, or over-state the capabilities of their products. You may not save money or time. It takes a long time-most of the time, months-to become truly proficient at using the popular page layout software programs. Sometimes it is easier, less time consuming, and less expensive to do manual paste-up. In some cases the computer is best used as a typesetter and not for page layout. Graphic reproduction on desktop publishing systems holds great promise, but it is still in its infancy. The small computers are just not yet capable of storing the amount of information needed to store and reproduce graphics and photographs. The most definite advantage to desktop publishing is control over the creative process. If you would like to have more to do with your publications instead of turning them over to specialists scattered around town, then you'll become an enthusiastic desktop publ.isher. ti
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