A Resource Guide for SOHO Desktop Publishers

The Bright Hub Desktop Publishing channel has a highly professional legion of writers whose expertise is as diverse and deep as the topic of desktop publishing is wide. We have experts in Quark, InDesign, PageMaker, Publisher, and the open source Scribus software; experts in Photoshop, Paint Shop, and the open source GIMP program: experts in layout, color, fonts, and templates; and experts in how-to's for creating DTP projects for everything from holiday cards to business cards and from birthday banners to professional brochures and pamphlets. This guide serves as a conduit to the articles by the DTP writing team that offer great resources and information for desktop publishers, all in one place. If you're a desktop publisher, bookmark this page for a reference point and I am sure before long you will find you want to bookmark all the articles listed here. And check back here often, as this guide will be continuously updated as new DTP resource articles come online.

RGB Color vs. CMYK Color

This article offers a succinct explanation of the differences between RGB color and CMYK color--important concepts for desktop publishers to understand so that their printed documents look the way they did on screen.

Scribus Powerful Desktop Publishing for Free

This article introduces desktop publishers to Scribus, an open-source desktop publishing software package that rivals the big players, except in one area -- cost. Scribus is free.

Free Calendar Design Software

This article covers the best free, downloadable calendar software available on the Web. Whether you want to make a personalized calendar for Grandma or a professional-looking one to give to clients, stop here first to find the right software for you.

Five Places to Find Free Graphics

This article provides desktop publishers with five of the best free sites on the Web to find graphics and images.

Five Places to Find Free Stock Photography

This article offers the five best free stock photography sites on the Web.

Basics of Image Resolution

This article offers desktop publishers a basic explanation of how image resolution effects the printing of a document.

How to Organize Your Clipart and Photos for Desktop Publishing

This article walks desktop publishers through how to use Picasa to organize clip art and photos. Find what you need faster using Picasa and these tips.

Common Graphic Formats for the Desktop Publisher

This article provides desktop publisher with a brief description of popular graphic formats, including JPEG, TIFF, EPS, GIF, BMP, PICT, PSD, and PDF.

The Ten Best Free and Open Source Desktop Publishing Tools

This article offers desktop publishers on a tight budget with a roundup of the ten best free and open source desktop publishing programs.

Creating a Page Layout: Best Practices

This article offers best practices for organizing and expertly laying out your printed page for printing.

Top Page Layout Software for Small Businesses

This article is part of a series on the best page layout programs for DTP. This one describes what software to consider if you run a small business, but then follow the links in the article to more articles that cover best layout programs for professionals and home publishers, as well as the best graphics software for page layout.