ABSTRACT
The hardcopy—final—output from a word processor can only be as good or bad as the available printing device linked to the word processor. More sophisticated word processors allow formatting, usually with embedded commands; some typeface selection, text spacing, and the like; and a few basic graphic abilities for creating charts, graphs, and tables. The typical process for creating a text on a word processor depends on a great deal of external treatment, multiple copies, and group consensus before it can be printed. Word processing’s repetitive and isolated tasks are eliminated by electronic publishing because all design work occurs on the same medium simultaneously. The new technology expands on the way a typical word processor operates. The difference between electronic layout and cut-and-paste are significant, perhaps even more than the difference between the typewriter and the word processor. Typically, electronic signals have been stored on computer disks or tape.
