desktop publishing

American

noun

Computers.

the design and production of publications by means of specialized software enabling a personal computer to generate typeset-quality text and graphics.

desktop publishing British

noun

DTP. a means of publishing reports, advertising, etc, to typeset quality using a desktop computer

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Luke Michel has already lived through two technology overhauls in his career, first desktop publishing in the 1980s and online publishing later on.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 2026

"Graphic design has always developed in step with technological change - from letterpress to phototypesetting to desktop publishing and now Gen AI," she said.

From BBC • Oct. 25, 2025

Adobe became known for other aids to desktop publishing and professional imaging, notably Photoshop, which enables photographs to be altered in seemingly infinite ways.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 23, 2023

He is a former software entrepreneur from the personal computer era who founded an early desktop publishing software company, which he ran for a decade.

From New York Times • Jul. 21, 2022

Home based business opportunities may exist within areas such as desktop publishing, desktop video, high-tech equipment repair, import and export management, and professional practice management.

From The Online World by De Presno, Odd

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023