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Computer typesetting is—or should by now be regarded as—an everyday technique which links the electronic digital computer and tape‐driven composing machines into a system which, on the one hand, can overcome the traditional limitations of the computer line printer and, on the other hand, may offer a more effective alternative to the manual compilation and composition of large‐scale publications.

Desktop publishing may or may not be the “hottest” topic in current microcomputing, but it certainly is one of them. Being a hot topic means being the subject of wildly optimistic market predictions, large amounts of hype and hoopla, unrealistic claims for benefits, and the usual tendency to ignore drawbacks. But all the nonsense does not mean that the topic is wholly worthless. The author, Library Hi Tech's resident computer grouch and proponent of the trailing edge, argues that the term desktop publishing is nonsensical and that the new field is promising but tricky. He discusses some aspects of desktop publishing and goes on to discuss his own experience with a lower‐technology alternative he calls desktop typesetting.

Information technology (IT) is a powerful communication and computing tool in today’s business environment. The role of IT in shaping business operations is a crucial one. IT can redesign and transform a low technology industry into a high technology industry. The printing and publishing industry is one such case. Two local printing companies in Singapore, namely Superskill Graphics and Xpress Print, had won the national IT awards in 1990 and 1994 respectively for their innovative use of IT. Aims to examine how both companies deploy IT to transform their printing processes from a low technology, labour‐intensive environment with local clientele in the 1970s to a high technology environment with global clientele in the 1990s.

Much has been written about the link between desktop publishing and word‐processing systems. Linking a database management system to a publishing system can have considerable advantages. At the University of Exeter Library the TEX typesetting system and the INFORMATION database management system have been combined in a number of stages to produce foreign language bibliographies, as described in this paper.

In 1967 Aslib Research and Development Department published a note describing experimental work on computer‐aided typesetting, and announcing that further research was planned. The proposed programme of work was carried out by the authors of the present paper, during their sojourns as members of the Department. The results are here reported.

The following report from the Aslib Research Department outlines one aspect of the Department's work during the past year. It is appropriate to describe the progress made so far, because the first stage of the experimental work is now complete. Subsequent work will be described more fully when completed.

OCLC has developed a CD‐ROM‐based system for the storage, distribution, and retrieval of documents. The system stores an ASCII copy of the text of the original document. It also stores page make‐up and font definition codes. These codes are used to control an inexpensive laser printer in the production of copies that closely resemble the original document. The authors discuss trends in the information equipment and printing industries that will govern the future application of this technology.

This article reviews an approach used to structure technical material into a large number of single theme topics, or modules. A course is a collection of modules. A key feature of a module is that it can be presented in 50 minutes, and is supported by a design specification, typeset notes, a series of slides for presentation using computer projection, a tutorial, assessment questions, and a Web page. Templates support the creation of the module specification, notes, presentation, tutorial and assessment material, Web support page, and the aggregation of module notes into a set of course notes. The modular structure relies entirely on an integrated application of software technology for word processing, typesetting and the creation of computer presentations, and generation and maintenance of Web pages to support a description of the modules and marketing of industry‐oriented courses within an ISO 9001 certified quality management system.

Advances in laser printer technology have brought low‐cost high‐quality printing within reach of most microcomputer users. Major features of laser printers are examined, the terminology of laser printers is explained, and examples of high‐quality output are illustrated. Accompanying the article are a hardware profile for the popular Hewlett‐Packard LaserJet printer, a description of ALMOST TYPESET, and a brief bibliography.