The use of a computer system or workstation together with a page printer to perform many of the functions of a print shop. These include page layout and design, the choice of font, and the inclusion of diagrams and pictures. DTP software normally produces its output in a page description language that is then interpreted by the page printer to the best of its ability. The DTP program can take its input from, for instance, text files from word processors or text editors, pictures from graphics programs, or digitized images from scanners. Pagemaker, Framemaker, Ventura, QuarkXpress, and InDesign are examples of DTP software.

The distinction between DTP and word processing is becoming less marked as each new version of word-processing software contains features formerly only available in DTP packages.