Using preset page layouts and other software for creating documents on your computer is known as desktop publishing. Desktop publishing involves in publishing documents like newspapers, comics, books etc in the electronic form. The process includes bringing together text, images, graphics, charts and other material to create meaningful documents that are printable.
In desktop publishing, publishing softwares like the Adobe PageMaker are used to design and modify the elements on a page to create the necessary documents. Electronic pages and virtual paper pages are the two types of pages in desktop publishing. Typically, any page created on the computer is an electronic page.
Virtual paper pages, which are ultimately printed on physical paper pages, are created in such a way that they can be easily printed on standard paper sizes like 'letter', A4, A3. 'legal' etc. Virtual paper pages can also be customized for printing on larger paper formats like posters, billboards, etc. An example of an electronic page, which is not restricted to these parameters of a virtual paper page, is a web page, which can be resized as per the company or individual's requirements.
Compared to word processors, desktop publishing software allows the user to modify the finer details of the page and produce a high quality document using master pages. A master page is a template that is used to copy a particular design style and other page-style elements to one or more pages of a multi-page document.
Desktop publishing softwares are compatible with specialized printers like flexographic printers for printing packaging labels, photogravure printers for printing art, thermographical printers, as well as the standard laser printers. | 
