Skills
Desktop Publisher Skills & Tools
The technical skills, people skills and tools employers look for in desktop publishers, and how to build and show them.
What skills do desktop publishers need?
Desktop Publishers need technical skills such as indesign, typography, and layout, plus people skills like attention to detail and organization. They also use tools such as Adobe InDesign and Photoshop.
Technical (hard) skills
- InDesign
- Typography
- Layout
- Image prep
- Print production
- Accessible PDFs
People (soft) skills
- Attention to detail
- Organization
- Patience
- Communication
Tools, equipment and technology
- Adobe InDesign
- Photoshop
- Illustrator
- Acrobat
- Templates
- Font managers
Skills in action: common tasks
These step-by-step guides show how desktop publishers put their skills to work:
- How to set up paragraph styles in InDesign
- How to fix widows and orphans
- How to export an accessible PDF
How to show these skills on a resume
- Lead your skills section with the technical skills from the job posting, for example, “InDesign” and “Typography.”
- Prove soft skills with results: instead of listing “attention to detail,” describe a situation where you used it.
- List credentials such as Adobe Certified Professional near the top, with the issuing organization and date.
- Use the employer’s vocabulary. Our desktop publisher glossary covers the terms hiring managers expect.
How to build these skills
Formal training, supervised practice and certification are the most direct routes. Our Desktop Publisher training introduces each of these skills with plain-language lessons, procedures and a final knowledge check: a strong foundation before hands-on training or your first day.