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Word processing is the term applied to the computerized production of text-based documents. Documents that are often produced by word-processing systems include memos, letters, mailing labels, reports, proposals, manuals, and basic newsletters. The following sections review the history, components, and features of word processing.

HISTORY OF WORD PROCESSING

Throughout most of the twentieth century, business and government documents were produced with typewriters, first manual and then electric ones. In the mid-1970s, however, computer technology made its way into the typewriter arena, and computerized typewriters were created. Adapting the term data processing, which had been used to refer to computers whose main function was to process data, developers coined the term word processing to refer to the new computerized typewriters.

The earliest word processors were very expensive and not financially feasible for most traditional secretarial situations. Because of word-processing systems' expense and limited capability, cost-benefit studies had to be conducted to determine if the investment could be economically justified. Thus many secretarial positions were moved into centralized secretarial pools, called word-processing centers, so the word-processing equipment could be used more efficiently.

In the early 1980s, the introduction of the personal computer made it possible to perform multiple functions on the same machine—data processing, word processing, graphic creation, and more. This advancement made systems easier to cost justify, which greatly increased sales. As sales escalated, the cost of computer hardware and software declined, because of competition and economies of scale. With less expensive hardware and more powerful software, businesses and private households purchased personal computers at an even faster pace, and the demand for word-processing software skyrocketed. The increased power and capability, coupled with plummeting costs, largely eliminated the need for many word-processing centers, and many of today's managers and professionals have computers at their own workstations and perform their own word-processing tasks. Keying information directly into a word-processing program, rather than handwriting text, can double or triple the efficiency of document production.

COMPONENTS OF A WORD-PROCESSING SYSTEM

Word-processing (WP) technology requires both hardware and software components. WP hardware consists mainly of a computer and a printer for producing paper documents. However, because electronic mail, or e-mail, is such a major means of communication today, systems will benefit from a modem, or a link to a network for transmitting word-processing documents electronically.

The computer monitor should be large enough for easy reading of the text. Word-processing software can also enlarge the documents on the screen, which greatly helps those who are visually impaired. Word processors can display text and graphics on the computer screen the same way they will appear when printed on paper. This feature is described by the acronym WYSIWYG (pronounced wizzie wig), which stands for what you see is what you get. The keyboard and mouse should be situated for comfortable use. Carpel-tunnel syndrome, a condition causing discomfort and numbness in the arms and hands, can result from frequent use of a keyboard that is not properly aligned with the operator's body.

Because today's documents often include graphics, which require extra computer power and storage space, computers used for word processing should have fast processors and plenty of hard-disk space. WP systems also should include a laser or ink-jet printer to output professional-looking documents. Color printers are needed in situations requiring color output. Also, for applications involving graphically rich documents, a desktop scanner and digital camera may be added.

Word-processing software usually comes bundled with several other software packages, including spreadsheet and slide show software. Other parts of the package may include photo-editing and graphics software, plus clip art and photographs.

WORD PROCESSING FEATURES

The following word-processing features can greatly contribute to the processing of documents.

Text composition: Text can be entered into a new document by typing on a keyboard or copying it from other documents. With newer voice-recognition software, you can even speak into a microphone and have the software turn your spoken words into text. Word processors include a thesaurus to assist you in selecting words to use as you compose the message. They also include automatic outliners to assist in organizing the basic structure of the text, as well as counters to calculate the number of words in a document.

Text editing: Once a first draft is created, you can easily add and delete characters. With the cut-and-paste feature, text blocks can also be moved from one part of a document and placed in another location. Further, word processors include spell-checking and grammar-checking features to help identify and fix writing errors. They will not catch all errors, however, so human editing and proofreading are still required. The search-and-replace feature will find all occurrences of selected words or characters and replace them with something else.

Typography: Word processors can print text using any of thousands of different typefaces, commonly called fonts. Times Roman, Arial, Century Schoolbook, Garamond, and Helvetica are well-known fonts. In addition to choosing different fonts for text, you can modify the size, color, case, and style of the text. The height of type is measured in units called points, with one point being equal to ³/₇₂ of an inch. Thus, 72-point type is approximately one inch tall. The type in documents to be read by general audiences should usually be from 10 to 12 points tall. Colored text should be used judiciously, making sure the color complements the message.

Case refers to whether the text is displayed as small letters (lowercase), capital letters (uppercase), or small caps (all letters are capitalized, in a type size slightly smaller than that of the surrounding text, but with the first letter of words that would normally be capital larger, in the type size of the surrounding text). Addition ally, changes can be made in the style, such as using italics, boldface, and underlining.

Spacing: The amount of space between words, characters, and lines of text can be modified as needed. Word processors can adjust to any measurement, such as 1.2, 2, or even 5 lines of spacing between lines.

Line formatting: By adjusting left and right margins, you can increase or decrease the length of a line of text (from a readability standpoint, the ideal line length is approximately forty characters). Further, you can create multiple columns of text on a page, such as is common in most newsletters.

Text can also be left justified (all text lines are aligned on the left), right justified (all text lines are aligned on the right), or fully justified (all text lines are aligned on the left and right). Left-justified text is perceived to be less formal; fully-justified text is more formal. Text can also be horizontally centered, which is useful for titles and headings.

Styles: Another feature of word processors is styles, which consists of a number of text or formatting specifications that can be automatically applied anytime it is needed. For example, you might create a style called Main Heading, consisting of the following characteristics: Helvetica, 18-point, boldface, italics, and centered. After the style is created, you can apply it to any heading in a document, instead of having to go through the tedious process of selecting the text and then specifying all the characteristics one at a time.

Reference tools: Selected words can be electronically coded for inclusion in a table of contents or index, and the table of contents or index can then be automatically created. Footnotes and endnotes can be created in a similar manner.

Document formatting: Page-layout features are extremely flexible, giving numerous arrangement options for brochures, newsletters, cards, menus, business cards, invitations, and more. By modifying margins, column widths, paper size, and different page subdivisions, you can create a wide variety of documents.

Organizational elements: Word processors provide features to organize information and guide readers through the text. Page-organizing elements can include borders, page numbers, a dropped capital letter at the beginning of a paragraph, and vertical lines between columns. You can also put a colored background behind a block of text to set it off from the rest of the text on a page.

Other layout elements include bulleted lists, numbered lists, and highlighted text, all of which make the associated text more visible and accessible. Further, headers and footers can be typed once and then automatically generated on subsequent pages.

Tables: The tables feature is used for placing text elements in columns and rows, separated by horizontal and vertical lines. Financial information, sales information, telephone lists, and any other similar data can be quickly and effectively organized with the tables feature.

Graphics: Word-processing systems permit the addition of various types of graphics, such as bar charts, line charts, organization charts, clip art, and photographs. Communication can often be greatly enhanced by a combination of text and graphics, instead of just text alone. For example, the last two years' quarterly sales figures are much easier to read and compare in a bar chart than in written text.

Output: In addition to printing word-processed documents in paper form, either in color or black-and-white, these documents can also be output as electronic documents and placed on the Internet as Web documents. The process of creating Internet documents with word-processing software consists of creating the text and graphics in the usual manner and then using the software's Web features to convert the document to a Web-compatible format.

Database tools: Word processors contain tools for creating basic databases, such as address lists, and then generating mailing labels and mass mailings from those lists. The lists can also be searched for text items that match certain criteria, and the text can then be sorted according to various criteria.

Word-processing systems are a critical component of almost any business operation that requires the creation, editing, printing, and mailing of text. Their features will continue to evolve in the years ahead.