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Word-processing Programs: Typewriters Evolved
laptop ord-processing programs, like Microsoft Word or Claris WordPerfect, are designed to assist us in writing and manipulating words. These programs are well-equipped to make it easy for us to type letters, articles and copy to be imported into page-layout programs. They are usually quite intuitive to use and offer a number of comprehensive tools.

Common tools that you can find in a word-processing program include:

Grammar checker.
Spelling checker.
Footnote formatter.
Table creator.
Macros that save time by automating repetitive tasks.
Filters that check between two versions of a document to find differences between the two.

Though you can manipulate text in a word-processing program, you won't find the professional layout control of a program like QuarkXPress or PageMaker. The type manipulation features are a bit "clunky" and "inaccurate" compared to the fine finessing that's possible with a page-layout program.

These programs are also not very good at creating or utilizing graphics suitable for a professionally printed document. The graphic creation and import tools are designed to print to a desktop laser or inkjet printer. If you were to bring a Word document to a professional printer, I can guarantee that one of two things would happen: 1) they would roll their eyes and charge a good amount of money to output the film (because of all the extra work they'd have to do) and/or 2) they would refuse to accept the project.

But, you might say, "I was told I could create brochures with WordPerfect." Well, technically you can. But, is it worth the headaches involved? Have you ever seen a brochure created with a word-processing program? Compare a brochure created with a word-processing program with one created by a page-layout program and you can easily tell the difference. It's like using a garden hose rather than a firehose to put out a fire on your house. If you're going to go to the trouble of creating a brochure, why not do it with the best tool for the job?

Microsoft clearly owns much of the word-processing market through its Word application. If you need a program that allows you to easily transfer your word-processing files with others, then Word is the most obvious choice.

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