Getting Started

So we have set up our computer and created our office environment and have some image editing tools at the ready, now what?
Well we can start to create our own stationary and logo for a start. This is where some DTP ( desk top publishing) software come into play.
Fortunately we have some choice here not only in terms of which application but also the following DTP applications are available for PC or MACs.
The good people at Amaya which is a free open source editor hosted by W3C. Features include: CSS and XML editing, scripting, built in validator, WYSIWYG and color coded XHTML editing. Amaya is written in C and is available for Windows, Unix platforms and MacOS X.

Inkscape is an Open Source vector graphics editor, with capabilities similar to Illustrator, Freehand, CorelDraw, or Xara X using the W3C standard Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) file format. Supported SVG features include shapes, paths, text, markers, clones, alpha blending, transforms, gradients, patterns, and grouping. Inkscape also supports Creative Commons meta-data, node editing, layers, complex path operations, bitmap tracing, text-on-path, flowed text, direct XML editing, and more. It imports formats such as JPEG, PNG, TIFF, and others and exports PNG as well as multiple vector-based formats.

Scribus is a free open-source program that brings professional page layout to Linux/Unix, MacOS X, and Windows desktops with a combination of press-ready output and new approaches to page layout. Underneath the modern and user friendly interface, Scribus supports professional publishing features, such as CMYK color, separations, ICC color management and versatile PDF creation.

So there we are you can now start making some exciting new stationary to get you started.