Speaking as someone who did literally cut and pasted the output of phototypesetters and made bromides for offset printing, I can definitely say the invention of desktop publishing changed everything. My first use of a laser printer (Laserwriter I) to make camera-ready copy was a total change of the paradigm. Although POD does mean the idea of a Heartbreaker Fantasy is long gone. You no longer have to mortgage your house to print your work of heart, and then hope that you can then sell enough copies to avoid burning them to stay warm in winter.
Although I do miss cutting stencils for a Gestetner on a typewriter to produce the magazine for the local wargames club. In particular the need to get it right the first time, or retype the entire page (fingernail polish could only do so much to cover such errors). Which is my own personal problem with DTP - the ease of editing means a tendency to continually rewrite the same page again and again to try and get the emphasis you want.
Your comment about the ease of editing really struck a chord with me. I have often wondered if, in this one respect, modern technology has actually made it harder to get things finished. Goodness knows I spend way too much time obsessing over little details.
Speaking as someone who did literally cut and pasted the output of phototypesetters and made bromides for offset printing, I can definitely say the invention of desktop publishing changed everything. My first use of a laser printer (Laserwriter I) to make camera-ready copy was a total change of the paradigm. Although POD does mean the idea of a Heartbreaker Fantasy is long gone. You no longer have to mortgage your house to print your work of heart, and then hope that you can then sell enough copies to avoid burning them to stay warm in winter.
Although I do miss cutting stencils for a Gestetner on a typewriter to produce the magazine for the local wargames club. In particular the need to get it right the first time, or retype the entire page (fingernail polish could only do so much to cover such errors). Which is my own personal problem with DTP - the ease of editing means a tendency to continually rewrite the same page again and again to try and get the emphasis you want.
Best of luck with your own projects.
Your comment about the ease of editing really struck a chord with me. I have often wondered if, in this one respect, modern technology has actually made it harder to get things finished. Goodness knows I spend way too much time obsessing over little details.