Page 142 - IT_Play_V1.0 Class9
P. 142
UNIT-3 DIGITAL DOCUMENTATION
1 CREATE A DOCUMENT USING
A WORD PROCESSOR
Since ancient times, humans have used various mediums to store textual information. Most of us agree that
written information is more authentic than other modes of communication. Earlier, such work was done
manually in handwritten form or typed using typewriters. With advancements in technology, handwritten
documents, like letters, reports, thesis, manuscripts, legal documents, books etc. have been automated with
the help of text editing or word processing software. Documents can be created in an organised way and
easily handled using such word processing software. The use of computers to enter, edit, format, store,
retrieve and print the document is known as word processing.
Initially, there were some disadvantages of using typewriters, which are as follows:
Ð ÐFor a typing mistake, the whole sheet needs to be changed.
Ð ÐEditing text after typing was not possible.
Ð ÐMoving text from one part of the document to another was impossible.
Ð ÐThere was no tool for checking spelling and grammar errors.
Ð ÐOnly a limited number of characters were on the typewriter.
Ð ÐSearching for particular words or phrases in a document was not
possible.
Ð ÐSending the same letter to multiple people at different addresses typically involves typing the letter
numerous times.
Ð ÐFormatting of the document was not possible with the typewriter.
To overcome these problems with traditional typewriters, Xerox, a tech company introduced an electronic
typewriter in 1974. The advantages of the electronic typewriter were:
Ð ÐMake copies of documents with minor changes
Ð ÐMinor modifications in the text were allowed
However, it also had a limitation, like a small display screen size. Only one or two lines were visible at a time
on the screen. In the late 1970s, the word processing software was introduced. WordStar was the most widely
used word processing software at that time.
INTRODUCTION TO WORD PROCESSING
A word processing package is an application software that helps type text and create documents. It also helps
in editing, formatting and printing documents. Modern word processing software provides a Graphical User
Interface (GUI). They also support the What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get (WYSIWYG) feature. With this feature,
users can view the document to see how it will look after printing.
A document is a paper with contents written on it and the process of document creation is called
documentation. When this documentation is done using different word processing applications, it is termed
digital documentation. The content in a document can contain text, symbols and graphics.
140 Information Technology Play (Ver 1.0)-IX

