Unit of competency details

Unit descriptor 

This unit describes the performance outcomes, skills and knowledge required to design and produce complex desktop published documents.

No licensing, legislative, regulatory or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of endorsement.

Application of the unit 

This unit applies to individuals employed in a range of work environments who require well developed skills in desktop publishing. They may be individuals providing administrative support within an enterprise, or others responsible for the production of their own documents.

Prerequisite units 

Employability skills 

This unit contains employability skills.

Elements describe the essential outcomes of a unit of competency.

Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element. Where bold italicised text is used, further information is detailed in the required skills and knowledge section and the range statement. Assessment of performance is to be consistent with the evidence guide.

ELEMENT 

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA 

1. Prepare to produce desktop published documents

1.1. Use safe work practices including addressing ergonomic requirements  and using work organisation strategies 

1.2. Use energy and resource conservation techniques 

1.3. Identify document purpose , audience, presentation and final output  requirements, and clarify with relevant personnel as required

1.4. Identify organisational and task requirements  for desktop published documents to ensure consistency of style and image

2. Design desktop published documents

2.1. Design  document to enhance readability and appearance, according to organisational and task requirements

2.2. Determine document type and assess production and design requirements

2.3. Set up and use master pages, templates and styles to ensure consistency of design and layout 

2.4. Set up colour palettes according to organisational and task requirements

3. Create desktop published documents

3.1. Prepare, format and enter required text

3.2. Import text from other applications and resolve any formatting issues

3.3. Scan or import graphics from other applications and resolve any formatting issues

3.4. Use complex software functions  to arrange text and graphics on page, according to organisational and task requirements

4. Finalise desktop published documents

4.1. Ensure pages. and combined graphics and text are composed correctly, to suit organisational and task requirements

4.2. Check that numerical sequencing and laydown of document is correct, to meet binding and finishing requirements

4.3. Incorporate bleed allowance in margins and borders

5. Produce desktop published documents

5.1. Review text for possible errors and omissions, and resolve any issues

5.2. Produce completed document in line with required final output

5.3. Name and store text documents , in accordance with organisational requirements and exit the application without information loss/damage

5.4. Prepare text documents within designated time lines  and organisational requirements for speed and accuracy

5.5. Use manuals, user documentation and online help to overcome problems with document design and production

REQUIRED SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE 

This section describes the skills and knowledge required for this unit.

Required skills 

• communication skills to clarify requirements of documents
• culturally appropriate communication skills to relate to people from diverse backgrounds and people with diverse abilities
• editing and proofreading skills to check own work for accuracy against original
• keyboarding skills to enter text and numerical data
• literacy skills to read and understand organisation's procedures and to use models or exemplars to produce a range of documents
• problem-solving skills to edit documents and to resolve issues of consistency of design.

Required knowledge 

• formatting styles and their effect on formatting, readability and appearance of documents
• organisational requirements for ergonomics, work periods and breaks, and energy and resource conservation techniques
• purposes, uses and functions of desktop publishing software
• organisational style guide.

EVIDENCE GUIDE 

The Evidence Guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package.

Overview of assessment 

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit 

Evidence of the following is essential:

• applying document design and layout principles
• producing complex desktop published documents.

Context of and specific resources for assessment 

Assessment must ensure:

• access to office equipment and resources
• access to samples of desktop published documents.

Method of assessment 

A range of assessment methods should be used to assess practical skills and knowledge. The following examples are appropriate for this unit:

• direct questioning combined with review of portfolios of evidence and third party workplace reports of on-the-job performance by the candidate
• review of authenticated documents from the workplace or training environment
• demonstration of techniques in a workplace or simulated environment
• oral or written questioning to assess knowledge of desktop publishing software functions.

Guidance information for assessment 

Holistic assessment with other units relevant to the industry sector, workplace and job role is recommended, for example:

• other information and communications technologyunits.

RANGE STATEMENT 

The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included.

Ergonomic requirements  may include:

• avoiding radiation from computer screens
• chair height, seat and back adjustment
• document holder
• footrest
• keyboard and mouse position
• lighting
• noise minimisation
• posture
• screen position
• workstation height and layout

Work organisation strategies  may include:

• exercise breaks
• mix of repetitive and other activities
• rest periods

Energy and resource conservation techniques  may include:

• double-sided paper use
• recycling used and shredded paper
• re-using paper for rough drafts (observing confidentiality requirements)
• utilising power-save options for equipment

Document purpose  may include using:

• call outs
• captions
• concordance files
• different odd and even pages
• document protection
• drawing
• forms with fields
• hyperlinks
• long documents
• linked or embedded objects
• mail merge data documents
• master documents
• MS WordArt
• multiple headers and footers
• multiple sections
• multiple users
• primary mail merge documents
• subdocuments
• templates

Final output  may include:

• electronic publishing
• printed document
• professionally printed document
• web services

Organisational and task requirements  may include:

• company colour scheme
• company logo
• consistent corporate image
• content restrictions
• established guidelines and procedures for document production
• house styles
• master pages
• observing copyright legislation
• organisation name, time, date, document title, filename or other fields in headers or footers
• sheet size
• style sheets
• templates

Design  may include:

• balance
• boxes
• colour
• columns
• diversity
• drawing
• graphics
• headings
• letter and memo conventions
• page layout
• photographs
• relative positioning of graphics and headings
• simplicity
• text flow
• typeface
• typography
• white space

Consistency of design  may include:

• annotated references
• borders
• bullet/ number lists
• captions
• consistency with other business documents
• footnotes and endnotes
• indentations
• kerning and leading
• page numbers
• spacings
• typeface styles and point size

Complex software functions  may include:

• data transfer
• display features
• embedding
• exporting
• fields
• form fields
• formulae
• importing
• index
• linking
• macros
• merge criteria
• sort criteria
• table of contents
• templates

Naming and storing text documents  may include:

• authorised access
• file or folder names which identify the operator, author, section, date
• filing locations
• file names according to organisational procedure
• file names which are easily identifiable in relation to the content
• organisational policy for backing up files storage in folders and sub-folders
• organisational policy for filing hard copies of documents
• security and password protection
• storage on disk drives, CD-ROM, USBs, tape or server back-up

Designated time lines  may include:

• time line agreed with interna or external client
• time line agreed with supervisor or person requiring document
• organisational time line e.g. deadline requirements

Unit sector 

Competency field 

Information and Communications Technology - IT Use

Co-requisite units