Take word processing one step further.

As financial constraints are placed on departments of nursing, cost-saving solutions must be found. Even as budgets shrink, state and federal agencies create standards that often are more easily tracked with flowsheets and forms. In the past, typesetters were contacted for form production. Today, in-house desk-top publishing can help to reduce costs. The tools may already be available in the word processor currently used. With a little time spent learning advanced features of word processors, attractive desk-top forms, newsletters, brochures, and patient information sheets can be produced. In this article, some of the features available to produce desk-top documents are discussed, as are other desk-top publishing programs.