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writer. Indeed, many journal publishers have handed at least part of the production of the typeset manuscript to the
author.

Hardware

Computers and Printers
A personal computer—using either a Macintosh or a Windows operating system—is, of course, the essential piece of
hardware. Most laboratories and universities now use personal computers connected to each other on a large network,
with a server providing all the connected units with access to files, applications, and the Internet. If you are using
Windows, a computer with the slower 486 processor and the older 3.1 version of Windows will work fine for most of
your purposes. However, if available, a Pentium processor, from 133 mHz. on up, will prove better suited for the
creation of graphics. The older, slower Macintosh computers will satisfactorily meet most of your word-processing
needs, although the newer Power Macs will prove more useful with graphics applications. Listed below are some other
important computer features to consider when preparing your electronic manuscript.

• Hard Drive: Your hard drive holds your applications and files. Unless you plan to use many applications and create
many graphics files, a 1.2-gigabyte drive is usually large enough. Most new machines come with at least a 1.2-
gigabyte hard drive.

• CD-ROM Drive: Most computers today come with a drive that can read CD-ROM disks. Many software programs
are now available on CD-ROM.

• Memory: If you are using your computer for writing only, you can make do with 8 megabytes of RAM (random
access memory). However, if you plan to create graphics and run more than one application at a time, you will need at
least 16 megabytes of RAM. Most new machines come with at least 16 megabytes. If you are working with digital
photographs and other continuous-tone graphics, plan on needing at least 32 megabytes of RAM.

• Monitor: Monitors come in several sizes—15-inch, 17-inch, and 20-inch, measured on the diagonal. If your budget
allows, get a 20-inch monitor; it is large enough to view almost an entire page of text at one time. In addition, you can
open a second page for comparison or open

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a related graphic to view side by side. A 17-inch monitor is your next best bet. Most new monitors will allow you to
adjust the screen resolution so that you can see more of the image, just a little bit smaller.

Another vital piece of hardware is the printer. Professional journals frequently accept computer-generated line art; you
will require the use of a laser printer that is capable of producing clear, high-quality graphics as well as dark, easily
read text. Journals require that laser-generated output be printed at 600 dpi (dots per inch) resolution; any lower
resolution is unacceptable because it will not reprint well. Your printer will thus need to be capable of black-and-
white laser output at 600 dpi.

Portable Drives, Modems, and Digital Cameras

To avoid losing all your hard work in the event of a computer catastrophe, you should backup (save) your data
somewhere apart from your hard drive. Most manuscript files are short enough to be backed up on a floppy disk.
However, if you are working on a number of files, keeping track of disks may become a problem. To avoid this
problem, you can use a portable drive, which holds more data.

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