Word processing

Word processing, use of electronic equipment to write, edit, and print documents. A word processor is basically an electronic typewriter with information storage devices similar to those of a computer and a cathoderay-tube screen on which text is displayed. This makes it possible to edit or correct the text before it is printed out; the processor “remembers” the corrections and prints out the final version. The processor can also make the right-hand margins even (justify them) and produce documents in any desired format. The documents can be stored on magnetic disk or tape for later use. In many newspaper offices the word-processing equipment is connected directly to electronic typesetting machines.