Word processor

A word processor is software for creating, editing, formatting, and printing text documents. It combines text editing with document layout and presentation tools.

WYSIWYG: A user-interface approach that displays content in a form resembling its printed or final output. Word processors use this approach to show formatting and page layout as documents are edited.
Typewriter: A machine that produces characters on paper by striking inked type against a surface. The word processor inherited the typewriter's keyboard-based production of text.
Mail merge: A method of combining a template document with a data source to produce personalized copies. Word processors use it to generate letters, labels, and other individualized documents in batches.
Text editor: Software for editing plain text, typically without the page-layout and rich-formatting features of a word processor. Text editors focus on raw text, while word processors manage formatted documents.
Personal computer: A computer designed for interactive use by one person at a time. Personal computers turned word processing from specialized office equipment into widely available software.
Rich-text format: A document format that stores text alongside formatting information such as fonts, colors, and paragraph styles. It represents the styled text that word processors let users create and revise.
IBM MT/ST: An IBM magnetic tape-based system introduced in 1964 for recording and editing typed text. It was an early commercial system that joined typewriting with stored, revisable text.
Track changes: A document-editing feature that records proposed additions and deletions for review. It supports editing workflows where revisions must be inspected and accepted or rejected.
Desktop publishing software: Software for composing publication pages with precise control over typography, graphics, and layout. It offers finer control of page composition than the usual word-processing workflow.
Desktop publishing revolution: The late twentieth-century shift that made professional page design accessible on personal computers. Word processors helped normalize digital document production alongside specialized publishing tools.

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