1. SPELLING THE WAY YOU WANT IT
2. MULTI-AD CREATOR
3. MAILING LIST SOFTWARE
4. ACROBAT AND NEWSLETTERS
5. EPS FILES AND PAGEMAKER
6. IN DESIGN AND PRINTERS
7. TRANSPARENCY AND CLIPPING PATHS
8. UTILITIES/UPDATES
9. HINTS
10. SOURCES OF INFORMATION
11. LAST WORD
Firstly, thanks to all those who wrote in appreciation of our previous issue which we had out a short time after the Adobe announcement of the details of InDesign. The early morning launch in Boston was about 12.30am here in Melbourne and the newsletter was on its way by just after 2am. Sadly it also included our infamous mid-word linebreaks; we're still seeking an answer that suits most mail readers.
1. SPELLING THE WAY YOU WANT IT
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Do you have problems in spell checks with words that are spelled correctly but not the way your style specifies? Or do you worry that certain words may just "slip through"?
Most spell check programs will only point out words that aren't in their dictionary, but several publications we are involved with have a mixed style -- with "or" instead of "our" endings for colour/color but with other words spelled the UK not the US way, such as preferring endings in "ise" rather than "ize".
If you create your copy in Word 97 you can do something about it by setting up an Exclude dictionary.
This is also a good place to list all those embarrassing typos that spell real words, such as pubic for public, ass instead of ask...or even for those four letter words which could be an even more embarrassing mistake (the d and f keys are adjacent when typing about ducks).
But the information isn't obvious in the Word Help files and in this quest the dancing paper clip is useless. Even when we were told how to do it we took a little while to get it right.
Call up the Help > Contents and Index.
Click on the Index tab.
Type in Spell, then select, under spell checking, the item for "customizing".
Now in the topics found window, select "Specify a preferred spelling for a word" and follow the seven steps listed there.
Basically what you do is create a text file of the words you want to query, one per line, and save it under the same name as your dictionary file but with the extension ".exc".
Your dictionary file will most likely be in a folder such as:
c:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Proof
You may find it easiest to do a search for files ending in ".lex" which are in a Microsoft folder and with a name which includes Mssp in the name -- for example, ours is Mssp2_ea.lex and the most common, US dictionary is Mssp2_en.lex.
Save your exclude file to this same folder, then restart Word.
In the early stages you may be well advised to create a shortcut or alias to the file so it can be easily opened, maybe with Notepad as the editor if you are on a PC.
2. MULTI-AD CREATOR
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We have been meaning to take a close look at Multi Ad Creator for some time but recently Tonya Dale wrote to us: "While I'm a tried and true PageMaker gal, I must admit to having recently purchased the newest version of Creator2, by Multi-Ad. Newspapers I've spoken with swear by--not at--this software for making ad setting quick and quality. Body copy also flows easily, lots of built-in borders are included and I figure I'm ready for a new challenge. It was only $100 US so I figure I'm not out much besides my time. Are you familiar with this program, or is anyone in your area using it for newspaper production?"
There is a demo of the original Creator (now in version 4) you can download <http://www.multi-ad.com/>. It is a Mac only program with the compressed demo file size being 3.7MB. It installed with no problems and does everything except allow saving or exporting -- which would usually be to an EPS file but which can also be in TIFF or GIF format. It allows regular ad sizes to be set up for any publication and is an obvious timesaver for any publication with lots of trader or directory-style ads -- blends, borders, starbursts, coupons, and type effects as shadows of many kinds, perspectives, engraved, slants, arcs and so on can be created instantly. Text styles allow you to create those supermarket- or caryard-style prices instantly after setting them up once. It will also quickly mask graphics with an automatic clipping path if the background is clear enough.
It will even take a selection of type and objects on a page and suggest a layout (with conditions you can set so this will get better the more you use it). You can also add notes to the file.
Many newspapers already use the program to create EPS or TIFF files which are then placed in PageMaker or XPress, and for that purpose any newspaper with many display classifieds will soon find it indispensable.
However, like much modern software, there is now a bloated Creator2, and Multi-Ad Publishing Systems have apparently decided that their niche is not large enough. The new program attempts to compete with the big names in layout programs, not very successfully to judge from a Macreport review. The price given there is US$700 rather than the price Tanya paid. However, if you are using PageMaker or XPress, it isn't Creator2 you want but the original Creator which remains on the market.
3. MAILING LIST SOFTWARE
========================
Kevin Knaack wrote: "I am the owner of a brand-new (1 month) trade newspaper. I am very limited on the budget side and have a PC instead of an Apple (The Apple seems to be the computer of choice with the folks I have contacted in the layout departments of several newspapers). My father runs a very successful trade paper but it uses Apples...
"I am putting together a large database (mailing list) to present to potential advertisers and I hope to find some reasonably priced software to run on my PC. I am also looking for a program that will handle my subcription management and database for a low price intially.
"Of course, both of these programs must be compatible with the printer's production and mailing software."
We replied: We use mostly PCs because most of the small newspapers in the immediate area we service with training also use PCs. However we've recently added a Mac so that we can be sure that automation scripts etc will work on both platforms.
As most of the software is identical on both, you shouldn't really see any difference. We usually recommend that you choose your computer service people ahead of the computer itself as, in this kind of business, getting immediate service if something goes wrong is the major need.
On the mailing list software, we've found that most use general commercial database software, but as your main concern is, reasonably, to be sure it is compatible with your mailing company, I would suggest asking them what other clients use.
If the answer is something like Access or FileMaker then it should be fairly easy to draw up what you need based on one of the software's standard templates. They may even have a client producing a non-competing publication who would either give or sell at a low cost their template -- after all it is in the printer/mailing company's interests to have you giving them the database or prepared labels in exactly the way they want.
Some of our readers may have other suggestions.
4. ACROBAT AND NEWSLETTERS
==========================
Christina wrote: "I recently found your newsletter and think its great. I was wondering if any of your readers use Acrobat to publish newsletters and info on the internet. I have project I'm doing for work that involves scanning and converting maps to PDF format. So far I haven't found a way to do this that gives me good quality images. Any information or links to how to do this would be appreciated. What I'd like to know is what resolution I should scan in, what file format should I save them in (I save them as tif and convert them to eps before using the distiller), and if there's a better way to do this."
We replied: You'll find some good information about Acrobat settings both on the Adobe website and at the pdfzone site <http://www.pdfzone.com>.
However, the problem, as you've discovered is getting the resolution right -- the better the reproduction, the larger the file, and it really means experimenting until you get a satisfactory answer to suit you. It will also depend on whether the reader is going to mainly look at PDF on screen or is likely to print it. It may even be necessary to offer a low resolution version in an HTML file (in JPEG or GIF format) -- once someone knows it is what they want, they'll download a large file, but they may be reluctant to do so if they are unsure.
However, I wonder why you are converting them from TIF to EPS (which, with a TIF original, is just putting an EPS wrapper around the TIF file). You will retain more direct control over what Distiller is doing by keeping them as TIFs.
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Connecting that item with the next, Owen Watson wrote: "I don't know whether you've covered it, but has anyone in my situation (lots of outside contributors with a wide range of technical abilities, hardware & software) successfully got most of them to send in artwork in pdf format? I've been wondering about this as a viable option to eps."
We have been tending to recommend that anyone considering sending anything to us, does so in PDF format, and while there have been problems (especially with people who haven't taken any notice of our instructions or advice on fonts and the resolutions for graphics), we've had fewer problems recently. Fortunately in some cases the downsized graphics have still been good enough for newspaper reproduction -- but they certainly wouldn't have been for anything on better quality paper.
We've been intending to produce a PDF of advice for our clients to use but haven't got round to it. If anyone has such a file, we wonder whether they would like to share it.
5. EPS FILES AND PAGEMAKER
==========================
Owen Watson wrote from Wellington, New Zealand: "It might be worth putting in something about getting eps files into PM.
"EPS (Encapsulated PostScript) used to be the PDF of its day, but it has lost a lot of its charms for transferring graphics, if only because, like standards, there are so many implementations to choose from.
"The practical result is that occasionally eps files won't print even when you download them direct to the printer, or they appear in print a different position from what they appear on screen in PM, or you might even want to edit them.
"What to do?
"First, try Illustrator. That can open well-behaved eps files, give them a preview, and you can edit the result.
"If that fails, try converting them to PDFs with Distiller, and placing those. The last thing to try is Photoshop; it will convert the image to bitmap (so you need a good idea of the finished artwork size and resolution).
"Corel Draw can in theory open and edit eps, but I've found it very buggy on the Mac. (Owen added to this in a later message: "I've just updated Corel Draw to 8.02, and it seems a lot more stable/usable for eps stuff".)
"I have heard of PSAlter (PC) and Tailor (Mac) to edit EPS, but I have not tried them; I think Tailor is now an orphan.
"Any other suggestions?"
7. TRANSPARENCY AND CLIPPING PATHS
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The "white box" around imported graphics must be one of the most common questions in DTP newsgroups, so it came as no surprise when Maria wrote: "I am new to PageMaker, Photoshop and Illustrator. I have been writing a newsletter for our company and when I import graphics into PageMaker I have a white box around them. I can import them into Photoshop first and select and delete the white box, but when I bring it back into PageMaker the white box returns."
Maria added that she found the PageMaker FAQ on our website, "but it sounds like what I have been doing."
We explained: Instead of just selecting and deleting the white area in Photoshop, when you have used whatever tool is best for getting the outline, make that a path -- you may need to select inverse to ensure the image is selected not the area around it -- then save the path and make a clipping path from it (the Help file will tell how, but the commands are in the flyout menu from the Paths palette.
Now, with the clipping path active (selected in the paths palette) save the image as a TIFF. When you bring this into PM you should now have a cutout image.
Our explanation obviously worked because the next email from Maria read "Thank you, thank you, thank you. My boss thanks you, her boss thanks you! I am so glad I found your site."
Jeanne Ehinger has useful information on clipping paths and the way they are created in a program such as Photoshop at: <http://www.members.tripod.com/~karmacat/psclipping/clips.htm>
8. UTILITIES/UPDATES
====================
Olav Kvern had a hint on to Quark XPress users who like the PageMaker way of placing graphics: "Get the David's Place Xtension from Jintek. You place graphics without first creating a frame--and the frame that the plug-in creates is the size of the graphic." In a comment on the PageMaker list Olav said the Xtension seems to have come about because David Blatner (author of "The Quark XPress Book" and the essential "Real World Scanning and Halftones") got tired of being ribbed about the way XPress imports graphics. You will find details at <http://www.jintek.com/index.html>. The David's Place Xtension is free.
Jintek also make a scripting plug-in for XPress called "ScriptMaster XT" which adds a floating scripts palette to XPress. The quote on the Jintek index page is a good introduction: "ScriptMaster XT saves us hours of work by automatically generating advertisement sizes that are consistent throughout our publication" -Mike Thomasson, Production Supervisor, Trader Publications San Diego.
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A little applet that shows you what your fonts really look like in Word97: <http://www.wopr.com/vbapower/vbapower.htm>
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A quick comment on the missing items from the Mac version of Acrobat 4 (which we mentioned in the previous issue of Format). This comes from Jim Meehan an Adobe engineer: "we're catching up as fast as we can".
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Looking for borders/fonts? Try <http://www.staffassoc.com/dpfonts/>. As well as direct access to some nice fonts, Dennis Palumbo has a set of links pages with more than a thousand links to font related sites.
9. HINTS
========
Quark XPress 4 includes character style sheets as well as paragraph styles. For a job which you may need to update on a basis of character styles, it can be worth doing a search and change sequence. First create a character style based on the existing formatting, then open the Find/Change palette and search for those particular attributes. In the 'Change To' area, select the new character style sheet. Press Option or Alt to change the Find button into 'Find First', find the first occurrence of the local formatting, then click 'Change All' to convert all instances into the new character style sheet.
While PageMaker doesn't have character styles you can use Find and Change in a similar way based on attributes.
10. SOURCES OF INFORMATION
==========================
How do you get graphics out of Powerpoint? Tim Cullis in the UK had this problem, and did not want to have to have duplicate versions of every graphic used in training manuals and a set of presentation slides. The answer was to maintain the MS Powerpoint graphics as the master set and then bring them into his layout program, which happened to be PageMaker. There's a wealth of advice in his report on how this was achieved, and it is now on our web site as a slim 36kb PDF file at: <http://www.worsleypress.com/pubprod/powerpoint.htm>
Tim told the PageMakr List: "I spent *many, many* days evaluating the different ways of exporting raster and bitmap graphics from PowerPoint for use in PageMaker and wrote the results up as a report."
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There have been many links in past issues of Format, and, as the web is constantly changing, many of them have changed. We have been trying to keep our html versions of the newsletter up to date, and while we haven't succeeded every time, it may be worth checking any failed links in issues you have on file with the issue on our web site. You can get direct access via the issue number: <http://www.worsleypress.com/format/format15.htm> for example. Just substitute the issue number.
11. LAST WORD
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If you are really worried about what is going to happen at midnight on the last day of this year, maybe you should consider one of the other means of calculating what year it will be: 5760 in the Jewish calendar, 2544 to the Buddhists, 1420 in the Moslem calendar and variously according to other methods, anything from 208 onwards. And it will be the Year of the Dragon after the Chinese new year.
Gordon Woolf
The Worsley Press
Hastings, Australia.
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