CONTENTS
========
1. WE'RE BACK
2. ANOTHER WORD PROCESSOR!
3. DASHES AND WORD
4. A HIGHER DOLLAR
5. MORE ON XML
6. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
7. XTENSIONS/PLUGINS/SCRIPTS
8. UTILITIES/UPDATES
9. HINTS
10. SOURCES OF INFORMATION
1. WE'RE BACK
=============
We're back! Just as we were about to mail this issue, 12 days ago, the list server crashed and could not be revived by the service provider. This happened just as we were about to do our own twice-monthly backup so, even after the listserv was revived we had to reconstruct our distribution list.
Unfortunately in this process we seem to have lost about 80 subscribers, and there may be a few more if we have also included anyone who had unsubscribed (to whom we offer our special apologies).
We do have details of new subscribers who signed on via our web site but not those who tried to sign on to the list server direct in the last two weeks. There messages may have just disappeared into the ether.
Any help in letting others know that we are back would be appreciated.
2. ANOTHER WORD PROCESSOR!
==========================
We like bare-bones word processors, because in publication production they are mainly used to prepare and perhaps tag copy which is fully formatted in a page layout program.
One worth considering on the Mac is Z-Write from StoneTable Software, and not just because we have known the creator Marc Zeedar via the Internet for several years. (He subscribes to Format). One of the advantages in our field is that Marc knows the print industry and print production in particular.
You can download a trial version from <http://www.stonetablesoftware.com/z-write/> which gives full access for 30 days, and then limits some functions, though you will always be able to open and edit files even if you opt not to pay the US$20 cost.
Z-write's main purpose is allowing a writer or journalist to keep track of information gathered in developing an article. Possibilities for use seem, at first glance, to be considerable, and the way it can be used to collate and gather information is very different to any other word processor or text editor we have seen.
It also allows files to be set up as templates, so that, for example, if you use tags to define sections of stories, you could save templates with these already in place.
Among innovative features are that it allows importing of all text files in a folder -- and each file in that folder will become a section.
You can export as "Simpletext", a Mac format supported by most Mac-based word processors, or as HTML or RTF. You can also drag a selection to the Desktop to become a text clipping. Similarly such clippings can be dragged into Z-Write. HTML export allows export as a single file or separate files for each section plus a Table-of-Contents HTML file. There is a system for having templates (with, for example, the possibility for separate sections for notes, details of deadlines, contacts etc.) and maybe to set up a template with PageMaker or QXP tags in place for headings, byline, intro etc. Tags could also be added as glossary items.
While there is no spellchecker included, the program will work with spellcheckers such as Excalibur <http://www.eg.bucknell.edu/~excalibr/excalibur.html>. Sadly the program is not yet scriptable, but we would expect that Marc would respond quickly to any perceived needs.
There's no complex installation -- just unstuff and put the resultant folder wherever you wish. For Mac users, it's well worth a try. For those on PCs, we still suggest a look at NoteTab <http://www.notetab.com/>.
3. DASHES AND WORD
==================
If you'll frequently use em and en dashes in Word, you might want to temporarily assign them to the keys of your choice. Go into Insert, Symbol and click on the tab for Special Characters. Highlight em dash and note the shortcut key already given for it. If you want to assign a different key combination, single-click the Shortcut Key box and then press your preferred key combination. If this is already assigned to another shortcut but you want to use it anyway, make a note of the original assignment and you can switch back later. Then do the same for en dash and any other special character you want.
Another option is to use AutoCorrect. Insert two AutoCorrect commands: first, two hyphens becomes an en dash; second, an en dash plus a third hyphen becomes an em dash. So for en dashes you can type <hyphen><hyphen> and for em dashes type <hyphen><hyphen><hyphen>. This may be more logical than the default option which produces an em dash when you type a hyphen twice.
Beware the hyphen key in combination with Ctrl and Alt in Word. While Control and hyphen produces a non-breaking hyphen, using Alt as well produces the menu-item deletion cursor. Imagine the horror of watching menu items disappear one-by-one. If an unwanted menu-item deletion cursor appears on the screen (it's a bold em-dash), get rid of it with the Escape key.
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Equally annoying in Word is the way, by default, it turns all web and email addresses into hyperlinks. To turn it off go to Tools > Autocorrect > AutoFormat. Then, under the "replace as you type" heading, uncheck "Internet and network paths with hyperlinks"
4. A HIGHER DOLLAR
==================
With the relatively high value of the American dollar, our US subscribers will find that buying books from us (or in fact any products from Australia or Europe) has become substantially cheaper. For example, our "How to Start and Produce a Magazine or Newsletter", costs A$47 including airmail postage to the USA, and that now converts to approx US$26 if paid by credit card, whereas only a few months ago it converted to US$29 (and a little while before that to US$32). Similarly our "Newspaper production using PageMaker 6.5" now converts to US$35 approx whereas it used to convert to US$42.
We don't get any less, though, if this low conversion rate continues it will start to push up our costs because, for example, most software will get dearer. Already, our website and newsletter costs have risen because we are hosted in California.
Sadly, the same benefits don't extend to UK and other European subscribers, because their currencies have generally dropped in line with ours.
We've also noticed that major software companies have been holding their prices here -- an indication that they may not expect the present situation to last long. It couldn't possibly be that world financiers among visitors to the Olympics wanted a cheap trip, could it?
5. MORE ON XML
==============
WoodWing Software of The Netherlands has announced their third plugin for InDesign, Smart XML Export. Its purpose is "to generate well-formed XML to re-purpose the contents of InDesign documents, both text and images, for other media such as the Web and on line archives."
Smart XML Export translates standard InDesign styles to XML tags, automatically. After designing the page, the user selects WoodWing XML from the standard InDesign Export dialog to export XML, without any additional actions.
The generated XML Styles can optionally include an style sheet reference so that the XML can be viewed directly on the web with any standard browser.
In addition to fully automatic style-based XML mapping, the plugin allows users to manually tag individual elements through an Element Tag Panel.
The plugin also allows support for structure. When re-purposing content, it is important to be able to indicate structure within the document to identify multiple items as a single unit. For example, an article might consist of head, byline, body, an image and its caption. When Smart XML Export is used together with WoodWing's Smart Layout plug-in, this structure information is automatically defined and exportable.
Smart XML Export will enter an extensive beta field test at multiple sites in early October and should ship later this year with an expected price of US$149. <http://www.woodwing.com>
6. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
========================
Walton Harris at the University of Georgia reported a problem with the "Blob" PageMaker script on our website <http://www.worsleypress.com/pubprod/scripts.html>. The cause turned out to be the slight difference in naming conventions for fonts: "Zapf Dingbats" against "ZapfDingbats". The script works in some circumstances where the inbuilt Bullets plugin is not appropriate, such as where the author has used asterisks to indicate the need for a bullet. Place the cursor at the beginning of the line and it takes the first two characters and replaces them with the bullet and an en-space, then moves on to sit at the beginning of the next para. The script can easily be edited to substitute any other dingbat, and any other character such as a tab.
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Nick Morenos wrote from Australia to say "This may sound like a lame question but...I am in the market for a postscript printer. I need something that can print directly from Indesign 1.5, and Illustrator. I have a Brother HL 1260e which has PS emulation but I can only get it to print PS from a PDF file - and then with some problems and a long wait."
We replied: Emulations vary in quality, and that was one of the reasons we opted for a Xante printer with genuine PostScript licensed from Adobe. However, I never had any problems with QMS printers (I had one and some of my clients have several) and they had postscript emulation.
HP have recently gone from licensed PostScript to an emulation (except, I believe, in some of their very high-end models).
I've noticed that GCC are offering their printers on a 30-day trial, so, with one of their ads in hand, I think I'd be going to any supplier and asking for just that -- with the option to return if it has any problems with InDesign files.
I was tempted to upgrade to a PostScript 3 printer, until I discovered that most laserprinter versions of this don't include in-rip trapping, which, to me, was one of the attractions.
Having said all that, there will always be files which fail to print -- but then the same file will usually fail to make a PDF too -- and I've also installed considerably more memory than is suggested. In my present case, the Xante 8300 took the discarded memory from an upgraded PC, so effectively that printer upgrade cost nothing. It considerably improved printer speed once I'd sorted out the correct PPD adjustments.
7. XTENSIONS/PLUGINS/SCRIPTS
============================
WoodWing Software have just released the beta 2 version of their SmartLayout plugin for InDesign. It is available from <http://www.WoodWing.com>. Besides solving several bugs and some minor new features, this version includes the first draft of the documentation.
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On the Mac, OSA Menu at <http://www.lazerware.com> allows you to have a permanent Scripts menu at the top of the screen which has AppleScripts for the application you are currently in. The "lite" version is included with Mac OS from 8.5 onwards but there's also an updated lite version.
8. UTILITIES/UPDATES
====================
It seems there are lots of ways of getting printed listings of folders and files from Windows. These include a Visual Basic applet called 'Directory Printer' from the WinMag site <http://www.winmag.com/karen/>. Directory Print is at <http://www.galcott.com/dp.htm>.
You can also go to a command prompt, navigate to the folder and type: dir > filename.txt (where "filename" is whatever you want to call the file). Exit DOS and open filename.txt in any text editor or word processor. If you need to include subdirectories, type: dir > filename.txt /s
Microsoft's free add-on called Powertoys for Windows 95 has a utility that adds an element called "clipboard by name" to the "send to" entry in the right-click context pop up menu. This allows you to select the file names in explorer, right click, choose "send to" and then "clipboard by name" and the filenames are in your clipboard, ready to be pasted in any word processor/text editor.
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In response to a question about how to tell if graphics in an ad supplied as a PDF are RGB or CMYK, and what resolution, we pointed Nick Morenos of Fruit Tree Media to <http://www.PDFzone.com> as a source for many PDF plugins. We suggested he look at CheckUp from Enfocus. He replied: "Thanks for your quick reply to my question. I went to the pdfzone and discovered a little gem of a freebee from Enfocus called EyeDropper which 'is an Adobe Acrobat plug-in that provides a tool to accurately measure the color of a point on a page. Enfocus EyeDropper uses the color information specified within the PDF page description, not the on-screen RGB color.'
"This little plug in gets me one step closer to identifying if a PDF is ready for print or not -- if it's RGB it's No ... Good. Top Stuff, and it would have saved me a major headache only a couple of days ago - if only I had it then...
"Many thanks. If you think this little bit of info will be of value to anyone else I'd be more than happy if you passed it on."
9. HINTS
========
An Acrobat hint from the PDF list run by PDFzone.com <http://www.pdfzone.com>: You can create different watched folders for each printer setup and assign them the desired distiller job option. Then, all you have to do is save the PS file to the correct folder. Distiller will know what kind of PDF (screen, press-optmized, etc.) to make from PS files dropped in that folder, based on the job option assigned to it.
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A solution from a member of the PageMakr List may be useful to others for solving a file corruption problem caused apparently by a story which could be found only via the Story Editor. "It turns out it was in a publication that had been changed from double-sided to single-sided. I changed the pub to double-sided in document setup, and there was the text on the left-hand master page. I just deleted it and changed the setup back to single-sided. Problem solved."
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One more reason for always sending a clearly marked fax or hard copy of an ad even in this electronic age: A designer reports sending a PDF of an ad cropped right on the outer box of the ad using Acrobat's crop function, but which was printed reduced in size so that the whole uncropped area was used -- giving a large white border. Some layout programs give an option on PDF import to select either the whole area or the copy, and it seems likely the person bringing it into the page made the wrong selection. It is easy to do.
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You can also use Acrobat's crop function to create tiles for printing a large page to a small printer.
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In PageMaker, how can you hide Master Items on only one page of a two page spread? Answer: Use Fly-out menu from the Master Pages pallet. Drop down to "Apply . . ." Select "Set left and right pages separately" and select your page in "page range."
Then in either the left or right page area, select the master page you need and hit "Apply",
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We've mentioned this before, but it continues to be a source of contention: In System 9 Apple woke up to the benefit of function keys and started trapping them. Therefore, to get Quark's function key to work as they used to, go to the Keyboard control panel, click on "function keys" and uncheck "use f1 through f15 as function keys".
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If, each time you start your Mac, you either need to reset the date and time or you need to reselect your printer, background picture or double-click speed, you may need a new battery. Located on the logic board, the small battery allows your system to retain the contents of Parameter RAM (PRAM). In PRAM, is such information as speaker volume, mouse speed, monitor depth and other Control Panel settings. The battery should last about five years, depending on usage.
10. SOURCES OF INFORMATION
==========================
I wrote an article on running an email newsletter for PC Update, the magazine of the Melbourne PC User Group, and you can find it on their website: <http://www.melbpc.org.au/pcupdate/2010/2010article10.htm>.
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PageMaker's Save for Service Provider (S4SP) plug-in does not work with non-EPS graphics on the master page.
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PPC University <http://www.prepresshelp.com> specialises in training for the pre-press industry, with lessons you can run direct in a browser without needing access to the software. It costs US$49 a month and lessons can be run as many times as you like. There are also facilities to post questions to tech support and for on-line chat on prep-press subjects, plus a file library of tips. There's a free demo
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If you use QuarkXPress, and have updated to 4.10 or 4.11, have you also looked at what XTensions may not have been automatically installed. For example, the Scissors XT which provides a tool can that convert a text box into a text-on-a-path Bezier line. The info on these is in "A Guide to QuarkXPress 4.1.pdf" on the QuarkXPress 4.10 and 4.11 CDs.
Gordon Woolf
The Worsley Press
Hastings, Australia.
====================