CONTENTS
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1. WHAT'S HAPPENING TO READERS
2. PAGETOOLS AND PAGEMAKER 7
3. VIEWS ON TWO BOOKS
4. AN ANSWER TO "SPAM" EMAIL OVERLOAD?
5. FOR MAC ON WINDOWS
6. QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS
7. UTILITIES/UPDATES
8. HINTS
9. SOURCES OF INFORMATION
10. LAST WORD
1. WHAT'S HAPPENING TO READERS
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John Lavine, professor of journalism at Northwestern University, Illinois, believes the next three years are crucial for the print media, a golden opportunity to build readership before other media grab a significant share of advertising.
Lavine is the author of the Impact report by the Readership Institute prepared for the Newspaper Association of America and the American Society of Newspaper Editors. The report and a whole set of detailed surveys are available at <http://www.readership.org>. There will be something there for anyone with a role in producing a publication.
The reports compared "constructive" and "defensive" cultures -- and found that while most management stated a need for the former, almost all fell into a "defensive" stand. "Defensive" cultures are more usually associated with government organisations and according to the survey are less often found in industry -- except it seems for newspapers.
Typical defensive structures are where an advertising department regularly disrupts the production process to take late ads. The advertising department contends that its mandate is to provide perfect service to the accounts who fund the newspaper. But if the paper is delayed and some readers do not receive it before they leave for work, then advertising is using perfectionism to put its goals ahead of the newspaper’s.
Interestingly, 14 of the 100 publications surveyed in depth had no one primarily involved in marketing and promotion.
And if you regard journalists as having the fastest turnover of staff you would be wrong -- the greatest turnover with the shortest average stay is in advertising. Because most journalists and pressroom and advertising staff can readily move to other publications which have a similar attitude and structure the tendency is to work "the newspaper way" rather than in an individual way to benefit a publication. Most jobs are filled from outside the organisation.
Eighty percent of respondents felt their papers did not offer good management practices and this changed little according to the size of the paper. Changes in technology have not led to changes in management practice.
While most in the industry say readers want shorter stories, the research showed most respond to longer explanatory stories. Explaining complex subjects by showing how changes apply to local individuals, is the most effective way of telling a news story. And they found that people do read obituaries and wedding reports (every oldtime journalist could have told you that).
Another finding – that newspapers with a higher level of staff-written stories did not have higher satisfaction levels – confirms that it is less a matter of who writes the story than how it is written.
Newspapers that readers find "easier to read" tend not to have shorter stories, rather they provide more actionable information (such as dates, times, locations, phone numbers, Web site addresses associated with stories), run more feature-style stories and do more in-paper promotion of content.
The smallest newspapers print 21 stories per week for each full-time equivalent position (FTE) in the newsroom. (FTE numbers include reporters, editors, senior managers, photographers, clerical staff, etc.) Newspapers of more than 200,000 circulation print about 1.4 stories per week per FTE.
One aspect of readership of publications could be worth promoting: "when you read the newspaper you’re focused on reading it; you’re not doing something else, too."
2. PAGETOOLS AND PAGEMAKER 7
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Since we detailed Harry Ewell's methods for making the PageTools plugins work with PageMaker 7, the makers of PageTools, while insisting that they no longer support it, have issued some similar information at: <http://www.extensis.com/support/pagetools_pm7update.html>
Harry comments: "My conversion works the same as theirs although some unnecessary files are copied. There is no reason for anyone to change from my conversion to the Extensis workaround; however, new people should use the Extensis workaround as it is easier."
Extensis comment: "PageTools 2.0, a plug-in for Adobe's PageMaker, is not compatible with the latest version of PageMaker, version 7.0. PageTools is a discontinued product and there is no further development currently planned. However, due to the popular demand by existing PageTools users, Extensis has done some investigation and has come up with a workaround..."
For Macintosh you must have a previous version of PageMaker where PageTools is or can be installed and should download a revised "Start PageTools" file from <http://www.extensis.com/support/images/Start_PageTools.sit.hqx>.
For Windows the instructions include, as with the Mac, a need to copy a number of files from the old installation, but there is no automatic start -- you have to select one of the tools from the Plugins menu.
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One of the updated files for PageMaker 7 from Adobe is an updated "Publication converter", necessary because the old one has the unfortunate effect, if you try to use it to convert PM6.5 files to PM7 files, of deleting the old files without creating new ones. The updated plug-in, does not add the ability to convert PM6.5 files: but it will give an error message: "Cannot convert *.p65/*.t65 files."
In an accompanying note Adobe say: "The Publication Converter is not designed to convert PageMaker 6.5x files to 7.0. It is designed to convert PageMaker 4.0-6.0 files to 6.5 files only."
Certainly "PageMaker 7.0 can open PageMaker 6.5 files natively" as they say, but it opens them as an "Untitled" copy of the file which the user has to rename.
We have an answer, going back to ancient DOS days, but it still works with current versions of Windows. Create a text file (in Notepad or any text editor) called renamePM.bat and pop it in any folder where you have a batch of files to convert to PageMaker 7. The text file needs just one line: RENAME *.p65 *.pmd
Double click on the file once you've placed it in a folder in Explorer and it will rename all the .p65 files in that folder. They will now be opened in PM7 as if they were PageMaker 7 files and will keep their name. (As with any work of this kind, keep a backup of the files).
3. VIEWS ON TWO BOOKS
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This is an extract from the review on one of our books from one of the major library review journals in the US, the Midwest Book Review:
"Now in an updated and expanded third edition, Gordon Woolf's How To Start And Produce A Magazine Or Newsletter is the best instructional guide for aspiring publishers of a magazine or newsletter available today.
"Drawing upon his more than thirty years of professional experience in magazine and newsletter publication, Woolf covers all aspects of the process from determining what kind of magazine or newsletter to publish, what is meant by "copy", and producing a publication, to the publishing options and alternatives of photocopying; small offset printing; illustrations; layout and design; paste up; computer productions; the e-zine; the economics of publishing; distribution; the legal ramifications of publishing; and more.
"If you are contemplating publishing a magazine or newsletter, in print or on the Internet, then begin with a thorough reading of Gordon Woolf's How To Start And Produce A Magazine Or Newsletter."
That's brought us a 5-star rating on Amazon.com -- though you may do a better deal with a direct purchase from our web site <http://www.worsleypress.com> as you'll get a 10% discount from us as a Format subscriber and may be a lower charge for postage.
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Now we turn to a book which, as soon as I read about it, I thought: "I want that". It is the Handbook of the Print Media and is published by perhaps the best known printing equipment maker in the world, Heidelberg, in association with the Springer Publishing Company. It was written by a team of 24 specialists led by Dr Helmut Kipphan, technology and innovation research director at Heidelberg. Hardly a "handbook" with more than 1200 pages, it was published in German last year and is now available in English. Try your local Heidelberg machinery supplier who may well be able to offer a better deal than the book trade. (We have ordered it, at A$176, from the Heidelberg Print Academy in Sydney, German price is DM185 or from the USA US$99, both plus tax and freight). Read more about it at <http://www.bluelinemedia.com.au/index.cfm?prod=1&comid=2> which is the site of an Australian on-line print industry newsletter.
4. AN ANSWER TO "SPAM" EMAIL OVERLOAD?
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Kaitlin Duck Sherwood, author of "Overcome Email Overload" for Eudora and Outlook users <http://www.OvercomeEmailOverload.com> suggests a possible answer for publications wanting to receive email rather than physical mail but being overloaded by SPAM, the unwanted email offers of sexsites, moneymaking schemes etc.
Kaitlin suggests that the industry should come up with a list of journalism email subject keywords (JESKs). These are things like PITCH: or OOPS: (correction needed) coupled with a bureau/department keyword like SPORTS:, BIZ:, NEWS:, TECH:. For example, the appropriate JESK for my own publicity-seeking efforts would be PITCH:TECH:.
On web sites and in the publication, there would be the clear statement: "Email messages with JESKs will be read first. For more information on JESKs, see http://blah.blah.blah..."
Kaitlin offers to come up with filters/rules that change the priority of messages that have the appropriate JESKs in the subject lines. These go on a Web site for journalists to download/import into their own email program.
But what if spammers start using those JESKs? Kaitlin answers: If every industry has its own ESKs, then hopefully it will be too much trouble for the spammers to put in different ESKs for each industry."
If someone wants to target a newspaper, couldn't they disguise the virus by putting a JESK on it? Kaitlin answers: "If I *really* wanted to target your publication, I'd forge The Boss's return email address. And if I wanted to ensure good distribution of a virus, I sure wouldn't put a keyword in the subject that non-journalists would ignore! Also, I'd be happy to write a filter that bounced back anything with an attachment with the message, 'I'm sorry, this publication does not accept attachments. Please convert your attachment to text, snailmail it, fax it, or put it on a Web site"."
5. FOR MAC ON WINDOWS
=====================
Jeff Greensmith wrote from Tarragona, Spain: "Anyone in a Windows environment who receives Macintosh CDs, floppies or files, or who needs to run some Mac programs would do well to check out the open source Basilisk Mac 608*0 emulator for Windows. (The Mac O/S itself is not included).
<http://www.uni-mainz.de/~bauec002/B2Main.html#download>
"We are using it with excellent results in both speed and stability, using system Mac 8.1 and 8.6 on Windows 98, 2000 and NT4.
"There are obviously limitations. Latest generation, native PowerPC only programs will not run, but many production standards will, Quark 3.3, Photoshop 5.5 etc. Netscape runs well (it could be a useful resource for web designers who wish to check the appearance of their pages in Mac browsers). Setting up needs a little care, but we have successfully read a variety of Mac format only media CDs, zips, etc., and have written Mac format only CDs.
"Switching from the emulated Mac O/S to Windows is simple, and data can be easily pasted from one to the other.
"One other advantage is that viewed from Windows the Mac OS/programs/files are seen as one large, single file. This makes network installation, copying, backup and restoring very simple. Highly recommended.
"Keep up the great work with Format"
6. QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS
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Steve Johnson writes: "Format is a valuable resource, and we wouldn't want to miss an issue. I do have one comment: You always have information about InDesign (tips, plugins, etc.) Do you know ANYONE who is using InDesign?? I think we have handled one job one the PC in InDesign format; the shrinkwrap is still on our copy of the Mac version. We are a digital printer, so we use whatever our customers choose to use. I'm not debating InDesign's pros or cons; I'm just noting that nobody, but nobody is using it. Do other people's observations match mine?"
At around the time we received that, we also saw that "La Coruña - La Voz de Galicia", a leading Spanish regional newspaper has opted for InDesign with plugins such as Smart Layout and Smart Styles from WoodWing Software rather than considering a proprietary newspaper systems.
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As well as giving the Mac on Windows answer above, Jeff Greensmith asked: "I wonder if anyone knows of a news forum or other resources aimed at those of us in newspapers and magazines who handle reception and processing of ads that arrive in digital format."
Any suggestions?
7. UTILITIES/UPDATES
====================
There's regular criticism of Outlook as a mail program, not least because it is the most generally used email program on the Windows platform and therefore the prime target for hacks and viruses. It can be an advantage to use a lesser known program, and the one we've used for several years is Pegasus Mail, developed in New Zealand by David Harris but with a worldwide following. It is free, though if you make major use of it you can help its continued development by buying the manual. Now there's a new version, Pegasus Mail 4.01 which can be downloaded from: <ftp://risc.ua.edu/pegasus/winpmail/w32-401.exe>
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Those who know the program PopChar on the Mac and are looking for something on the PC which offers a little more than the builtin Character Map may like to take a look at Allchars <http://allchars.zwolnet.com/>. For Win98 it is a 360kb download (there are versions for all flavors of Windows). It's free and there are add-ons for some special language character sets.
8. HINTS
========
If you are getting "out of memory" errors occasionally with QXP 3.3x, check the size of the partition XPress is operating from. It seems such problems can be caused by partitions of around 4GB or more.
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If you place a TIFF file in QuarkXPress with a background of none it will clip the file based on the low resolution preview that it has built when it imports the file. If any areas near the outside of the box are white, or close to white, QXP will clip these areas out, thinking that they are meant to be transparent. It doesn't happen with eps files. Setting the background to white or 0% black fixes the problem.
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You can combine pages from multiple QuarkXPress documents by drag and drop of thumbnail pages but there's also a script by David Lloyd in his Xpress script package at <http://www.kanzu.com> 160kb. It's free or costs US$10 if you want the editable set. The programs also include: XS Matrix (lay out a grid of picture boxes or text boxes), XS Slice (slice up a box - if it contains an image that gets sliced too), XS FontBook (catalog your font collection), and more.
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"A client sent me a Quark file. I don't have Quark." Here's a possible solution which is relatively easy, and free:
<http://www.topica.com/lists/editorium/read/message.html?mid=1705645356>.
Incidentally The Editorium is a good place for "Microsoft Word Add-Ins for Publishing Professionals", at <http://www.editorium.com>
This example started with a "stuffed" (.sit) Mac file of a book typeset in QuarkXPress. First, you'll need StuffIt for Windows, which will "unstuff" that stuffed file. (StuffIt is a file compression program similar to WinZip.) You can download a trial version at: <http://www.aladdinsys.com/stuffitwin/index.html>
When you install, it will ask if you have a "serial number", but you can click "No" it will install in "demo mode" for 30 days. To unstuff the file, drag and drop it to the "Aladdin Expander" icon on your Windows desktop. The unstuffed file will then appear on your desktop as well. There is also a free version of "Stuffit Expander".
Next, you'll need the QuarkXPress 4.1 Demo program for Windows, from: <http://www.quark.com/products/xpress/demos.html>
Start the QuarkXPress demo, open the unstuffed file, click on "File" then on "Save Text" (which is different from the disabled "Save"). Save the text as a Word document, which will preserve styles and other formatting.
The downside to getting the QuarkXPress demo is that it's 23 megs. However it will run as a demo for ever, to be used a Quark-to-Word converter whenever the need arises.
9. SOURCES OF INFORMATION
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A Photoshop list: Check the archive and sign on at <http://lists.lyris.net/photoshop/>
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<http://www.shortcourses.com> has an online short course in choosing a digital camera that's good for novices (which will currently include many who will go on to become experts). It has other short courses on batteries, digital photography, editing photos, and so on.
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With memory relatively cheap you may like to put a lot more in your PC but there can be a problem in getting Win98 to use more than 512MB no matter how much will go on your mainboard. For more info see: <http://www.aumha.org/a/memmgmtz.htm> "Windows 98 & WinME Memory Management Updated October 21, 2001"
10. LAST WORD
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It's the QuickTime movie clip which has shot around the prepress world. Called "We Didn't Trash Your File." Download it for PC or Mac at <http://www.gxo.com>. It is around 8MB and runs for about 4.5 minutes. You'll have heard the excuses, but not in song.
Gordon Woolf
The Worsley Press
Hastings, Australia.
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