CONTENTS
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1. EFFICIENCY AND LAYOUT PROGRAMS
2. A NEW KIND OF MAGAZINE
3. AND A NEW BOOK ON MAGAZINES
4. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
5. UPDATES AND HINTS
6. SOURCES OF INFORMATION
7. LAST WORD
1. EFFICIENCY AND LAYOUT PROGRAMS
=================================
We had an interesting email from a newspaper production manager concerned with the efficiency implications of the latest page layout software -- and particularly with a change from an older version of QuarkXPress to InDesign. How, he asked, could he guarantee that the ad typesetters and designers will still produce ads with the same efficiency, if they spend too much time feathering, drop shadowing, and transparancing. In an older QuarkXPress they had been limited not only by the organisation of the newspaper but by the limitations of the program: "this means that no time is spent on fancy headings, or special effects; instead, they 'burn and churn' newspaper ads with true newspaper worthy efficiency."
He compared two newspaper offices he knew where similar staff in one produced twice the output, in numbers of ads set, as the other, even when both were using similar software.
We are not talking "sweat shops" here. They offer reasonable working environments though someone who works in a "design" office where output comprises one or two flyers a day or a couple of reshapes of an ad would have a very different view.
The problem of needing to restrict "creativity" is very real in this kind of operation. But it is not the creativity itself that is the problem, rather the time taken.
Real productivity should come in InDesign with things such as nested styles -- how many times are there either separate text blocks or much individual formatting when it can now be one click to apply one style and size to a name, a size up for the phone number and two sizes down for an address. If it can't be a nested style it can certainly be either a script, or the copy entered in a text editor and tagged. Creativity put into producing such things which are used many times is not wasted. But it is a different kind of creativity.
2. A NEW KIND OF MAGAZINE
=========================
In a recent issue of CreativePro newsletter, editor-in-chief Pamela Pfiffner described some of the problems in planning their forthcoming InDesign magazine, which is to be published solely as a PDF. She says: "There aren't a lot of precedents out there. That means we can't learn from other people's mistakes... it seems as if each day we discover something new or encounter something unforeseen. For example... there are many ways to set how a document appears when it's first opened. The cover of 'InDesign Magazine' would have greater initial impact if it opened in Full Screen mode, but readers unfamiliar with that might be confused by the black screen and lack of menus. I want the publication to open as spreads (facing pages) but a colleague is convinced that Continuous is better. And so on."
Pamela adds that not having a role model "really hit home when we were developing ad specs — the mechanics of ad creation and delivery. Because we are making a magazine, we of course looked at the media kits of other magazines to see how they do it. But all we found were production specs for offset printing presses or online Web sites. As we're creating a publication designed to look like a magazine but that can be read on screen, those rules don't apply."
On the other hand "it's fun to not have to worry about page counts".
Read more of that at <http://www.creativepro.com/storyarchive/newsletter/346.html>
To get a free trial issue of InDesign magazine and to subscribe, go to <http://www.indesignmag.com>
3. AND A NEW BOOK ON MAGAZINES
==============================
This is a chance for us to mention the fourth edition of "How to Start and Produce a Magazine or Newsletter". I first wrote this book in the 1980s and have rewritten it three times since. I thought the most dramatic change would have been in the period leading up to the third edition in the year 2000, but in fact more has changed in the new edition. However, there is some that remains the same -- while there are new methods of page production and printing, most of the problems of planning an issue, selling and keeping records of advertisements, distribution and most legal aspects remain the same.
Details of the book are at <http://www.worsleypress.com/magbook/>
4. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
========================
David Ralph, publisher of The Abaconian, in the Bahamas, had a problem discussed in Format81 <http://www.worsleypress.com/format/format81.htm> with black boxes which appeared randomly when making a PDF. The boxes would appear on just a few PDF pages from PageMaker and we have included on our web site an example of just such a file, but one where David found the answer. The black rectangle down in the bottom right section of the page turned out to be a simple underline of the words "I know" in the last para of the text in the upper right text box. David wrote: "apparently the black box is Acrobat's version of the underline."
David added: "Also interesting that the restaurant ad under the text box has two underlines but for unknown reasons they were accepted without incident. On discovering this, I went to the real estate ad I had sent you several months ago and found that it contained an email address with an underline. I eliminated that in the original PageMaker file, converted to a PDF and got a good conversion."
David is "not prepared to condemn underlines universally but in some instances that is the rogue element."
I have never liked text underlines, and although that has always been because of the uncertainty on how they will be handled in postscript printouts, the variation has usually been a point or two vertically, not many inches.
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Donna asked us: "I am looking for a tutorial in order to learn how to use and become proficient on PageMaker for use required on my job."
We replied: There are also a number of department and education organisation sites offering help. Among good ones are:
Very basic:
http://www.hamline.edu/personal/dhudson/eng3370/home/pagemaker.html
http://online.caup.washington.edu/courses/larcwi01/LARC440/pagemaker_start.htm
http://www.designer-info.com/Writing/dtp_tutorial.htm
<http://www.hamline.edu/personal/dhudson/eng3370/home/pagemaker.html>
There's a good problem solving FAQ at: <http://www.atlantictechsolutions.com/pmfaq1.html>
My own book on PageMaker, "Publication Production using PageMaker" doesn't really start until most of the above, and the program manuals, finish, but there are some other good introductory books including Adobe's Classroom in a Book series.
5. UPDATES AND HINTS
====================
With the new Smart Connection Enterprise edition, WoodWing Software now has a set of three production workflow systems to produce publications with InDesign for. Smart Connection Light is for free-form collaboration, the Pro version adds file-system based workflow while Enterprise caters for more demanding database driven workflows. Details at <http://www.woodwing.com>
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Print21 magazine reports <http://www.print21online.com> on major changes to Quark's conditions of use, which now allow for installation and activation by the user of QuarkXPress on two computers for non-concurrent use, bringing them in to line with Adobe, which, for example, allows a user to have one copy of InDesign installed on their desktop and laptop computers, provided the programs are not in use at the same time. The report adds that those who paid Quark for a license to do this will be given a credit against future updates. Incidentally, Quark's discussion forums are back: <http://www.quark.com/service/forums/index.php>
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A concordance is not an index. You will see that view on most editing forums, but a concordance does have uses, and one was suggested in a recent edition of Editorium Update <http://www.editorium.com/euindex.htm>. This is that they will find misspelled words that are so wrong as to be legitimate words. An example is a book or feature on management, where a concordance might find one or more examples of "Manger". The Editorium is a source of much information on using MS Word and has recently included a macro to create a concordance from a Word document, and provides a word list to use with it of more than 2000 words you are unlikely to want to include. There is also advice on using this method with optional spellings and capitalization.
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For Windows users, a simple and free macro program: <http://mwganson.freeyellow.com/winkeysim/>
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The Softcare Overset Manager plugin for InDesign and InCopy can show or hide overset frames for the selected text flow or all text flows on the page. The overset frames are highlighted with a light yellow background, helping to prevent costly mistakes. It also calculates the exact text length needed to fill a text flow by number of characters, words, lines and manuscript lines for the current selection, text column or text flow. The palette also allows the user to measure the current text selection against the remaining amount of overset text for exact copyfitting. The plugin is incorporated in the K4 Publishing System but is also available for US$99. A fully functional tryout version is available at <http://www.softcare.de> for Mac and Windows.
6. SOURCES OF INFORMATION
=========================
Bill Blinn offers "A short, jaundiced history of desktop publishing" in a new newsletter at <http://www.blinn.com/news/2004-07.pdf>. Bill hosts a syndicated US radio program "Technology Corner" and is a moderator of the copyediting email list.
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A useful site for news on what is happening in the newspaper world, especially in the areas of readership, technology etc. is the NAA (Newspaper Association of America) at <http://www.naa.org/>.
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An interesting report on a speech to the UK IT industry by PDF originator John Warnock on how Postscript and PDF came about and how "Microsoft just didn't get it" referring to an idea so simple that it could not be patented: <http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/05/14/adobe_warnock_lovelace/>
7. LAST WORD
============
CreativePro newsletter <http://www.creativepro.com> reports on a new version of the Swiss Army knife that adds a miniature USB drive in a slot normally reserved for a blade. The 64MB thumb drive folds out from the familiar red casing but you can also detach it from its hinge for easier data transfer. Details at <http://www.victorinox.com/>
Gordon Woolf
The Worsley Press
Hastings, Australia.