CONTENTS
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2. AD BOOKING SOFTWARE
3. DISCUSSION LIST ON MAGAZINES
4. UNDERSTANDABLE XML
5. PDF FORMS - A PLEA
6. UPDATES AND HINTS
7. SOURCES OF INFORMATION
8. LAST WORD
2. AD BOOKING SOFTWARE
======================
Since we compiled the details of Ad Booking Software for our book "How to Start and Produce a Magazine or Newsletter" we have been told of another solution, SmartPublisher, which we have now added to the list at <http://www.worsleypress.com/magbook/adbooking.html>. Used by a range of mid-market magazines including several regional publications such as Best of New Orleans, Harvard Magazine and New England Travel & Life, it is based on FileMaker and works on Mac and Windows desktops. Pricing starts at $5000 for a single user version. It is surprising how reticent some companies in this field are at nominating a price, but that doesn't apply here.Details are at <http://www.pre1.com>
3. DISCUSSION LIST ON MAGAZINES
===============================
There are plenty of discussion lists for small scale book publishers, but not for those who publish, or are thinking about publishing, a magazine or newsletter. So it is good to see a new Yahoo group has started for "Independent periodical" publishers. So far, after a few days, it has 50 members in 6 countries, mostly, to judge by introductory messages, those thinking about starting a publication. While several people were saying it would be a good idea to have such a list, Donyell Nelson who publishes CraftGuru online and print magazine, actually did something about it. The list is at <http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/IndependentPeriodicals/>
4. UNDERSTANDABLE XML
=====================
In the final session of the InDesign Conference in Melbourne last month, Deke McClelland gave a very quick session on XML and InDesign -- and for the very first time I think I understood what someone was saying about XML.
It was based on a chapter from his new book, Adobe InDesign CS one-on-one, published by O'Reilly (ISBN 0596007361), and the notes he gave away were a photocopy of the relevant chapter in that book -- 22 pages of it. In it he creates a template of a page with multiple frames, tags it as XML, exports it, replaces the copy with a new version and imports it into the InDesign template.
I still have to find time to work through the exercise myself, but I have seen it working and I'be added Deke's book to my list of InDesign must-have books with Sandee Cohen's and the Blatner/Kvern book.
I mentioned to Deke the possibility of using XML for multi-page directories and classified ads layout in preference to normal InDesign tags -- in part because XML handles graphics and InD tags do not --and he suggested I try it and report back, which I will do.
In the meantime, has anyone else tried this route?
More details on the book at <http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0596007361/theworsleypre-20>
5. PDF FORMS - A PLEA
=====================
John Wilkins replied to our mention of PageSteam as a DTP program that would open PDFs, and commented: "FreeHand 9 or greater will also open PDFs pretty well, so long as they are absolutely stock standard, no compression, no digital signatures, and so forth. We often get here at the WEHI (a medical research institute) grant applications in PDF that have to be filled out but which are not fdf-producing (usually printed straight out of Word via PDF-Writer; for some reason the major grant bodies in the States and Australia haven't learned much about PDF). So there are two options -print them and type the application (which can run to 50 pages!), or open them in some editing program and add the text. Illustrator, being only a single page editor, is not good even if it can open the PDF. FreeHand, being a multipage editor, often works fine.
"I get the researchers to open the PDF as a FreeHand file, create a 'Data' layer, lock the PDF layer, and start placing the Word text by drag and drop - which produces text blocks with formatted text, that can be resized to fit the boxes left on the application form.
"If the PDF is too messy for FreeHand to accept, the only solution is to open it in Acrobat (Std or Pro) and export each page as a TIFF or EPS and do the rest a page at a time.
"Would it be too much to ask Adobe to set up a 'fill-in' version of forms that is entirely client-side, and which saves the data in Reader so it can be emailed back to the originator for *them* to extract the FDF data? And to tell the large American and European medical research granting bodies how to do this? Please?"
6. UPDATES AND HINTS
====================
Quark have released their free QuarkXPress 6.5 update, which is a free download from their web site. There have been reports that it is missing the promised PSD import filter, described as a cutdown version of ALAP's ImagePort XT. There is a list of "known issues" with the update at <http://www.quark.com/products/xpress/tech_info/65knownissues.html>
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What's the future for Paint Shop Pro? The creators of the program, JASC, have been bought by Corel. An FAQ on the Corel web site states: "Corel Photo-Paint is an integral part of the CorelDRAW Graphics Suite; it is one of three core applications that are integrated in the suite. It is not a standalone product. With the Paint Shop family in our portfolio, our customers can access standalone digital photography and imaging software solutions. There are currently no plans to replace Corel Photo-Paint with Paint Shop Pro. Corel will continue to market the Paint Shop family as stand alone products." The FAQ is at: <http://www.corel.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=Corel2/Section/Content&sid=1047022946165&cid=1047023901885>
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Serif Software have announced the launch of PagePlus 10, which they describe as "the landmark version of their hugely popular desktop publishing package." It now has a book feature, the ability to synchronise styles, colors etc across publications, full unicode support, mail and photo merge, and improved find/replace functions. Price is US$129.99. Details at <http://www.serif.com>
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WoodWing software have launched Smart Layout CS v3.1 which works with the CS versions of InDesign and InCopy. New features include: Users can now select a group of page items and convert them to SL articles with one click. With Automatic XML mapping, users don't have to understand XML. Copy Fit, the ability to reformat content so it fits its elements, and Square Off, the ability to resize an article so all columns are leveled, can be done in one click. SL InCopy users can now create structured articles with multiple components from scratch. By using the pre-designed Smart Layout templates, InDesign users can lay out articles with multiple elements. So This means designers can take an article that was created in InCopy (with multiple components), place it in InDesign and all pieces of content will flow into the correct elements. Flexible Column Gutters allows different-width gutters inside an article.
Details at <http://www.woodwing.com>
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I have recollections that Callas introduced their MadeToPrint plugin when InDesign had shortcomings in its Print choices. Now that InDesign has solved those problems, MadeToPrint is still around, with version 1.5 going far beyond normal print options. It is now an output and automation tool capable of producing several documents with different layers and layer combinations with just one mouse click, for example to allow a swift change of languages at output stage. A new batch function allows complete folders to be processed when checking for missing fonts and pictures. Reports are generated on the fly, and script commands can be executed right before output (for example the automatic "packaging" of documents). Details: <http://www.callas.de/en/madetoprint_indesign.php>
7. SOURCES OF INFORMATION
=========================
Apple has an article listing font priorities, in other words the order in which it will find fonts in the various font folders: <http://discussions.info.apple.com/webx?14@161.lIzyaGstzfo.2@.68908e3c>. For information in the Apple Knowledge Base do a search at <http://kbase.info.apple.com> for articles 106417, "Mac OS X: Font Locations and Their Purposes" and 106737, "Mac OS X: How To Add or Remove Classic Fonts".
David Creamer has a PDF on his web site, under the "Articles & Reports" link that discusses font locations for OS X and Adobe programs, how to remove them, and management options. <http://www.IDEAStraining.com>. There's also useful font info there for Windows users.
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Is that graphic in InDesign bigger or smaller than it needs to be? In InDesign CS IDCS you can see the effective resolution for any selected image in the Info palette.
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The MacFixit site <http://www.macfixit.com/article.php?story=2004100508191519> reports that a problem with slow printing from Adobe Reader 6.0 or Acrobat Professional 6.0 on Macs may be solved by deleting the .plist files. Specifically, in the case of Reader 6.0, these two files (located in ~/Library/Preferences) should be discarded: com.adobe.Reader6.0.plist and com.adobe.Reader.plist
8. LAST WORD
============
Want to know what most of the world's newspapers have on their front page today? There are more than 350 from around 38 countries at <http://www.newseum.org/>. You need to get through to about page 5 before the US papers end and international papers start.
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Feel like combining the question and exclamation marks to make a point? There is such a character, called the interrobang. American Type Foundry created a font called Americana with the combined character, and it was included on a few Remington typewriters in 1968 only. Sadly it didn't catch on, though it is still in Microsoft's Wingdings 2 font on the tilde key and on one of the curly brace keys, both with no shift.
Gordon Woolf
The Worsley Press
Hastings, Australia.