Contrast

To achieve contrast on your newsletter pages, try using different styles within the same typeface as opposed to several different type fonts (a real no-no!) Most type families include regular, bold, italic and bold italic, but you´ll also find condensed and extended, too.

Save Money on Second Colors

Adding a second color to your newsletter always adds an additional cost. You should be able to save some money by contacting your printer to find out what his printing schedule is. For instance, if he has a day where he´ll be running all his red ink jobs, you may be able to get a discount if you can get your newsletter to him ahead of time. In most cases, the cost of the second ink color is based on the extra effort by the printer to clean the ink off the press, in addition to the second run through the press.

*Ghoulish* Terms

A BLEED is when the printed image extends to the trim edge of a sheet. It appears to "bleed" off the page.

CREEP refers to the distance variation at the middle signature sections of a saddle-stitched book caused by the thickness of the paper signatures where saddle-stitched.

DAGGER is simply a reference mark.

GHOSTING is a term that describes the undesirable appearance of faint replicas of printed images, caused chemically or mechanically (usually found in photos).

When MASKING, a portion of an illustration is blocked out by pasting paper over it to prevent it from being reproduced before exposure.

If you see a PHANTOM, it´s nothing more than an area of an illustration reproduced in tones that are very light compared to normal tones.

RUNNING HEADS can be viewed as titles repeated at the top of each page of a newsletter or book.

SHADOWS are the darkest or most shaded portions of a subject which shows a range of tones from black to white.

Setting Up a Template

Rather than re-invent the wheel every month, set up a standard template. Include the nameplate, masthead, and boxes for the features that will appear each time. Copy the template into a new file and work from there. Never work off the original template itself or you´ll rue the day you found out too late, and it´s suddenly a corrupted file.

Be Consistent

The best newsletters are consistent with colors. For example, if you use a specific color for an important headline or a border around an important article, repeat the same color throughout your newsletter for other elements of significance.

Before You Begin...

Before you begin...make a rough sketch (or "dummy") based on your ideas for the layout and design of your newsletter. You might also consider a checklist of the important elements, so that nothing is left out in the initial planning stage. (A dummy will save you valuable time on your computer as you will be able to see a rough draft of the finished product.)

Size Matters

Generally, you will be able to adjust the size of your newsletter to the amount of information you`ll be providing. You can assume you`ll have space for 3 to 6 items per 8-1/2x11" size page.

A newsletter for a small company, such as a daycare or home-based business, is best kept to two pages - front and back of a standard 8-1/2x11" sheet. Larger companies or organizations will be happier with newsletters that are four pages (either two 8-1/2x11" or one 11x17 with a half-fold) or eight pages (two 11x17 with a half-fold). Cost is another factor that will determine size.

Readers usually like to finish a newsletter in about 4-5 minutes...if your newsletter takes longer than that, they will start to lose interest.

Deliver a Clean Copy

This may sound obvious, but you should deliver a "clean" copy to your printer for the best results. Make sure there are no pieces sticking up off the page, and that all pasting/correction materials have been removed. All elements should be securely pasted down (especially corners!) and all traces of rubber cement, wax, glue, etc. gently taken off. You might even want to go to the extra measure of taping a clean sheet of tracing paper over the entire page for protection.

(If you have used wax, be sure to keep your flats out of the sun! Try transporting them in a shallow-covered box.)

Jumpline

A jumpline is the line of text (usually written ”Cont. on page 3") that directs your readers to another page to continue reading a lengthy article.

Color Specimens

Gather specimens of color combinations that you feel work well together. This will help save time later if you decide to add color to your newsletter.

Article Placement

The rule of thumb for placement of articles on the inside pages of your newsletter, is to keep the best articles and pictures on the right-hand sides.

Four-Column Format

A four-column format is made up of four narrow columns. In some instances, you may want to merge two of the columns (two left, two right or two center), for a feature article.

The nameplate generally goes across all four columns at the top of the page. If you are adding photos or artwork, they can go across one, two, three or all four of the columns.

*Format

Format refers to the final physical form of your newsletter including size, design, typestyle, margins and printing requirements.

Two-Column Format #1

A two-column format uses two columns of equal width.

The nameplate generally goes across both columns at the top of the page. If you are adding photos or artwork, they can go across one or both columns.

Looking for Color Combinations?

Spend the day in your local fine arts museum to get ideas for color combinations. Fine artists are known for their creative use of colors and you could possibly start a new color trend! (Besides you deserve a day out...treat yourself to some culture!) If you do not live near a museum, visit your local library and look through books featuring the paintings of the masters.

Extra Readability

Extra readability can be gained by using a larger type size and wider column width for the text of the main story in your newsletter. Subordinate topics or groups of small paragraphs can then be set in smaller type and a narrower column width.

Spot Color

The Pantone Matching System (PMS) is a popular system for printing inks. Often a printer has two choices for creating an ink color: process color and spot color. Spot color uses a matching system to create the shade. By specifying the official Pantone name or number, you can be assured of the color match when the file is printed.

Front Page

First impressions are important! The front page of your newsletter is YOUR first impression. You should take advantage of this by creating a unique nameplate (banner) to go across the top of the page. While your banner is busy catching the attention of your readers, some well-chosen headlines and/or graphics should reel them in! (Try to avoid too much body copy!)

The front page is also a good place to add teasers about "what´s inside" the rest of your newsletter.