<normal>The first step towards effective page design is a clear understanding of your audience. Some of the points you should consider before beginning your page design are listed below:
<normal>Where will my document be read?
<normal>Physical environment is an important consideration; e.g. natural or artificial lighting, in a factory, at a desk in front of a computer with limited space. These factors should influence your choice of page and print size, binding, and the use of matte or glossy paper.
<normal>Who is my reader?
<normal>Try to write in a style that is appropriate for your audience and be careful not to use words or pictures that may cause offense.
<normal>What is the age of my typical reader?
<normal>Small print is difficult for the young or elderly to read. You should avoid it when choosing the size of text intended for these audiences.
<normal>How motivated is my reader?
<normal>The less motivated your audience, the more visual appeal is necessary to capture their attention.
<normal>How easily can my reader pick out the relevant information?
<normal>What is the best way to structure the document and present the different levels of headings? Less important headings should be smaller than main headings.
<normal>What sort of image do I want to convey?
<normal>The image your document conveys, e.g. fun or serious, formal or casual, could make the difference between whether people read it or not.
<normal>Take a look at page design in books and magazines to see how the above factors have influenced the design of the different pages.
<normal>Considering practical issues
<normal>When designing a document, there are certain practical issues you should consider. Some of these are suggested below:
<normal>Is there a limit to the number of pages in my document?
<normal>The density of text on the page will affect the number of pages in a document. Density of text is in turn influenced by point size, leading, column width, the number of illustrations and the amount of white space on each page.
<normal>What kind of information will the document contain?
<normal>Will there be a lot of reference material, tables and diagrams? How will you produce any tables and diagrams that you require?
<normal>Does this document have to conform to a company style?
<normal>Will it be filed with other company literature and have to fit into a standard-sized folder?
<normal>How will my document be bound?
<normal>Will it be stapled in the corner, folded and stapled in the middle, spiral-bound, glued or bound in some other way? You need to allow sufficient margin space for binding.
<normal>Is the document to be printed on one or both sides of the paper?
<normal>If the document is to be printed on one side of the paper only, you should base your design around a single master page
<normal>If the document is to be printed on both sides of the paper, you will require left and right master pages, as the binding margin needs to be swapped around on alternate pages. You will need to bear in mind that the left and right hand pages are going to be seen at the same time so they should balance and complement each other.
<normal>What is my budget?
<normal>Your budget for the task will influence your decision on paper size and type, binding, the number of illustrations, the use of colour, and the time you can spend working on the document.
<normal>When you are aware of all the practical issues involved in the design of your document, you can begin to consider the details of its layout.
<normal>Deciding the number and width of columns
<normal>The number and width of columns is important to the overall look of the page. Professional designers usually start with a page grid, showing the number and width of columns, and the position of different features on the page. When deciding how many columns to have on the page, consider the following issues:
<normal>What is the page size, and what proportion of the page is devoted to text?
<normal>There is a physical limit to the number of columns you can fit into the available space. Unless your page is very wide, you probably do not want to have more than three columns on the page. A three column layout is most popular for newsletters.
<normal>Are all the columns to be equal in width?
<normal>Generally, make all the columns to be filled with the same piece of text equal in width.
<normal>How large is the body text?
<normal>The larger the body text, the wider the column should be. A line of body text should usually be no more than 65 characters long. The optimal line length for body text is considered to be between 40 and 60 characters.
<normal>Are headings meant to fit the column?
<normal>If your headings are expected to fit the column, is the column wide enough, or will any headings have to be hyphenated or split over several lines?
<normal>Where will pictures be placed in relation to the columns?
<normal>Will the pictures be at the top or bottom of the columns and will they overlap more than one column?
<normal>How much space do you need between the columns?
<normal>The column spacing should be sufficient to prevent the reader's eye running horizontally between the columns, but not so large that it makes the text look fragmented.
<normal>Publisher lets you choose how many columns to have on a page, and how much space to leave around and between them. Use Column Guides in the Page menu to set the number of columns and the space to be left between the column guides.
<normal>Choosing fonts, point sizes and text styles
<normal>Choosing fonts
<normal>The look of your text gives your document an immediate feel, which may invite or deter your reader from reading beyond the first page. The choice of font is a major part of this effect, and can be the most important decision you make when designing your document.
<normal>Some fonts such as Copper Black and Brushwood are ideal for producing posters and other material that has to be eye-catching. Serif fonts such as Toujours are suitable for large blocks of body text. The serifs help to guide the reader's eye horizontally along the line of text and reduce the reflection of light around the letters. Serif is particularly suitable where space is limited or columns are narrow. Sans serif fonts are more appropriate for headings, or if you are typesetting large blocks of text in very small point sizes.
<normal>Be selective in your choice of fonts. Generally, use just one font for body text and one other for the headings and subheadings.
<normal>Choosing point sizes and text styles
<normal>You may find it helpful to start by deciding what point size to use for the bulk of the text (body text). Next, think about the point sizes to use for the different heading levels. Headings should guide the reader through your document by providing sufficient visual contrast (visual cues) to mark the conclusion of one section or article and the start of another. If they are too small, they may be insignificant, and if they are too large, they may be overwhelming.
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<normal>╖ Think about the point size of other types of text, such as picture captions and headers and footers.
<normal>╖ A change in font or style can be just as effective in providing visual contrast as a change in point size.
<normal>╖ The more fonts you use in a document, the longer it will take to load and print.
<normal>Aligning your text
<normal>The alignment of your text is another factor influencing its appearance. The alignments available in Publisher are:
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<normal>╖ Centred and flushed right alignments are used for short lines of text such as headings, invitations, posters and special effects.
<normal>╖ Flushed left and justified alignments are mostly used for body text.
<normal>Body text
<normal>Body text is usually flushed left with a ragged right margin, or justified. Some people feel that flushed left text is more readable because the spacing between words is more even and the ragged right margin adds visual interest to the page. On the other hand, a fully justified alignment is often adopted for long documents, where the unsurprising look of the text on the page is considered to be more restful to the eye. Take care, however, that a document is not so unsurprising that the reader loses interest.
<normal>Fully justified text needs careful control over the spacing between words to avoid unsightly gaps. These gaps distract the reader from the content of the document, giving it a fractured appearance. They can also line up in successive lines, giving the effect of a white river flowing down the column. A river is particularly likely to arise if the column is narrow.
<normal>Setting the leading (line spacing)
<normal>The leading or line spacing, can make all the difference between text that is clear and legible and text that looks cramped.
<normal>Generally, the leading should be proportional to the point size of the text and the size of the lower case letters.
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<normal>╖ A good guideline is to make leading 20%% greater than the point size, e.g. choose 12 point leading for 10 point text.
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<normal>Text in very small point sizes or styled in a Sans font such as Autumn requires rather more leading to ensure legibility.
<normal>If you are using long lines of text, you may find that you need a larger leading to make sure that your readers can follow the lines easily.
<normal>Fonts with a large x-height (such as the curve on a letter d) may also need a larger leading to balance the text and space evenly.
<normal>Using margins and white space
<normal>Using margins
<normal>Use margins to frame the page, making the features on the page stand out. It is more interesting to have uneven margins. The following ratios are suggested to achieve a balanced page:
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<normal>Top - 4 units, e.g. 2.54 cm (1.00 inch)
<normal>Bottom - 8 units, e.g. 5.08 cm (2.00 inches)
<normal>Left - 6 units, e.g. 3.81 cm (1.50 inches)
<normal>Right - 3 units, e.g. 1.91 cm (0.75 inches)
<heading 3>Using white space
<normal>You don't have to fill your page with text and pictures. White space can be used as a design feature in its own right. Use white space to:
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<normal>╖ draw the reader's attention to certain features on the page
<normal>╖ throw a piece of design into relief
<normal>╖ form the background to the text and features on the page.
<heading 1>Balancing the page
<normal>Pages that are too evenly balanced with text and graphics are unexciting. Try to have one main visual feature such as a picture, graph or tinted frame to act as the focal point of the page. Use enough white space around the main feature to make sure that it stands out from the page.
<normal>To make a page containing only text more readable:
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<normal>╖ make white space the main visual feature on the page
<normal>╖ use frame borders, shadowed boxes or tinted frames to divide the text into more readable chunks
<normal>╖ use effects to highlight the important points.
<heading 1>Using Publisher to achieve good page design
<normal>This Help gives you some advice about how to create good page designs using Publisher.
<heading 3>Before starting work
<normal>Decide on your page size before you start designing your document, as this will determine the amount of space you have for text and graphics. Although you can alter the page size later, it will mean resizing all the frames on all the pages.
<normal>Before you start your work with Publisher, use the program to draw a rough sketch of your document, to get a feel for the relative size of the different features on the page (e.g. text, pictures, logo); draw empty boxes to represent these features. Allow borders of white space around the features and the whole page.
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<normal>╖ Your printer may have a limited print area; bear this in mind when arranging the features on the page.
<heading 3>Tips to help your page design
<normal>╖ Place items which need to be repeated, such as a company logo or a surrounding border, onto the master page.
<normal>╖ Use frame borders to put ruling lines in your document. A vertical ruling line can be used to separate columns of unjustified text.
<normal>╖ Position page numbers on the outer edge of the page (left on left pages and right on right pages), particularly in long documents. This helps the reader flick through the document quickly without having to open it fully.
<normal>╖ Avoid unsightly gaps between words by using the Spacing dialog box to control the minimum and maximum space allowed.
<normal>╖ Design a distinctive cover page and save it as part of the document.
<normal>╖ Include graphics, boxes or tinted panels of text to liven up pages.
<normal>╖ To create an alternative frame background for a small item of text, draw a graphics box and give it a fill style. Place the frame containing the text on top of the graphics box. The frame must have a clear frame tint so that the graphic fill style shows through the text frame.
<normal>╖ Print the document at the best quality available to you.
<normal>╖ Scanned illustrations often have a grainy look. If you are producing camera-ready artwork for printing at a professional bureau, consider pasting the original illustration (or photograph) onto the page.
<heading 3>Remember...
<normal>╖ Don't be afraid to experiment. If you see a page layout that appeals to you, think about why you find it attractive, and how you might reproduce or adapt it with Publisher.
<normal>╖ Don't be afraid to use professional designers if you require their help, and the work is too important or complicated for you to handle. Desktop publishing is an excellent tool that lets you produce good results, but it is not a substitute for experience.
<heading 1>Time-saving techniques
<normal>There are several ways in which you can save time when designing or working with your documents.
<heading 3>Documents
<normal>Create paragraph styles for the styles that you use frequently.
<heading 3>Shortcut menus
<normal>All objects in Publisher have a shortcut menu available by right-clicking on the object. This menu contains many of the most common menu commands for that object.
<heading 3>Buttons
<normal>Use the shortcut buttons to gain quick access to many of the menu commands.
<normal>To turn to the first or last page of a document, use the First Page and Last Page tools, instead of scrolling through the document one page at a time.
<heading 3>Paragraph styles
<Bullet>╖ When working on a document with several paragraph styles, set up a following paragraph style to speed up the process of styling your text. For example, set Body Text to always follow Subhead. Use the Next Style option on the Edit Paragraph Style dialog box to specify the following paragraph style.
<Bullet>╖ Assign function keys to frequently used paragraph styles so that you can style your text without using the tools and menus.
<Bullet>╖ Style your text by choosing a style from the paragraph style drop-down list box.
<heading 3>Colour palette
<normal>Modify the colour of text, frames and graphics by clicking on the colour palette at the bottom of the Publisher window, instead of using the dialog boxes.
<heading 3>Hiding pictures
<normal>When working on a document with several pictures, PowerText objects or OLE objects, hide them to speed up the rate at which the screen is redisplayed. Use Show Graphics on the View tab of the Preferences dialog box to turn the display of pictures, PowerText, OLE objects and decorative borders on and off.
<heading 2>Shortcut:
<normal>Ctrl Y turns the display of pictures or objects on or off.
<heading 3>Graphics
<normal>If you want to use drawn graphics within the text, wait until the text is finalised before putting them in. Otherwise, you may find that the relative position of the text to the graphics changes during text editing and reformatting, and you may then have to spend time repositioning the graphics.
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<normal>╖ Remember that when you resize a frame, any graphics objects it contains are rescaled to fit the new frame size. You can resize a frame without rescaling the graphics objects by holding down Ctrl while dragging on the frame handle to resize it.
<heading 3>PowerText
<normal>To edit PowerText, double-click on the PowerText to display the PowerText dialog box. Remember that you can always save frequently-used PowerText for use again and again.
<heading 3>Keyboard shortcuts
<normal>Learn the keyboard shortcuts. Many people find they can work faster using the keyboard, once they are familiar with the software.
<heading 3>Clipboard
<normal>Don't forget that you can cut, copy and paste between your documents.
<normal>Use the Clipboard and the Paste Special command from the Edit menu to paste information created in other OLE supporting programs into your Publisher documents. You will then gain fast access to the features of another application without having to leave Publisher.
<heading 1>Error messages
<normal>Most, if not all, of the Publisher error messages now have Help buttons. If a message box appears and you don't understand what it says, click on the Help button for an explanation of why the message has appeared, and what you should do to avoid it appearing in future.
<normal>The Help for some message boxes may advise you to contact our technical support department.
