Planning Your DocumentDesktop PublishingKim Pate 2011

Preplanning• Audience• Who will make up your audience

• Purpose• Is it to inform, advertise, seek input, or meet a

requirement?• Are images used to inform or attract attention?

• TimeFrame• Often times there is more than one person involved in a

project. All deadlines must be met in order to get the document out on time.

Layout• Thumbnail SketchA thumbnail sketch is a good way to plan a document before opening your DTP software. This can be drawn on paper using stick figures and boxes labeled as text is all that is necessary.

Example

Offset Printing Process—Screened slightly

Content about press types.

Content about press types–

continued from previous column

Enlarged Line Drawing of Offset Press– provided by art department(name

of person)

Orientation• Orientation is the vertical or horizontal position in

which a page is printed.• Portrait—Vertical Orientation• Landscape– Horizontal Orientation

LandscapePortrait

Page Organization• What should come first?• What needs to be last?• How many pages will you need?

Page ArrangementIf your document is going to consist of more than one single page, you need to decide how the pages will be arranged.

Pages printed on only one side generally have the same margin and heading settings. Pages printed on both sides so that they have facing pages may have slightly wider interior margins or gutter to allow for binding space.

• Facing Pages– pages are front and back so that they face each other. Right and left sides.

• Gutter- the inside margin of a document with facing pages

• Recto pages—the odd-numbered pages in a document with facing pages

• Verso pages– the even-numbered pages in a document with facing pages.

Page 2 Page 3

This is a verso page. This is the recto page.

• Booklet- a document that consists of two pages printed front and back on a single sheet of paper.

Pg 8 Pg 1

Back and Front Cover

Pg 6 Pg 3

Second Page

Pg 2 Pg 7

Inside Cover

Pg 4 Pg 5

Inside Second Page

PaperAmerican Standard

• Letter 8.5” X 11”• Legal 8.5” X 14”• Ledger/Tabloid 11” X 17”• Trim Size- Reducing a document to a specific size• European sizes are based on metric

measurements

• Bond paper- usually used in a photocopier or personal printer

• Book paper-Better quality paper

• Text paper– Very high quality

• Newsprint- Very low quality and inexpensive

• Cover stock- Very heavy stock

• Coated– photo paper

• Dot gain-Refers to the spreading of the ink once it hits the paper. The higher the quality of paper the less dot gain.

Folds• Z Fold-• Trifold• Accordion fold• Gatefold• Business letter fold• Half fold

Z Fold

Trifold

Accordion Fold

Gatefold

Half Fold

Binding• Saddle stitch- uses staples in the middle of

folded pages• Spiral Binding-Uses plastic or metal combs• Perfect Binding- Uses glue along the edge of

pages to create a bookStaples at the top or along the sides are the most common form of binding

Paper weight• Paper is measured by pounds or #• The most common weights are: 20# bond, 24# bond, 80# text, and 80# cover stock.

Complete the Review Questions