"Freedom of the press belongs to those who own
one."
A. J. Liebling
The process of creating a good newsletter involves three
considerations: design, content and reproduction. But these are not
separate stages; they interact throughout the entire process. How
well you handle the interaction will determine the quality of the
final product. Careful planning of each step in the process will
result in a newsletter that accurately and professionally reflects
your group's identity and purpose.
Part 1: Design
The first consideration is the design of your newsletter. A good
design is one that makes your newsletter easy to read. In fact,
really great designs will entice people to read. Your choice of
design should also project the style and identity of your group. The
design process consists of four smaller steps: developing the
concept, designing a format, selecting type, and creating graphics.
The concept for your newsletter will determine how it will look and
how it will "sound." Another way of looking at concept is to decide
what you want to say and how you want to say it. The selection of a
format for your newsletter follows the development of the concept. Is
your newsletter to be formal or informal? Will your tone be
professional or personal? The selection and design of the format can
work for you or against you. The selection of a typeface is an
important consideration. The typeface should match the concept and
format and ease readability Finally, add graphics only where they
will enhance the news, not detract from it.
DEVELOPING THE CONCEPT
Where do you start? A good place to look is other newsletters or
periodicals. Instead of just reading the words, examine the way the
publication is put together. Select elements and features that
attract your eye. Try to see how you can integrate these into your
own design. But do not try to use a concept that is beyond your means
or that is inappropriate to your situation. For example, a small
circulation newsletter which has limited editing and production
capabilities would operate from a very different concept than would a
newsletter that communicates with a wide audience and has the budget
to support this expanded mission.
FORMAT AND PAGE DESIGN
Format refers to the actual size and layout of the pages and how
those pages are arranged. Most newsletters use standard paper sizes,
81 2 x 14 inches (legal), 81 2 x 11 inches (letter), or 51 2 x 81 2
inches (half-size). Odd size paper will increase reproduction and
mailing costs.
Next, decide on a page layout. This is not the place for unbridled
creativity. The eyes of your readers are accustomed to only a few
standard layouts. Whichever page size you decide on, it should have a
vertical orientation. Then, depending on your concept, you may want
to divide the page into columns. An informal, "chatty' letter could
have only one column, yet a formal publication would have two or
three columns on each page. The columns, plus the margins on all
sides, give you a grid on which you "hang" your articles and
graphics. This grid should be consistent for all pages. But, you can
break the rules occasionally.
Once you have decided on the standard format, you will now work
within that format to design attractive pages. Good design comes with
practice and experience. It is not created spontaneously; don't try
to force it. As you work, you will develop a visual style for your
newsletter. Good design is determined by the balance of visual
elements on each page taking into account that some elements are more
important to your readers than others. Balance does not mean perfect
symmetry. A symmetric page is static; is it is boring and dull. Use
elements of unequal size to pull the reader's eye across the page. If
your publication is printed on both sides of the sheet, consider how
facing pages will look when seen together.
Each story must have a headline that tells the reader what the story
is about. Writing headlines and choosing type for them will be
discussed later. But for now consider headlines as design elements. A
multi-column headline can tie a page together. "Breaker" heads are
used to visually divide a long story and make it more inviting to the
reader.
Other graphic elements (photographs, drawings, boxes, etc.) are also
design elements that can be used to make your pages lively and
interesting. Their use will be discussed below. Do not try to fill
the whole page with type or other graphic elements. This make the
page look crowded. Blank spaces on the page (called "whitespace") is
very important in overall design.
TYPE SELECTION
The typeface you choose for your publication will give it its own
personality. But sometimes, especially with desktop publishing via
computers and laserprinter technology, editors tend to use too many
typefaces within the publication. As a result, publications often
have a split personality. Resist this urge to be "creative" with type
faces until you've had some experience.
Typewriters do not create type. However, a typewriter is perfectly
acceptable if the copy is clean and crisp. Typewritten text feels
personal yet looks professional. There are typewriters that produce
proportionally spaced type. These are better than standard units. The
famous Kiplinger Letter is still typewritten.
Type fonts come in two basic families, Serif and Sans-Serif. Serif
type (like the one you're reading now) has little strokes or tails at
the tops and bottoms of each letter. San-serif type (like this) has
no tails. The most popular typeface ever designed is a sans-serif
font: Helvetica. The second most popular face is a Serif font: Times.
However, a serif type is easier to read, especially in smaller sizes.
LIKEWISE, TYPE THAT IS SET IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS IS HARDER TO READ
than type set in caps and lower case.
In each font family there are at least four variations. For serif
faces they are Roman, Italic, Bold, and Bold-Italic. Roman simply
means straight up and down letters. In the italic version the letters
are slanted . The bold version of a typeface is
darker . And, obviously, bold italic is both
darker and slanted . For San-Serif
faces (like Optima) the four styles are Roman, Oblique, Bold and
Bold-Oblique. The reason for the difference is that italic faces have
different character shapes than the Roman, while oblique characters
are simply Roman characters that are slanted. Examine Italic
vs Roman "a" and "g" to see the differences. These
different versions offer variety, but resist the temptation to use
them indiscriminately. Adopt the Roman version as your standard, and
only depart from it for consistent and logical reasons.
Once you've selected the typeface, you need to select the sizes that
you'll be using for body copy, headlines, sub-heads and breaker
heads. Type sizes are measured in points. A point is 1 72 of an inch;
so 72-point type is about one inch tall. Type is measured from the
top of the tallest ascender, e.g. "b", to the bottom of the lowest
descender. e.g. "y." For best readability, body copy (your story
text) type size should be within the nine to 12 point range. Photo
and figure captions can be as small as six points. Headlines can be
as large as space (and your designer's eye) allow. But try to save
really big headlines for earth-shattering events.
GRAPHICS
The name of your newsletter as it appears on the front page is
considered a graphic, and it is probably the most important graphic
in your publication because it sets the tone for what follows. The
name of the publication alone (set in display type), or the name
combined with a logo or other elements, is called the "nameplate" or
"flag." For example, below is the nameplate for the Renaissance
national newsletter. Note the placement of each element in the
nameplate.
The typeface used for "Renaissance News " is used no where else in the publication. Hopefully, this exclusive use will help the reader quickly identify the newsletter without having to read the name. The Mona Lisa logo is in proportion with the name. The size and placement of the nameplate is consistent from issue to issue. But it does not need to be. Some newsletters have smaller nameplates for special uses, or the nameplate "floats" on the page as yet another design element.
Illustrations, either line drawings or half-tone prints, can be
used as the dominant visual item on a page. But don't feel you have
to use an illustration on every page, and don't use any photo unless
it will reproduce well. Good photos can make a publication while a
bad one can break it. Photos must be screened for printing. This
means that the continuous tones of a photographic print are broken up
into a pattern of dots. Many stationery stores carry a nearly clear
plastic sheet that can be used to screen photographs for reproduction
on a Xerox or similar photocopier. Forget about scanning photos into
your computer and printing from your laser-printer. The best
resolution a 300 dot-per-inch laser printer can produce for a
halftone is worse than the coarsest photo in a newspaper (about 55
lines-per-inch) at 32 shades of grey. A newer 600 dpi laser printer
can reproduce 85 lines per inch at about 60+ shades of grey. This may
be good enough for your purposes. Otherwise have your photos
halftoned.
In the absence of an illustration, a "pull--quote" may be used to
break up a large expanse of type. A pull--quote is a short quotation
drawn from or summarizing the surrounding material and attracts
attention to it. It is set in display type and positioned as a
graphic element.
The large first capital letter is called a "Drop Cap" and it too is
considered a graphic element.
Although headlines are written after the body copy is written,
headlines are an important design element.
Part 2: Content
The first consideration regarding the content of your newsletter is
what tone do you wish to convey? Are you concerned about civil
rights? If so, your newsletter should have a serious tone. Are you
interested in providing information about personal appearance? Your
newsletter should take an instructive, yet informal tone. Or, you may
choose a balance between serious issues, information and
entertainment. But what ever the tone you set, you must have
something worthwhile to say.
Where do you get source material? Perhaps the easiest source is to
write material yourself. Tell about upcoming group sponsored events
and report on previous activities. Try writing an editorial ("In my
opinion ") to stimulate correspondence from readers. A more difficult
source is to have others within the group write material for you. Get
a business report from the treasurer and secretary. Ask others to
write about their opinions and experiences. These sources are
difficult because contributors sometimes don't understand or honor
your deadlines. A third source is from other newsletters. Always make
sure that you have permission to reproduce material. Most newsletters
in our community have a blanket permission statement that allows
reproduction as long as the source is given credit. Once you get your
newsletter underway, you can exchange it with other groups for their
newsletters. Finally, scan newspapers and magazines for ideas. Using
the initial material, write your own original piece. Never lift a
news article, photograph or cartoon verbatim from any source without
written permission. To do so is a violation of copyright laws and
cheapens your publication.
Use the active voice when writing copy ("We made progress.") rather
than the passive voice ("Progress was made."). Passive voice is vague
and tends to hide your meaning.
Use a consistent style of writing and punctuation. This sounds a lot
easier than it actually is. It means that you must pay attention to
style, grammar and punctuation as well as the words. You will get
better at it as you get more experience. There is a list of reference
books for style, grammar and punctuation at the end of this bulletin.
Your contributor may not follow these rules, but as the editor, it is
your responsibility to change their copy to comply.
An editor is also responsible to ensure that all items published are
clear and accurate. To do this, you may have to change some of the
author's words. Don't hesitate doing this, but exercise caution. Good
editing should enhance what has been written, but should leave the
original tone intact. Good editing should also be invisible to the
reader and to the writer of the original piece. In addition to
correcting spelling, punctuation and grammar, you may also have to
edit the text to fit the space available on the page. This may mean
deleting, adding or substituting words that the author used
originally.
To ease the edition process, have your contributors give you double
spaced drafts. If you have your text in electronic form, use a
spelling checker, if possible, but don't expect it to catch all the
errors. Most spelling checkers won't catch contextual errors like
"form" when you meant "from." So, you'll still have to read your copy
to catch contextual errors. If your text is non-electronic, read it
forward for context and backwards to catch spelling errors. If at all
possible, have someone else read it. One of the biggest problems with
effective proofreading is familiarity with the copy. A fresh set of
eyes often finds mistakes that others missed on their third or fourth
reading.
After you've proofread everything, proofread it one more time. The
biggest mistakes are the hardest to find. Check all the display type
carefully. Don't forget the small stuff either. Check everything,
even the page numbers and publication date. Check that every opening
quote, parenthesis, bracket and comma opening a dependent clause has
a corresponding closing element. Check one more time for spelling,
punctuation, grammar and contextual errors.
Part 3: Production
The third and last consideration is production and the method of
reproduction. The method chosen should be cost effective. Cost is
determined by the quantity to be printed and the quality needed.
Production will proceed in two steps: paste-up and reproduction.
PASTE-UP
Paste-up means to assemble the text and graphic elements on the page
prior to reproduction. In the publishing industry this patchwork page
is called a "mechanical." If you are doing manual paste-up, you will
need some layout boards, available from an art supply house. These
boards have the page borders printed in non-reproducing blue. In a
pinch, you can use another sheet of regular paper. You print your
text files in the desired format and cut them to fit the space on
your layout. Test fit everything first. Once you paste it down, there
it stays. Paste them down with double-faced tape or stick glue.
With computer equipment, this "paste-up" process is performed
electronically on the screen of the computer. The advantage of
computer layout is the ease with which changes can be made. You can
try out different formats and type faces without a lot of additional
work. Your pages can be printed from a dot-matrix printer or a low
resolution laserprinter. If you are going to offset reproduction, and
your publication warrants the additional cost, you can output your
pages to a typesetter. Some computer systems will allow you to "scan"
drawings and photographs. This changes them to electronic data that
the computer manipulates just as it does text. The product that comes
out of the printer is ready for reproduction ("camera ready").
PRODUCTION
You finally reached the last step: reproduction. The method you
choose will depend on the number of copies you need, their quality
and the amount of money you are willing to spend to achieve that
quantity and quality.
The simplest and least expensive method of reproduction is
mimeograph. The quality of mimeo is reasonable, but the capacity is
limited. Mimeo masters must be typed directly on the manifold to
transfer the ink to the master sheet. Mimeo has severe limitations in
reproducing graphics; you are generally restricted to using a
typewriter and a ball point pen. Mimeo can also be very messy.
The next simplest method is photocopy, or Xerox. The quality of
reproduction ranges from good to excellent, depending on the type and
age of the machine. Reproduction costs are moderate. Masters can be
"pasted up" by hand or electronically. Photographs are reproduced in
an acceptable manner if they are screened first.
The best quality reproduction, and the highest cost method, is
offset/letterpress. There are two variations of offset reproduction.
The cheaper of the two methods uses paper printing plates
(Quickprint, ZIP & PIP). The masters are produced by photocopying
the originals onto the paper plates. This process is very attractive
for runs in excess of 200 pieces. The older, more traditional process
uses metal plates exposed through a photographic process. This method
is even more expensive, but it gives the best quality and is good for
several thousand copies. Photographs reproduce very well. Masters may
be prepared by hand or electronically. If you elect to use this
method, you will probably deal with a full-service print shop that
also offers a variety of other useful services which will improve
your newsletter, but for an additional charge. Other print shops
simply copy what you give them, for better or for worse.
References
STYLE AND GRAMMAR
Elements of Style , Wm. Strunk and E.B. White,
Macmillan, 3rd Edition, $3.50 (paperback)
The Elements of Grammar , M. Shertzer, Collier
Macmillan, 1986, $10.00
The Elements of Editing, A Modern Guide for Editors and
Journalists , A. Plotnik, Collier Macmillan, 1984, $10.00
The Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual ,
Revised Edition, C.W. French, Ed., Addison-Wesley, 1987, $11.00
GRAMMAR, USAGE AND SPELLING HOTLINES
Georgia State University Writing Center , (404)
658-2906, Hours; M-Th: 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m., Fri: 10:00 a.m.-2:00
p.m.
Northeastern University (Boston) English Department Grammar
Hotline , (617) 437-2512, Hours; M-F: 8:30 a.m.-4:30
p.m.
Burger Associates , Glenn Mills, Pa.,
(610)-399-1130, Hours; M-F: 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
University of Houston Downtown Grammar Hotline ,
(713) 221-8670, Hours; M-Th: 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
Purdue University (at Indianapolis) Writing Hotline
, (317) 274-3000, Hours; T-Th: 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
A non-profit association to educate the professional and general
communities about transgendered people.
For more information write:
Renaissance
987 Old Eagle School Rd., Suite 719
Wayne, PA 19087
Phone: 610-975-9119
Email:
renaissance@ren.org