Considering practical issues

When designing a document The combination of text and pictures. Also called a Publisher DTP file. there are certain practical issues you should consider. Some of these are suggested below:

Is there a limit to the number of pages in my document?

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 The height of a font measured in points., leading The distance in points from the baseline of one line of text to the next., column width, the number of illustrations and the amount of white space on each page.

What kind of information will the document contain?

Will there be a lot of reference material, tables and diagrams? How will you produce any tables and diagrams that you require?

Does this document have to conform to a company style?

Will it be filed with other company literature and have to fit into a standard-sized folder?

How will my document be bound?

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.

Is the document to be printed on one or both sides of the paper?

If the document is to be printed on one side of the paper only, you should base your design around a single master page A single or double-sided page that acts as the foundation for any new pages added to a document..

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 Extra space added to the side of a printed page to allow for punching or binding: usually the left-hand side of a right page and the right-hand side of a left page. 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.

What is my budget?

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.

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.