Magazine Production

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Producing a magazine for a club or society.

Contents

[edit] Stage 1 - Content preparation

Text is prepared on a word processor. Any file format that your desktop publishing package can accommodate will do. A text file can be for a single article or a group.

Diagrams are prepared as .gif files. 300dpi is the maximum resolution needed and in many cases less will do.

Photographs should be prepared as JPEG at around 300dpi. In practice a small file of a sharp clear picture will be better than a mega-pixel file of lesser quality.

[edit] Stage 2 - Assemble the magazine

Using a DTP programme assemble the magazine. Keep font differences to a minimum. Use a serif font for bulk text, leave sans-serif for headings and labels. Check out a professional magazine for ideas. Leave plenty of 'white space' around the text and do not print over colours. It usually looks naff on pro magazines so on an amateur effort will look terrible. KISS (keep it simple stupid)

On A5 size 2 columns looks fine. On A4 3 is OK. On A5 it is possible to get away with a single column but on A2 it is difficult to make it look good.

Include all your photographs and diagrams.

[edit] Stage 3 - Print the magazine

If it is an A5 magazine make sure that the number of pages is divisible by 4. Set the print format to magazine on A4 landscape. Print to a .pdf file and the pages will come out with the first and last on one sheet and so on. When physically printed this will print the pages back to back so that they assemble to form the magazine.

The printer may want the photographs, especially colour ones as separate jpeg files, as well as part of the pdf file.

[edit] Stage 4 - Take to printer

At one time ZIP discs were used, but now a CD through the post, or a personal visit with a memory stick will do. The printer will do the rest. The next thing you see is the final magazine.

[edit] Common sense

Talk to your printer. Keep the layout simple. Club members are more interested in content than presentation.

Visit www.magazineproduction.co.uk for more information.

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