Using Numbers in Desktop Publishing

Numbers don't necessarily follow the same rules as your ordinary ABCs when it comes to creating attractive text. Improve your numbers:

Typesetting Numbers explores Old Style, Lining, Proportional, and Tabular Figures and when and how to use each style.How to Create Your Own Inline, Diagonal Fractions for those times when your font doesn't divide the way you want.Currency and Numbers in Windows Character Map shows you how to find special numbers, fractions, and related symbols in your fonts.Create Better Lists of Numbers With Tabs shows how to line up columns of numbers more neatly.Leading Zero reveals how "nothing" (zero) adds up in typesetting numbers.Phone Numbers: Dots or Dashes dials up a variety of ways that designers and others typeset phone numbers.

View the original article here

Download Fonts From the Web

Free font downloads are found on this site and many others on the Web. If you've never downloaded a font file from the Web before, here are the basic instructions on how to download fonts. Also see: Best Places to Find Free FontsTime Required: 1-10 minutes to download a few fonts from the WebFind the Download Link.
It can vary by site but there will be a button or a text link somewhere near the font sample for downloading the font. Take a few minutes to see how different sites designate the download link. If the site offers multiple font formats be sure you're getting the format you need. For TrueType (ttf) and PostScript Type 1 font there are different files for Mac and for Windows. Once you've found the fonts you want to download, click on the download link or right-click (Windows). For Mac users, the download starts when you click.

Here are font download examples from a few sites. At this site, look for the font name or filename after the word Download: on each free font page. At dafont.com click on the button that says DOWNLOAD next to the font sample or on the font sample page. At 1001freefonts.com click on either the Windows or the Mac Download button next to the font sample. At fonts.com you have to log in to get to their free fonts. For purchased fonts, click on the "Add to Cart" links to buy fonts then follow the instructions to download the purchased fonts. Most free fonts sites will have something similar to the above. Save the File.
For some downloads (such as the buttons at dafont.com), depending on your browser and operating system, the file will immediately download to your computer. Otherwise, if using Internet Explorer, choose "Save this program (or file) to disk." If using Netscape Navigator, choose "Save File" after clicking on a download link.

If you use the right-click method a pop-up window will offer several options including something like "Save Target as..." Click on that option.

Name the File. Use the default file name or type in a new file name for the font you are downloading if it gives you the option. Usually you'll just keep the same file name. Choose a Download Location.
If the file doesn't download automatically, you can change directories or folders using the navigation buttons in the Window or use the default directory that is showing. Download the Font.
If the download doesn't start automatically, click OK to begin the font download. Some font files are quite large and, depending on the speed of your connection, may take several minutes to download. Open the Font Archive.
If your downloaded files are in a compressed archive file (.zip, .bin, .hqx, .sit) you'll need to expand the file (Win | Mac) to use it.

In Windows 7, you can install the font directly from within the archive file without expanding it.

The download link for free fonts may appear as a graphic or text link that says "Download" or the name of the font. The download link for fonts may appear as a graphic or text link that says "Windows" or "Mac" or "PostScript" or "TrueType" or "OpenType" or something similar to indicate different font formats. The vast majority of free fonts on the Web are in archived files, with a file extension of ZIP (Windows), SIT, BIN, HQX (Mac). These archives will need to be uncompressed in order to use the fonts. Mac users can set a default download folder to make it easier to find files. Look under Edit > Preferences in your browser. A Free Fonts Download SiteWinZipStuffit Expanderif(zSbL

View the original article here

OpenType Fonts

One of the problems of sharing files cross-platform is font incompatibility. OpenType fonts are Adobe and Microsoft's solution to font sharing. But cross-platform use is only one feature of OpenType fonts. They also have other benefits including simplified font management and more efficient typesetting.

While both the Mac and Windows OS support PostScript Type 1 and TrueType fonts, they are two different versions of each type of font. For example, a Mac TrueType font is different from a Windows TrueType font and they are not cross-platform compatible.

OpenType Fonts Facts & Features
Here's what you need to know about OpenType fonts: The same OpenType font file works on both Mac and PC. An extension of the TrueType format with Unicode based character coding, OpenType can also include PostScript font data. In Windows, OpenType fonts can have an .otf or .ttf suffix. The .otf fonts are ones that contain PostScript data. Each OpenType font has a single font file containing all information about that font. OpenType, PostScript Type 1, and TrueType fonts can all reside on the same system. Unlike the PostScript Type 1 font limit of around 256 glyphs, OpenType fonts may contain thousands of glyphs — eliminating the need for separate fonts for ligatures, small caps, different language character sets, and other Expert Character sets — it's all in one font file. The .otf version of OpenType fonts use a compact font format that results in relatively smaller font file sizes, despite packing in more glyphs and other data.

OpenType Font Support
Should you rush out and get all new OpenType fonts? If cross-platform compatibility or multilingual typography are critical to your work and you use applications that take advantage of the advanced features, you may want to move to OpenType sooner rather than later. For the rest of us, there's no great rush. It's also important to find out if your commercial printer will support OpenType fonts.

At present (2004) only a few programs support the advanced features of OpenType. UPDATE: In 2011 OpenType support is wide-spread however the OpenType format has not replaced TrueType (yet). Those without OpenType support can still use OpenType fonts but won't have access to some features and can't access all of the glyphs in the font.

There are three types of support for OpenType: Basic (Ex. Adobe PageMaker users with Adobe Type Manager can use OpenType fonts in the same manner as any other fonts but they only have access to the standard character sets) Unicode (Ex. Windows XP provides access to extended language character sets found in OpenType fonts) Layout (Ex. Adobe InDesign users can access all the advanced typographic controls - ligatures, swash variants, kerning and more - in OpenType fonts)

Sources of OpenType Fonts
Adobe isn't the only producer of OpenType fonts although they have been the most prolific, converting their entire Adobe Type Library to OpenType as well as producing new OpenType faces that fully exploit the enhancements of the OpenType font format. Fonts that have been converted to OpenType from other font formats gain cross-platform compatibility but may not have all the enhancements of fonts built "from the ground up" in the OpenType format. Look here for at complete listing of OpenType fonts from Adobe: Adobe Type Library - OpenType. Increasingly, other Type Foundries will offer OpenType fonts as well.

View the original article here

Trapping

Trapping helps to avoid the unwanted white gaps as seen in bottom example.What is trapping? Trapping digital files is the process of compensating for misregistration on the printing press by printing small areas of overlapping color where objects meet.
Huh? If you've always worked with a desktop printer or strictly one color jobs you may not quite understand register or close register or the need for trapping and how it affects your final printed job.
When you print from your color inkjet printer the color is all applied at once. Each color generally ends up just where you expected. It doesn't work that way on a commercial printing press. When your document consists of more than one color of ink the page may have to pass through the printing press two or more times as each color is applied to the paper.
Presses aren't perfect. They run at incredibly fast speeds. Sometimes the paper or the plates applying the ink may shift. It might be a tiny, tiny little shift -- but it can throw off your design enough to be noticeable. For example, a white gap may appear between a green letter that is supposed to be touching a blue box. When this happens your color is out of register -- things just don't align properly.
So how do you prevent having your work come off the printing press out of register? By avoiding the need for trapping. The best alternative to trapping is to simply print using all one color or never allow your colors to touch or get too close.Explore other alternatives to trapping.

View the original article here

Using Script Fonts

Script Fonts Can Be Fun or Elegant

Image ? J. Bear

Typefaces that mimic cursive handwriting or fonts made from actual handwriting samples are known as script fonts. Some script fonts are irregular like real handwriting while others are stylized scripts.

Script fonts give a special tone to our printed documents or Web pages. Some script fonts convey a quiet elegance. Handwriting fonts with quirky letters can personalize a form letter or exude cheerfulness, playfulness, or a casual mood.

There are countless ways to use script and handwriting fonts. Let's look at just a few ways that these Lovely Lines of Type add an elegant or personal touch to our correspondence and find examples and free handwriting or script fonts to use for Valentine's Day cards, wedding invitations, announcements, and other desktop publishing documents.

Match Purpose, Graphics Style, and Type
As with any typeface, choose script or handwriting fonts that convey the right image. An elegant, flowing script font may be perfect for a formal wedding annoucement but not friendly enough for a child's birthday party invitation. Consider the purpose of your desktop document (or Web page) and the graphics too. View the examples on each of these pages for how to mix fonts and graphics and purpose. You'll also find sources of free fonts for each style:

Tips & Techniques: Use Script Faces Wisely
Once you've chosen your script or handwriting fonts, use them more effectively by heeding these three tips: Script fonts and ALL CAPS Mixing script or handwriting fonts Fancy, ornate script fonts

More Fonts and Graphics with a Valentine's Day Theme
The image in the sidebar uses original heart graphics created by former Graphic Design Guide Judy Litt. The other images on the individual tip pages use clip art from the Corel 7 CD and were modified in Corel Photo-Paint 7, those images are not available for use.

Looking for some more expressive hearts? Try these free heart-laden Valentine fonts.

View the original article here

Typography

Definition:

The design and use of typefaces as a means of visual communication from calligraphy to the ever-developing use of digital type is the broad use of the term typography. However, the art and practice of typography began with the invention of moveable type and the printing press. Typography is sometimes seen as encompassing many separate fields from the type designer who creates letterforms to the graphic designer who selects typefaces and arranges them on the page.

In general usage typography is the practical and artistic arrangement of type and printing with type.

Also Known As: type design | typesettingCommon Misspellings: typegraphy | typeography"The history of typography generally begins with Gutenberg and the development of moveable type, but it has its roots in handwritten letterforms -- whether transcribed with pen and ink or chiseled in stone -- for they are the basis of type designs." AND "Typography in graphic design involves the selection of appropriate typefaces and their arrangement on the page."

Explore more Typography Quotations as well as quotes about Type Design

View the original article here

TraceFont

TraceFont School Font

Very similar to the Peterson Directed Handwriting style, this basic dotted line font contains no punctuation. It is designed specifically for preschoolers and works best at very large sizes that they can more easily trace.Free for personal use; Shareware fee of $10.00 for use in educational settings including homeschooling.Fonts are available in Mac and PC (converted from Mac) formats in .sit files. PC users may have to download Aladdin Expander (link at site) to open Stuffit archives. On Windows: To access the double-storey a with a top hook, press shift-control-a. On Mac: To access the alternate (non-double-storey) a, press option-a. Kids Fonts Get additional information about using the fonts and available worksheets.var nr_manual=true;var nr_domain='about.com'nRelate.setup({plugins:{related:{widget_id:178}}})if(zSbL

View the original article here

Traditional Certificate Templates

Build your own certificate using any of these frame colors and titles. Lower right is close-up of frame detail.

? Jacci Howard Bear; licensed to About.comBEFORE YOU START
You may need: desktop publishing software | certificate templates | fonts | parchment paper
You need to know: how to uncompress zip files | parts of a certificate
You need to know these terms: png | text frame (box) | letter size | landscape | centered text | justified text

There is no right or wrong way to design a certificate. The certificates for this project use a fairly simple frame with a bit of a traditional look. Just choose the color of frame you like and type of certificate, open it in the desktop publishing, word processing, or graphics software of your choice, personalize it with a name and a description, then print it on plain or specialty paper.

If you use Adobe Illustrator or other vector drawing software, download the AI or EPS templates on page 2. Otherwise, you can use the PNG templates on this page. Download one or all of these files. Each ZIP file contains 3 PNG images, one of each certificate type (Appreciation, Recognition, and Achievement) in the specified color.

Each PNG is an image of the certificate frame, the title of the certificate (arched) and the presentation line "is hereby awarded to" plus a signature line. The blank space in the middle is for your own descriptive text.

After uncompressing the ZIP file, open one of the PNG images in the software of your choice. You could create the certificate in a graphics program such as Photoshop by simply editing the image (adding text layers) or insert/import/place the image in a page layout program such as Microsoft Publisher or Adobe InDesign.

Microsoft Word Users: If you insert the template in a new document it will re-size automatically to fit your page size/orientation and margins. To use at full-size do this: Before inserting the PNG graphic, set your document to letter size, landscape orientation, with .25 inch margins on all sides. Insert the image you want to use then set Text Wrap to Behind Text

Personalize the certificate with the name of the award recipient and some descriptive text and a date. Create text boxes over the top of the PNG image and type your information in the font of your choice. If your software supports layers, put your text on a separate layer from the PNG template to make editing easier. For some wording suggestions, see Certificate Wording.

Certificates are one of those types of documents where centered text is appropriate. If you have a large block of text describing the reason for awarding the certificate, you might want to consider fully-justified text alignment.

Save the completed certificate with a new name then print it.

This template is designed for printing on 8.5 x 11 inch letter size paper in landscape mode. You can resize it but do a test print to make sure it still looks good. If you want to resize it a great deal, consider using the AI or EPS templates on page 2 instead. They are vector images and don't distort significantly when re-sized the way most bitmap images do.

This page Using PNG Templates Using Layered AI Template

View the original article here

Word Templates for School

Create calendars, class schedules, seating charts, and classroom signs with free Microsoft Word templates. Download a Word template for doing book reports or making team sports rosters.Microsoft Office Online Back-to-School Template CollectionsAt Microsoft Office Online browse different categories for teachers, students, parents, and administrators. You'll find Microsoft Word templates as well as Publisher, Excel, and other Office templates. Download templates for flash cards, calendars, letters, lesson plans, school newsletters, and more.zSB(3,3)InZones, Inc.For business and school use, there are a few free Word templates including ones suitable for a school newsletter, book reports, and other reports.SuccessCertificates.com

Many styles and colors of certificates for school and more. Available in Microsoft Word as well as PDF.

Brainy BettySome are old but you'll find several Microsoft Word templates from Brainy Betty for a school newsletter, signs, lesson plans, reading log, and other forms appropriate for educational use.Mactopia Microsoft Word School Report TemplatesThese Mactopia templates for Word 2004 include formats for a book report, essay, and other types of school report projects.Mactopia Microsoft Word Schedule TemplatesAmong these Word 2004 templates for Mac are a bus schedule, homework schedule, and game schedule.Microsoft Office Online Divider TemplatesUse some of these dividers for book reports, school event programs, and other multiple page school projects. There are Word, Publisher, and other formats of divider templates for both school and business use.Mactopia Microsoft Word Writing TemplatesIn addition to a class newsletter template, there are Word 2004 templates to assist in taking notes, doing an outline, and other writing tasks.zSB(1,2)var nr_manual=true;var nr_domain='about.com'nRelate.setup({plugins:{related:{widget_id:178}}})if(zSbL

View the original article here

Web Design

Definition:

While design is the art and process of combining individual elements of design (lines, shape, texture, color) into a pleasing arrangment, Web Design is the art and process of creating a single Web page or entire Web sites and may involve both the aesthetics and the mechanics of a Web site's operation although primarily it focuses on the look and feel of the Web site - the design elements.

Some of the aspects that may be included in Web design or Web production are graphics and animation creation, color selection, font selection, navigation design, content creation, HTML/XML authoring, JavaScript programming, and ecommerce development. Web design is a form of electronic publishing.

"Graphic design, desktop publishing, and Web design are different and not-always-distinct disciplines in the broader field of visual communications." — Desktop Publishing and the Internet

"Although desktop publishing and Web design have a common ancestry, they aren't the same. Yes, there are certain similarities — such as text, graphics, color, page composition, and the need for clear navigation -- but Web design has its own set of challenges and design parameters." — Similarities and Differences in Print and Web Design

"While it is possible, with CSS, to get very precise layouts, but it will never be as precise as print." — Web Design is Not Print Design

"Most designers don't try to cover all of it. Instead, they focus on one or two areas where they can excel and work with other people on the rest. But the good news is that there is always going to be something new to learn." — What is Web Design?

"When building a website there is a process that most designers use. This process covers all the steps from deciding on a website to building it and putting them live." — Web Design Process

Also Known As: web publishing | web production | internet publishing | graphic design | electronic publishing

View the original article here

Keeping Up With Ever-Changing Technology

Even if you don't upgrade to the latest and greatest software version every year there are still plenty of things to keep on top of if you make all or part of your living doing graphic design or web design. Depending on your focus you may need to stay up-to-date on the latest trends in fonts, logo design, or printing techniques, and new tools that may help you do your job better. How do you keep up with it all? In The Top 5 Techniques for Staying Up to Date in an Ever-Changing Field, Kayla Knight offers a few specific ways to do it from teaching others to networking.

And of course if you do upgrade your software there's a lot of new features to explore and master. Follow these steps for learning to use desktop publishing software that apply to ?new users and those simply upgrading or wanting to dig deeper into what your software can do.

What methods do you use? Do you take refresher classes? Set aside time periodically for some self-paced training? Read certain books, magazines, or blogs? Share in the comments, below.

View the original article here