Desk Top Publishing, DTPs, Free Computer Studies Notes

Terminologies used in DTP.

 

• Ranner – the main headline across the top of the page.
• Cross head – a small heading used to break up text into easily readable sections.
• Bullet – solid dot printed before pieces of text in order to add an emphasis.
• Cast off – a calculation as to how much space the text will use on a page.
• Footer – a line of text at the bottom of each page giving the publications title, author’s name, etc.
• Masthead – details of the person involved in printing the publication.
• WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) – this means that, the presentation on the screen is exactly what you will get from the Printer.

 

• Jigging – moving text around by means of DTP software.

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Setting up a publication using master pages.

 

Every publication has 1 or 2 blank Master pages identified by letter ‘L’ for left and ‘R’ for right. Letters L & R mark the master page icon for facing pages, while R alone marks a single-sided publication.

These icons appear at the lower left corner of a publication window.

 

To switch to master pages, click the master page icon, then:

 

1. Place non-printing ruler guides on the master pages.

 

Non-printing ruler guides are vertical or horizontal lines you place on the printable area.  They assist you to place text & graphics accurately & consistently throughout the publication.

 

To place ruler guides; point to the ruler, then drag the guide to the required position.

 

2. Create basic design elements on the master pages, including the text & graphics that you want to appear on each page in your publication.

 

Creating a new master page based on a publication page.

 

1. Switch to the publication page on which you want to base the new master.
2. Click on Window, then choose Show Master Pages.
3. From the Master Pages palette menu, choose Save Page As.
4. Type a name, then click Save.

 

Objects and guides applied to the selected publication page are copied to the new master.  The new master page then becomes active and its name appears on the Master Pages palette.

• To open the Master Pages palette menu, click the right-facing arrow at the right corner of the palette.

5. To turn to the master applied to the current publication page, click the name of the master page.

 

 

 

 

Displaying master pages and master page items.

 

Method 1:

 

1. Right-click the master page icon at the bottom of the publication window to display the list of masters, then select the master you want to view.

 

Method 2:

 

1. Click on Layout, choose Go to Page, and then select the name of the master you want.

 

Adding, or modifying guides & objects on a master page.

 

You can add or manipulate text and graphics, and change guides or rulers on a master page.  When you modify a master page, the changes appear instantly on associated publication pages.

 

To modify or rename a master page:

 

1. Display the master page you want to add or modify text, graphics, or nonprinting guides.

 

2. To change the master’s name, page margins, or column guides;

 

1. Press CTRL and double-click the name of the master page you want to modify or edit.
2. Type the new name, and the new values you want for margins or columns.
3. If you want the objects and guides (i.e., margins and columns) on the associated pages to be repositioned or resized as appropriately as those of the master you are editing, select Adjust Layout.

 

3. Click OK.

 

Deleting a master page and all the objects on it.

 

1. Click on Window, then choose Show Master Pages.
2. Select the master page to delete, then click the trash button on the bottom of the palette.
3. When prompted, click OK.

 

Setting up margin guides

 

Margin guides are very important because; they define the printable area of your publication.

 

To change margin settings;

 

1. Click on File, then choose Document Setup.

 

• For a double-sided document (i.e., a document that will be printed on both sides), enter the values for inside & outside margins to accommodate binding. For single-sided pages, set the Left & Right
• Enter the values for the Top & Bottom

 

2. Click OK.

 

Displaying and hiding rulers

 

1. To display the rulers, click on View, then select Show rulers. To hide the rulers, click on View, then select Hide rulers

 

Setting measurement units of a ruler

 

You can set the measurement units on both the vertical and horizontal ruler.

 

1. Right-click each ruler separately, to display a list of the available measurement systems.
2. Select the measurement unit you want to use, e.g., millimeters, inches, etc

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SAVING THE LAYOUT OF YOUR PUBLICATION

 

Once you set up your publication layout, it is important to save it before you start entering text and graphics.

 

To save a publication for the first time.

 

1. Click on File, then choose Save or Save As (or press CTRL+’S’).
2. In the Save Publication dialog box, type a name for the publication, then select a drive or folder in which to store the publication.
3. Click Save.

 

After you name and save a publication once, the Save and Save As commands function differently:

 

To save changes made to a publication.

 

1. Click on File, then choose Save (or click the Save button on the toolbar).

This saves the changes made to your publication with the same filename.

 

Using the ‘Save As…’ command.

 

Save As can be used if you want to:

 

• Name and save a new publication.
• Save a publication on a different disk drive or in a different folder.
• Make a copy of an existing publication with a new name, leaving the original publication unchanged.

 

To save a publication with a new name or in a different location.

 

1. Click on File, then select Save As.
2. In the Save Publication dialog box, select the new location you want to save your publication in and/or type a new name.
3. Under Copy, select an option.
   • No additional files – saves the current publication only.
   • Files required for remote printing – copies all the files needed to print the publication to one location.
4. Click Save.

 

Reverting to the Last Saved version.

 

Sometimes, you may make changes to a document that make the document more confusing.  To abandon all the changes and restore the most recently saved version of your publication;

 

1. Click on File, then select Revert.
2. In the prompt that appears, click OK.

 

This deletes all changes made since the last time you saved the publication.

 

Closing a publication.

 

This closes the active publication and returns to the PageMaker window.

 

1. Click on File, then choose Close.

 

If you have made any changes since you last saved the publication, PageMaker asks if you want to save those changes.  You can save the changes, or ignore them.

 

Opening an existing publication.

 

1. Click on File, select Open (or press CTRL+’O’).
2. In the Open Publication dialog box, select the drive or folder that contains the document.
3. Select the filename of the publication you want to open.
4. Choose whether to open it as Original or a Copy, then click Open.

 

 

To quickly open a recently saved publication.

 

PageMaker keeps track of the last eight publications you opened and saved.

 

1. Click on File menu, then choose Recent Publications.
2. Select the publication you want to open from the Recent Publications

 

Review Questions.

 

1. Identify four common features in word processing and desktop publishing software.
2. Differentiate between the Pasteboard and Printable page.
3. (a). What are Master pages?

(b). Why are master pages important in a publication?

4. What commands are used in place of portrait and landscape page orientation in PageMaker?
5. Explain the importance of the following tools on the PageMaker’s toolbox.

• Pointer tool
• Text tool
• Rotate tool
• Line tool
• Hand tool
• Zoom tool

WORKING WITH TEXT

 

Adding text to a PageMaker publication.

 

Text can be entered into a PageMaker publication in 2 main ways:

 

• Typing the text directly into a page.
• Importing the text from another program.

 

Method 1: Typing text directly into the page.

 

1. Click the Text tool (T) from the toolbox. The pointer turns into an I-beam (insertion point).
2. Click at the point where you want to insert text on the page, then type the text.

–Or–

Drag a rectangular area to define a text block or text frame, then type the text.

 

A text frame defines the space you want the text to occupy.  It confines the text to the area you’ve selected.

 

3. To display the boundaries of the text block you’ve created, select the Pointer tool and click anywhere in the text.

 

Method 2: Pasting text from another Window-based program.

 

1. Select the text you want to copy, e.g., in Microsoft Word.
2. Click on Edit, then choose Copy.
3. Switch to the PageMaker program, e.g., using ALT+TAB.
4. Click to place the insertion point where the pasted text should start.
5. Click on Edit menu, then choose Paste.

 

Changing the view of a Page.

 

After typing text into a PageMaker publication, you may need to increase or decrease the page view to see either all the text and graphics or to magnify a portion of the page.

 

1. Click in the text or select the graphic you want to see clearly so that when you magnify, it comes to the center of the screen

 

2. Click on View menu, then choose:

 

• Actual Size – to see text and graphics as they will appear when printed.

 

• Fit in Window – to check the overall composition of a page or a two-page spread.

 

-Or-

 

• Choose Zoom To, then click the desired view from the list that appears, e.g., 25%, 50%, 75%, 100%, etc.

 

• Entire Pasteboard – to view objects on the pasteboard.

 

Selecting text in a PageMaker publication.

All text in PageMaker is contained either in text blocks or in text frames.

 

Method 1: Selecting text using the Text tool (T).

 

When the text is selected using the Text tool, you can type, edit or change the text attributes, e.g., Bold, Underline, etc.

 

1. Select the Text tool from the toolbox.
2. Move the cursor to the beginning of the text to be worked on, then drag the I-beam to select a range of text.

 

Alternatively;

 

• To select a word, double-click the word.
• To select an entire paragraph, triple-click the paragraph.

 

3. Choose the desired command to apply to the text.

 

Method 2: Selecting text using the Pointer tool (ë).

 

The Pointer tool is used to select a text block.  When you click the text using the Pointer tool, a line appears at the top and at the bottom of the text block.

 

This method is used if you want to:

• Move the text block.
• Change the size of the text block.
• Delete the text block.

 

Method 3: Using the Select All command.

 

This selects all the objects and/or text in a text block.

 

1. Using the Text tool, click anywhere inside the text block.
2. On the Edit menu, click Select All (or press CTRL+’A’).

To deselect, click an empty part of the page (or choose Deselect All from the Edit menu).

 

Selecting objects.

 

• To select a single object, click the object with the Pointer tool to display the object’s border.

 

• To add objects to a selection, hold down SHIFT as you click other objects.

 

• To select several objects at once, drag the pointer tool around multiple objects. Make sure you include each object’s bounding box (as indicated by its selection handles).

 

• To select an object underneath another object on the same layer, press CTRL and click the object you want to select.

 

Editing a publication.

 

The term editing means making changes to a publication.

 

PageMaker has two special editing tools:

 

• The Find and Change tool, and
• The Spelling

 

Therefore editing a publication includes the process of correcting spelling mistakes, and replacing of words.

 

Note.  Before editing the publication, you must open it in the story window.

 

PageMaker defines each text block as a story.  A Story is a collection of text that PageMaker recognizes as a single unit for editing purposes.

 

A story can be just one letter or several hundred pages of text.

 

Searching for and replacing words in the publication.

 

The Find and change tool helps a person to search for specific occurrences of a particular word or a group of words in a publication and replace it with another one.

 

To find and change a word or a phrase in the publication:

 

1. Using the Text tool, click an insertion point in a story, or select a range of text if you want to limit your search to that section.
2. Click on Edit, then select Edit Story. The publication now opens in the story window showing only the text but not the graphical objects.
3. Click on Utilities, then select Find or Change. A dialog box is displayed.
4. In the Find What textbox, type the word you want to find. To change the word, type the new word to replace with in the Change To
5. Under Search document, select an option to determine the scope of the search, e.g., Current publication or in all open publications. If you search the current publication only, select an option in the Search Story.
6. Click Find in the dialog box to begin the search. To continue with the search operation, select Find Next.
7. Once you are through, click on Story, then choose Close Story.

 

Spell-checking the publication.

 

1. Click the I-beam anywhere in the publication or select the range to be spell checked.
2. Click on Edit, then select Edit Story.
3. Click on Utilities, then select Spelling. A dialog box is displayed with the following options:

 

• Change To: – displays the word PageMaker does not recognize. Type or select the correct word from the list in the Suggestions

 

• Ignore: –

 

• Replace: – replaces the misspelled word with the one you have typed in the Change To box, or selected in the Suggestions

 

• Add: – opens the Add word to user dictionary dialog box in which you specify the word you want to add to or remove from the dictionary.

 

4. Under Search story, specify the scope of the search, e.g., in selected text, in the Current story only, or in All stories in the publication.
5. Specify spell checking options:

 

• Alternate Spellings – it lets you see suggested replacements for misspelled words.
• Show Duplicates – displays repeated words.

 

6. Click the Start button to begin spell checking.

 

Deleting text.

 

1. Select the text to be deleted.
2. On the Edit menu, select Clear (or press the Delete key).

 

Moving and copying text.

 

1. Select the text to be moved or copied.
2. On the Edit menu, click Cut (or press CTRL+’X’) to move the text to a new location, or click Copy (or press CTRL+’C’) to make a duplicate of the selected text.
3. Click or select where you want to move or copy the text to.
4. On the Edit menu, click Paste (or press CTRL+’V’).