How to Make a Newsletter in InDesign

Graphic design in a challenge to learn but will become easier with practice.

InDesign is a professional graphic design program that is compatible with most printing services. It is a very powerful program with many features. Most of them are not necessary to learn in order to create a basic newsletter. All graphic design programs perform the same basic tasks. If you've used another program in the past, you will need to learn only where the various tools are located and what they are called in InDesign to create your newsletter. The following steps provide information on getting started. If you are interested in learning more about InDesign, purchase a training manual such as "Classroom in a Book" or take a beginner's class.

Instructions

Setting Up Your Document

1. Decide what size newsletter you want to create. A standard size is 11-by-17, so that when it is folded in half it will be the size of an 8 1/2-by-11 sheet of paper. Click on "File," then "New," then "Document." If you want to create an 11-by-17 newsletter, choose "Tabloid" from the drop-down menu under "Page Size." Click on the sideways button under "Orientation" to make your project landscape.

2. Set the number of columns. For an 11-by-17 newsletter, choose eight columns. The gutter (0.1667 in) and margin (0.5 all around) settings can be left as they are.

3. Choose the number of pages you want. Remember, one printed 11-by-17 sheet is actually four pages when folded in half and printed on both sides. For an 8-page newsletter, add one more page to the document (which will be printed as two double-sided 11-by-17 pages).

4. Make a small "dummy" version of your newsletter so you can see what will be on facing pages. Be sure the design on facing pages is complementary and coordinated. It can be difficult to figure out what pages will be facing each other. The small "dummy" version will help you to keep track of what the final product will look like, particularly if you are creating a newsletter with several pages.

5. InDesign will allow you to create a document in any size, not just the sizes your printer is capable of printing, like some other design programs. If you are going to print it yourself, choose a size that your printer can handle. If you are going to send your document out to be printed, choose any size you want.

6. If you are not going to print your newsletter but will send a digital version or create a link on a website, create smaller pages such as 8 1/2-by-11. All pages should be designed independently because they will be viewed one at a time as a PDF file.

Begin Designing Your Newsletter

1. 

   Design a masthead for your newsletter. You can import a graphic or create one yourself. It can be as simple as the title of your newsletter written in an appropriate font with clip art or a logo. Or it might be something more complex. Write the publication date beneath the masthead on the right and the volume and issue number on the left. Depending on your style, you might want to make this a black strip with white letters and numbers.

2. Select the text tool (the "T" on the toolbar) and draw a text box. Double-click inside the box. You can begin typing a story in the text box, or you can import from a Word file by selecting "File" and then "Place." Create a text box for each story and a separate one for each headline.

3. If you see a little red "plus" sign at the end of the text box, your text is longer than what will fit in the text box. Create a second text box, click on the red plus sign to "pick up" the text and click inside the new text box (when you hover over the new text box, you will see two links of a chain, indicating that you are joining the text boxes together). Repeat as necessary until all the text appears. As you adjust the sizes of the linked text boxes, your text will flow from one box to the next and stay in the correct order.

4. To create a shaded box behind your text, select the "rectangle tool" on the toolbar. Draw a box. Double-click on the white box with the red slash through it on the toolbar to select your color. Slide the cursor around in the "color picker" until you have the shade you want. Be careful to maintain enough contrast so your text is readable. Darker shades of gray or black require white text. Leave text black if the shaded area is light gray.

5. To draw an empty box, follow the same directions in Step 4 above. Instead of picking a color, select a line style from the drop-down menu at the top of the screen. Then select the point size in the drop-down menu right above the line style menu.

6. To draw a line, click on the "line" button on the toolbar. Draw the line any length you want. To change its width and style, follow the directions for changing a box in Step 5 above.

7. 

   To change the color of the text, highlight it and double-click on the white box with the black T on the toolbar. (The same way you change the color of a box.) To change the color of the outline of the text, double-click on the white square with the outlined T in it.

Add Photos and Clip Art

1. Import photos from your computer by clicking on "File" and then "Place." (Be sure nothing else is highlighted, or you will replace that text box or image with what you are importing.) After you select something from your hard drive, your cursor will turn into a paintbrush. Click on the spot where you want to place your photo. Do not click inside a text box so your photo is not anchored with the text.

2. To change the size of your photo, left click on the photo to select it. Then right-click on it and select "Transform." Choose "Scale" and enter a percentage number smaller than 100 to shrink it and larger than 100 to enlarge it. Repeat as necessary until you get it the size you want.

3. To crop the photo, simply click on the image and move the borders. It will automatically crop the image for you.

4. To stretch a photo, hold down the control button and move the borders of the photo.

5. Clip art can be cut and pasted from other programs or saved as a .wmf file (Windows Meta File--this is only for PCs) and imported into your document.

Printing Your Document

1. If you plan to upload your document to a printing service such as Office Max, export your newsletter as a PDF. The quality is much better if you submit your file digitally than if you bring in a hard copy for staff there to photocopy.

2. Click on "File" and then "Export." Select "Adobe PDF" from the drop-down menu "Save As Type." Click "Save." Choose "High Quality Print" from the drop-down menu at the top that says "Adobe PDF Preset." Click "Export" and wait for InDesign to generate the PDF. Upload your file to your printer of choice.

3. Be sure you have added page numbers to your newsletter so that the printer will know the correct order to print your pages.

4. Specify if you want your document stapled in the center or folded in half. These are known as "finishing options." Discuss any special requests with your printer before placing your order.

5. To distribute your newsletter digitally, save it as a lower-quality PDF to reduce file size.

Basic Design Principles

1. Choose fonts that are easy to read. Arial is a good choice for text. Headlines can be more creative, but be sure they are readable. Feel free to mix headline fonts. Make the font relevant to the story. Do not use more than three fonts on one page to avoid making your design look "cluttered."

2. Create a visual balance when adding text and photos. Overall, the eye should flow down the page, being led from one element to another. Avoid large blocks of text.

3. Collect newsletters you like and re-create some of the elements into your own design. Maybe you like the way one uses shading to enhance a special feature or the way photo captions are all right justified. Create a file of ideas to draw from.

4. 

   Use elements such as pull-out quotes and boxes to create visual interest and break up monotony. Try using oversized quotation marks or something "catchy." Break longer stories into parts by inserting subheads.

5. Add variety by making some columns double wide and others single wide. However, try not to mix the two styles in the same story. To stretch a text box, click on the edge of the box and drag it to the size you'd like.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't forget to spell-check and proofread before you send your newsletter to the printer or to your email distribution list.