How to Make a Catalog for Your Company
Many businesses employ catalogs in order to sell their products. If you've started a business, creating a catalog may be one of the simplest ways to help you promote your new venture. You can hand out catalogs to people you meet and talk with about your business or use the catalog to start a mail order component to your business. Additionally, with advances in desktop publishing software, you can make your own business catalog without going to a lot of expense to do so.
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Things You'll Need
- Computer
- Digital camera and accessories
- Graphics and page layout programs
- Printer
- Printer paper
- Staples
Instructions
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1
Make a file folder on your computer to store your catalog related files. To do this, right-click on your computer's desktop until you see the pop up menu. Go to "New" > "Folder".
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2
Name the file folder. Store all of the photos and written text for your company catalog in this folder.
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3
Write product descriptions for each of your products. Use a word processing program and save these in your catalog file folder on your computer. Make sure that you describe the benefits of your products as well as any product dimensions.
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Take digital photographs of your products and upload these onto your computer using the instructions that came with your digital camera. Store the photos in the file folder for your company catalog.
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5
Resize your photos so that they're just the right size for each page. You can do this in graphics programs like Microsoft Paint or Adobe Photoshop. Whatever program you use, make sure that your photos run at least 200 dots per inch. This is the standard resolution for print photographs, which ensures that the photos are crisp and your products are easy to see.
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Open up your page layout program and name your work file. Many professional designers like layout programs like Adobe InDesign or Quark, but if you're a novice and cannot afford to hire a professional designer nor to buy those programs, you might think about a program like Microsoft Publisher. This program is more affordable for the average user than some professional grade design and layout programs like InDesign or Quark. Additionally, Publisher offers you user-friendly catalog design templates so that you can make your own catalog even if you don't possess design skills yourself.
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Import the photographs you've taken for your company catalog project into the document. To do this, you usually go to a tab at the top of the program's work area interface; the tab will be labeled "Insert" or "Import".
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Add the text you've written to your catalog layout. The easiest way to accomplish this is to highlight the product description paragraphs you have written in your word processing document, then hit "Copy" under the "Edit" menu of your computer screen. After that, switch to your page layout program and go to the place in your catalog where you'd like to place the text. Create a text box following the program's instruction about how to do so. Position your cursor inside your text box and hit "Paste" under the "Edit' menu. The information will appear in your catalog.
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Load your printer with paper. Print out your catalog and bound it with staples.
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