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Digitized by the Internet Arcliive

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littp://archive.org/details/masteringgraphicOOwliit

Mastering
Graphics

NEWSLETTER

Magazine

Newspaper
(tMagapaper

Tabloid

REPORT

JOURNAL

Magtab

CffTRLOG
Brochure
l=I.YI=R

Design!

dnd
production

made
easy

Jan V White
R. R.

Bowker Company,

New York and

London, 1983

Published by R. R. Bowker
Reed Publishing (USA) Inc.

a division of

Copyright
All rights

Printed

1983 by |an

V.

White

reserved

and bound

in

the United States of America

Except as permitted under the Copyright Act of 1976,

no part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted

in any form or by any means, or stored in any information
storage and retrieval system, without prior written permission of
R. R.

Bowker, 245 West 17 Street,

New York, NY 10011.

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data

White, Ian

v.,

1928-

Mastermg graphics.
Includes index.
1.

Graphic

arts.

2.

i.

Newsletters.

4.

Design.

I.

Z253.W47

Printing, Practical.

House organs.

5.

PamphI

Title

1983

ISBN 0-83.52-1704-3

686.2

83-60

CONTENTS

Introduction

Which

will

you choose: newsletter, magazine, magapaper, magtab, or tabloid?

Newsletters

Magazines

2
3

Magapapers, magtabs, and tabloids 8

Make

the publication's

name

its

hallmark

14

The difference between logo, nameplate,

Where

flag,

and masthead 14

name on the page 15

How to make the name impossible to miss 5
Your name/your self: why you ought to personalize
How to make the name look different 21
to put your

20

it

Enriching the name's effectiveness with color 24

How to make your own special logo 25

How to achieve the personalized look once the name

How to make the

is

in

type 27

most of typewriter "typography" 28

Typewriter type, strike-on type, cold type: what they are

How long should typewritten

lines

Should you use ragged-right or

29

be? 30

justified typewriter typing?

How to

31

reduce the scale of typewriter type 31

Enlarging the paste-up to accommodate reduced typewriting 34

The problem

of creating

emphasis

in

typewritten copy 34

How to make headlines using your typewriter 35

How to make sideheads on your typewriter 37
How to make lists on your typewriter 38
Big initials

How to

added

to typewritten

handle standing

art

copy 40

with typewriters 41

XIV

Using type effectively 42

Tone-of-voice typography 42

What

face to use?

44

The confusion about names of typefaces 44

Preparing copy for setting in type 45
Specifying type:

how to

47

instruct the typesetter

Type measurement 49
Copyfitting:

how much

space

Copyfitting large-size type

Proofs

the words take

in

type? 52

56

Body copy or
Sans

will

55

text faces

57

serif vs. serif faces for

body copy 58

Line spacing, leading, interlinear spacing

How long should the

Should type be

lines

be?

set justified or

60

61

ragged?

62

Display type 65

Headlines 66

How

big should headlines be?

67

What is the best place on the page to put your

A few technical terms about headlines 68
Legibility of headlines:

cap,

all

up-and-down

headline?

style,

67

or downstyle 69

Decks and blurbs 70

Captions, legends, cutlines 70

Catch

lines or

Bylines

boldface lead-ins 72

73

Tips to help you take better photos for your publication

Move

in

as close as

Use lenses

that will

Having everything

74

you can 74

move
in

in

focus

close for you 74

is

dull

74

Put the center of interest elsewhere than

plumb

in

Make something dominant in every picture 75

Compose your shots with an awareness of the lines

the middle 75

of force 76

Allow moving objects plenty of space 76

Use the rectangle format to best advantage 77

Enliven your picture with foreground interest 77
Pick a

background

that explains the character of the personality

78

Don't let the background become a nasty surprise 78

Watch out for booby traps 79
Check the edges of the picture in your viewfinder beforeyou shoot 79

Shoot people

Bunch people

as the individuals they are

into tight

79

groups 80

Figure out fresh angles for cliche situations 80

Sunlight

is

it makes strong shadows

shadow monsters on walls 81

great, except that

Flashbulbs create

81

Don't blind your subjects by shooting flash too close 81

If

you want animated reactions from people, be funny

81

People pictures don't have to be boring

82

The individual mug shot and how

to make
more interesting
commonsense principles for using people pictures 87
Make the best of those unavoidable catalog arrangements 88
it

Five

Cluster individual shots into close groupings 90

Tips to

make more

92

effective use of pictures

Option

throw the ugly ones out 92

Option 2: make the best of what you've got 92

The pretty picture: beguiling, but off the point 93
The awful picture: depressing, but informative and essential 93
Have the courage needed to use that unexpected image 93

How

bleeds create an illusion of size 94

Interrupt the margin by bleeding pictures

95

How the reader interprets meaning through size 96

Why is wise to crop the picture until hurts 98
it

Crop
Crop

it

make

to

pictures

Edit pictures so

Help

work together

better 99

for continuity of the horizon in neighboring pictures 101

pictorial

one image becomes dominant 103

scenes by cunning page arrangements 103

Cluster small, spotty pictures to give

them greater

Link images to create a cumulative impact

How to

expose the sense of the story

in

visibility

04

104

pictures

05

Publish pictures of pictures 105

Bring attention to the important part of the image

Do things
Use

partial silhouetting to

Combine words

all

emphasize action

with pictures so

inescapable technicalities about pictures

Must

07

with the edges of the pictures 109

Manipulate the image for symbolic purposes

originals

= 3

117

20

be black-and-white

prints?

120

How can you tell that the picture is the right way 'round? 22
Why and how do you crop pictures? 123
How do you scale pictures to the size you want them to be? 24
How do you inform the cameraman about what you want? 27
1

What
What

will
is

the picture look like

a halftone?

when

reduced?

it is

28

129

Who

makes halftones?

What

are photomechanical variations?

29
1

30

Whatisalinecut? 131

What
What

is

a line conversion?

132

are screens and shading tints? 132

vn

llustrations

and

where

their substitutes:

Custom-made

how to

to find them,

use them

Sources for photography: expensive, cheap, free

Old engravings
Clip

art: its

in

the public

uses and dangers

domain

art at

36

36

138

Transfer art and the easy u^ay to

Handwritten notes:

34

135

art vs. existing art

become an

the end of your

"illustrator"

arm

Rubber stamps and the danger of being funny

Rules and how to use them to advantage 40
Boxes: what's in them for you? 141

38

38
39

Nonpictorial odds and ends as illustrations 144

10

Making mechanicals:

and disinclined

a crash course for the uninitiated

Taking the fear out of mechanicals and where to get advice

146
147

tools and materials you cannot work without 147

The need to keep clean 150
Working in miniature 50

The

Making

rough

Practical tips

dummy

151

on making mechanicals

11 How to use color effectively (and stay within budget)

Does the purpose

What
What

is

which color

the difference

colors should

How much
Flat

for

is

54

used affect the choice of color?

between process color and second colors?

you use? 157

color should you use?

157

color or spot color 157

The difference between pictures with color

Running type in color 158

How color separations

are

made 158

Proofs to check what you'll be getting

Progressive proofs

59

160

How to correct color proofs 160

How to get more color for less investment

12

What you need

to

know about paper

How big
Basis

is

162

a piece of

paper? 162

weight 163

Bulking and thickness 164

Show-through and opacity 164
Brightness 164

Shininess
Finishes

165
165

Colored stock 165

Newsprint 166
Envelopes 167

tint

61

and duotones 157

55

55

13

What you

absolutely must

know about

Stenciling

it

printing, folding, binding,

and finishing

68

71

yourself 168

Mimeographing 169
Photocopying and xerography 169
Letterpress

70

Offset 170

Gravure 171

Can you tell the difference between

What happens after printing? 172
Paper has grain that affects

How various ways

Binding

its

of folding the sheet can

174

Diecutting 175
Perforating 175

Laminating 176
Mailing and distribution

Index

178

offset, letterpress,

proper utilization

176

and gravure?

72

be useful

72

INTRODUCTION

The
it

book could have been Graphics Without Fear, except that

something a bit more positive was needed hence

for this

title

was decided

that

Mastering. The notion of graphics without fear remains operative, however,

because graphic design

not a nest of weird secrets revealed only to

is

wild-eyed practitioners of an occult

working editors and

are lucky

When

enough

graphic design

then

is

to

good

their

considered as an end

is

it

working tool

some

for

their graphic designers,

is
is

and

in itself

validity

its

anyone can do

All

hands

right

subjective "liking," and "liking"

agree about.

Instead

if

they

have them.

terrifying indeed, for

it is

art.

for

entirely

its

own

sake,

on one's

no one can define and few

a quality that

about

to feel insecure

arbitrary position. Furthermore, such an

done

is

depends

and defend one's

it

approach to design

is

nothing but a

quest for superficial beauty: making a publication look good, and pleasing to
the eye.

It is,

when he

When

on any

of course, possible to develop such cosmetic gloss

down

printed product, but that approach was nailed

referred to the

graphic design

is

dead

the moonlight:

fish in

forever by Oscar Wilde

"It glistens,

regarded as a means to an end, then

it

is

but

it

stinks."

no longer

self-centered art-for-art's-sake, but rather an outward-looking

technique-for-communication's-sake
fish that

who

smells delicious. As such,

it

and

that

becomes

originate the product as well as those

is

a very different kettle of

accessible to anyone: those

who

receive

it.

It is

design that Mastering Graphics deals with. Because the book

common

sense, you will find that without fear

but a statement of simple

Graphic design
that can

words

is

not

is

a functional

some bombastic

response to specific,

be simple and quantifiable (such as

into too small a space) or esoteric

readership). Yet at neither

claim

how

to

end

of the

and hard

spectrum

is

realistic

problems

shoehorn too many

to define (such as
its

how to

purpose and

graphic design an arcane

all you need do is count up your total number of

do some elementary math. At the esoteric end, finding your

At the simple end,

characters and
ideal solution

do

aspect of

based on

fact.

give your publication the character appropriate to

art.

this

is

is

may

take a

little

longer, but

to break that apparent enormity into

it

proceed to make one small decision for each.

the complex

In

both cases

you make your judgments based on

accessible to

all.

The

result

may

well that your decisions had

(or lack thereof).

look

little

to

like "art,"

facts

the simple and

and options that are

but you will

do with your

know

artistic talent

make judgments based on

sense for the sake of the product and the story.

perfectly

or training

Your decisions had everything to do with sound

thinking: the capacity to analyze and

common

no more difficult: all you need

component parts and then

is

its

editorial

logic

and

Graphic design

publications exists on two levels that are interconnected, yet

in

quite separate:

(1) the character of the product as a whole, and (2) the

communication of the ideas inherent in its parts. The first aspect
do with what the object looks like and how the stories leap off the

successful

has to

page

mind;

into the reader's

page to page and

or,

issue to issue

how you recognize the product from

and how memorable or exciting your

readers perceive the content to be. The character of the product as a whole
is

make that fuse into

many factors such as:

created from the choices you and/or your designer

mix that

is

particular to your product.

It

consists of

the weight, color, texture, and snap of the stock you use; the page size; the
ink color; the proportions of the margins

around the page; the column

structure in the live area of your page; the texture, color, contrast,

and

patterning of the type you use for the body copy, display, and other areas of

typography; the

style of the standing art

elements; the format of the

used for logos and other graphic

many elements

recurring from issue to issue

such as covers, contents, editorial, and so forth; the style of

handling of photos

infinite variety of possibilities

and are influenced by wholly

considerations such as what your suppliers can offer

and materials, press

size,

number

in

also influenced by criteria that are

practical

way of
method

the

of copies to be printed,

distribution, as well as the overriding question of budgets

They are

illustrations; the

and many more. Such choices are made from a nearly

services

of

and so

much harder though no

forth.

less

necessary to define, such as the average age of your readers, the degree
of their visual/verbal sophistication, the purpose of the publication

and so on.

When
the right

you know what your problems are and base your decisions on

criteria,

you can construct

a solution that

is

fitting

and elegant.

It

must be based on a dispassionate analysis of your needs, purposes, and

if you accept
limitations that define the graphic materials you will be using

as a definition of the

word "materials" anything

that

is

visible

on the printed

page. The resulting mix of those materials will be what makes you "you"

work with them until you decide to change them.

What you decide to do with graphic materials and how you apply your
ingenuity to telling individual stories within the restrictions imposed by these

your format. You

will

materials will be the challenge of that other aspect of graphic design

communication of ideas inherent

must

in

the parts of the publication.

attract the potential reader's attention

devise to

make

the story appear irresistible.

the

First

you

by whatever means you can

Then you must hold

it

by making

your story fascinating; you must get the information across quickly by

and ensure its being memorable by emphasizing that

You have to make the value of the product apparent to
it will be anticipated and welcomed as a trusted friend,

efficient presentation,

which

is

significant.

your reader so that

XI

by making

both recognizable as well as packed with useful content.

it

But that

why you have to know what you are doing and why
way you are doing it. Flying by the seat of your pants
your shirt. That is why this book has been assembled as a

precisely

is

you are doing

the

it

can lead to losing

compendium

knowledge you need

of the fundamental practical

approach your task

fearlessly.

It

graphic design and production with suggestions on

effectively. Since

one aspect

how

dangerous to know too much

as

is

it

order to

in

carefully balances the essential technicalities of

of the process, the material here has

been

them

to use

as too

about any

little

chosen to give

carefully

an overview for handling your publication-making responsibly.

The book
the

last

is

the result of the 30 years

have been involved

20 as consultant and lecturer. The truism that a teacher

his pupils

is

the answers.

taught by

have fielded those questions often enough to have learned

what the most common

fears

knowledge cause them.

It is

even greater service by

more importantly

telling

that

it

is

and

insecurities are,

my hope

questions can be found here.

If

that so

and which gaps

that the answers to the

they are not, perhaps

in

most frequent

may do my

readers an

you not only where to go to find them, but

perfectly

answers, and making publications

no wonder

publishing,

in
is

absolutely unassailable: they asked the questions and needed

is

all

right to ask!

Nobody

has

the

all

an extremely complex procedure.

many people have

It is

technical problems as well as

To help at least in the area defined as

book has been divided into a set of logical areas. Refer to the
and then scan the
chapter
headlines that have been placed on the page to help you close in on a
narrower topic. This book intentionally has no glossary in the traditional

more

hard-to-solve, editorial ones.

graphics, this
titles

to determine the particular area of interest

sense, because people seldom use

are highlighted

in

boldface

discover their meaning

in

it.

the context

in

Instead, technical terms

and concepts

them quickly and

which they occur. The index is, of

the text so you can find

in

course, a cross-referencing guide.

One
last

last

possible

thought: the tasks

moment

we do

not like tend to be put off until the

when we cannot avoid them any more. Too many

word-oriented people

fall

into this trap

when they

face the task of turning

those words and thoughts into marks on paper that communicate to readers.

Because they are unsure of themselves, because they do not know what they
are doing, and because they are afraid, they postpone

becomes

a last-minute overnight nightmare.

layout forever;

isn't

it

wiser to get on with

develop a solution that

really

is,

When

it

its

until

you discover how

who knows? You may even become

product appears as by
a fully

will s/ng?

it

the task

You cannot avoid doing the

in good time, so you can
as fascinated

logical

content and writing. At that point you

rounded communicator.

and easy

it

by the way your

will

become

Now with

respect to this book:

it

has

some 480

line illustrations

if

you

count typographic examples as "illustrations." Please don't check up on the

number:

made some

and what doesn't,

illustration

who

arbitrary decisions as to

cares? Suffice

it

trying to

in

come up

with the

to say that there are a lot of them.

80 halftones. And reams of words. Assembling

a daunting undertaking,
skilled

what constitutes

had

total. Besides,

There are also some

this stuff

would have been

not been fortunate to have the help of several

and indispensable professionals: Mary

into legible typescript (which

all

a separate

L.

Young

must have been some

transcribed the tape

task, given

my

propensity for disjointed complexity and seemingly endless verbosity).

Betty Sun and

they got

rid

Iris

clarified obscurities

They did

assertions.

unusual book
illustrate

Topel edited the manuscript with insight and diplomacy:

it,

in

it

all

and challenged some of

with extraordinary patience, for this

terms of bookmaking: the author didn't

my
is

rasher

a rather

just write

part of an editor's responsibilities, gently evaporated.

self-control with such frustrations.

You

see,

are to such an extent, that

make

illustration

this

decisions about detailing on one page that

you notice such inconsistencies, blame the author: he was having

any mistakes

normal
their

and space

quite different from a similar situation on another page. So

also for

is

acknowledge

enjoy playing with

marvelously malleable material that typography and

Blame him

and

but he also oversaw the typesetting and then assembled the

mechanicals himself. So the proper control of consistency, which

may be

most of

of the obfuscations and circumlocutions together with

my funnies. They

the editors did

their best

when

fun.

under unusually

trying circumstances.

The typesetting was done by J&J Typesetters in Norwalk, CT. They are a
work with. The stills from old movies are used by kind permission of
the Still File Collection. Other photos don't deserve crediting: they are
supposed to be bad, and have little difficulty taking such pictures myself.
My thanks to Carl Moreus of Norwalk, CT, for the use of his photomechanical
joy to

conversions on pages 130-131.

My thanks,

overseeing the excellent production of

Without
monster.

my

Clarissa,

must also thank

would

my

this

also, to

not have had the courage to tackle this

four sons: Charles, with his Caroline,

Alexander, Gregory, and Christopher. Each

pride.

know

Westport,

May 1983

CT

they want

me

Helen Einhorn for

book.

to dedicate this

in his

book

own way is cause for paternal

to the memory of KW.

Which
will

you

choose:
newsletter

magazine

Let's

assume

little

ones,

fat

and colorful ones,

magapaper,

How

terrifying.

is

and the prospect of making your

can you possibly do something

like that?

Don't be overwhelmed by the quantity or the variety. Instead, go

through the

mound

Keep those pieces

again and

that

seem

your audience and that

the verb "to like"

or
tabloid?

and floppy ones, newspaperlike ones,

thin

and flamboyant annual-reportlike ones

own

magtab

you are faced with putting out a publication. You are then

that

very likely to have a stack of publications sitting on your desk: big ones,

is

weed out

to

everything that doesn't feel

have the

are, therefore, to

right character for

your

liking.

seldom used because subjective

on an emotional response, must be supplanted by

and

right.

your needs and

Elsewhere

in this

which

liking,

is

book,

based

logic, strategic planning,

when you put your publication together. You must

doing and why you're doing that way. But, for now, your

rational decisions

know what

you're

it

intuitive feeling of rightness,

expressed

in

terms of "liking,"

is

a valid

and

valuable tool to use.

When

you've narrowed the

field

single-page, typewritten newsletter

You can

forget

may have
all its

all

is

you may well decide that a modest,

what you should be doing

fine!

about magazine formats and newspaper makeup! Or you

gravitated toward a

hard-hitting,

newsy

more newspaperlike product:

flavor

You've taken the

fine!

first

a tabloid with

major step

in

your publication-making process.

Your ultimate choice, however,

account.

hard to

It is

make

will

need to take three factors

intelligent generalizations

into

about these factors

because their specifics are so variable, but you should know about them and
figure

them

into

your equation before you commit yourself to a

final

choice

of format.
1.

The

availability of suppliers in

your

vicinity

machinery to produce the kind of product you'd

2.

Some

idea of the

way your product

will

who

have the right

like.

be distributed, for that may

well affect both costs and the physical limitations within which you'll have
to work.

3.

The

availability of

enough money to create the very best version

some are cheaper to make than

of

the product you'd like to have. Clearly,

others.
a

It is

far better to

shoddy version of

produce a

first-rate

more expensive

kind.

version of a cheaper kind than

Only

common

sense and

discussions with your suppliers can give you the information you need to

base your decisions on.

Those are three

your

practical considerations that

must be made. To make

even more complicated, there are three more fundamentals you

life

must also absorb

at this early stage of

your publishing career,

if

you are

to

succeed. They are not practical, but without them you cannot muster the
intellectual
1.

freedom you need

to

do the job

right.

supposed to be done. Anyone

who

right-hand corner, align the date below

the page with a line under

it,

it,

what

it is.

one

is

It is

name

center the

in

the top

title in all

capitals

on

place the bibliography at the end and footnotes

on the page where the reference occurs, and so on

Such patterning

reports are

has ever submitted a paper to the

English teacher in high school had to put his or her

for

way

Forget everything you ever learned about the

you know what

mean.

of the useful disciplines of school and perfectly valid

even useful

for

doing college papers. But publishing

broader world where such rules or guidelines don't

exist.

is

Clear your mind

of those cobwebs.
2.

aren't.

or

may

Don't think that there are any correct ways of doing anything. There

There are traditions. There are rules of thumb whose application may
not be appropriate. There are comfortable ways of doing things that

have been developed over the years and that are effective
but disastrous

type

about

in all capitals,

italics in

of truth. There are also lots of books that

you hope

to

do

it

right.

tell

at

the top of the

embody

page, and so on ad nauseam. Slogans are slogans and

if

one product

bulk being hard to read, about trapped

space being anathema, about big headlines having to go

never do

in

another. There are endless slogans about never setting

in

only a sliver

you what you must always or

Nonsense. There

is

only one right way:

Think the problem through, decide on the editorial point you're trying to

make, then express

it

in

the appropriate physical format, be

story or an entire publication.

have succeeded

meaning
3.

in

which

If

way

finding the optimal

is

it

for a single

the form grows out of the content, you'll

of

communicating your

the purpose of this whole business to start with.

See beyond the beguiling pictures when you examine other people's

publications. Look

beyond or behind them

to notice the structure of the

pages, the rhythms used to assemble the whole piece, the patterning and
repetitive elements used, the length of the stories, the

used, the variety of subjects covered.

to

do because even bad

It is

one

way headlines

are

of the hardest things to learn

pictures are so fascinating.

And

if

the samples of

publications you have gathered are exciting (which they probably are,

otherwise you wouldn't have kept them), chances are the writing and
subject matter are equally alluring.

It is

hard to

resist getting

these publications, and their very capacity to draw

in

the subject

is

the mark of their excellence. Resist

in

involved

in

even those disinterested

it if

you want to become

a dispassionate, professional analyzer.

But for now, shelve

as

about not knowing

all

the worries about suppliers and finances as well

how to

begin, and concentrate on the pile of stuff on

your desk. To help you analyze the various characteristics of formats, here
a short

is

overview of the three basic types. Obviously there are hybrids as

much

well as unique publications, which attract

attention by virtue of their

uniqueness. Doubtless there are several of such types

in

your

pile.

There's

no reason why you should not depart from the standard formats. Be aware,
however, that what looks simple can turn out to be quite tricky to achieve;
and every time you do something special, it is likely to cost you both
aggravation and money. So here are the fundamentals,

only for comparison.

if

Newsletters
What
it is

a multitude of sins this term

almost meaningless:

it

encompasses!

a publication of limited circulation that

and

that

published often or seldom,

is

is

a simple

it

to

mean.

It

describes

essentially informative in nature

is

in a

format that varies from the

simplest to the most complex. For our purposes,

definition: a newsletter

so often misused that

It is

means whatever you want

medium

that

return to the original

let's
is

easy to produce and

probably one of the most effective to ever have been invented, because

true newsletter

illusion

read and

news

is

simple, informal, relaxed.

of

full

effectiveness

Its

creates of being a person-to-person letter.

it

it is

and unassuming.

forthright

It

the

lies in

should be quick to

news (although what constitutes news is arguable, if it is

news it is). It should be written in a series of

to the recipient, then

short paragraphs that

summarize events and bring out

their significance to

the recipient. Longer items are, of course, perfectly acceptable, but the

longer they are, the less "newsy" the product appears. To be a true
newsletter,

it

needs to look

like

the who, what, where, how, and

know about
It

news and be edited down to the essentials:

when and why the reader should need to

it.

ought also to look informal and inexpensive, unpretentious, not

sloppy or messy, but relaxed and unassuming,

in

order to create that

atmosphere of one-to-one personal communication.

When

typewritten,

its

informal character and "inside-scoop" feeling can best be communicated.

If it is

typewritten, then

it

ought not

the image that readers typically have

in

to

have typeset headings. Otherwise

mind

of the editor batting out the

latest

hot news on the typewriter (or

visual

elements obviously not generated on a typewriter are added to the

mix. By

means have

all

word processor)

a logo set in type

and run

it

be destroyed

will

if

off in color to create a

letterhead on which the typescript can then be imposed. That reinforces the

personal quality of the newsletter. But inserting headlines

something

it is

a "letter,"

The simplest newsletter

together

in

is,

its

page

size

is

type

is

probably the standard 8y2" x 11".

of course, a single sheet.

Two

sheets stapled

the top-left corner are the next step. From there you can have

several other variations of physical format

maximum

in

else.

Because

for a plain newsletter.

r=1

r^

but eight pages

is

about the


The next step up the

scale

when

is

the ambitious editor

becomes design

conscious and yearns for something more formalized, more expensive

looking,

more

more "finished."
two columns, and the copy

valuable,

So the page

is

split into

made

times so that columns are

lines of type.

An

is

retyped several

and right-hand edges

the

is

executive typewriter

to create an aura of sophistication.

typewriter's directness and large scale,

rationalization being that

left-

way the machine naturally

may even be used in order
That soon gives way to rejecting the

unaligned, which

(justified) instead of

produces

neat on both

in

favor of cold-type typesetting, the

you can get more on the page. Soon, instead of a

straightforward newsletter, you have the poor cousin of a magazine

three columns per page, with headlines

the ultimate

development

in

set

contrasting sans-serif type, and

pictures. At this point, longer stories that are

no longer news-oriented but rather

analytical or descriptive in nature

shoulder their way into the product, and you have a mini-magazine that
doesn't quite
of

come

And

off.

it

come

doesn't quite

one medium have been applied (wrongly)

stock and fancy tricks to "catch the reader"

newsletters,

whose

entire character

is

is

stories

want to know the

by bringing out

medium. Using

slick

inappropriate to true

because they are

vitally

news. Magazines have to "sell" their

latest

their content

because the techniques

properly predicated on the assumption

that their readers are predisposed to reading

interested and

off

to another

through complex headline/deck/text

relationships as well as graphic/photographic/layout manipulations.

Newsletters don't need such trickery because their readers are already sold

on the importance of the content. Therefore such flamboyance

and turns the newsletter

into

something

is

misapplied

else.

Magazines
Although there are small ones made

to

fit

the pocket (6" x 8") and

bigger ones (9" wide by up to 12" high), the majority of magazines are

becoming standardized
on the smallest page
7"

to 8y4" x

size

X 10" ad and allow

10%"

one can use

or so. These dimensions are based

to

workable margin

accommodate
all

the standard

around. For economic reasons,

paper and press sizes are slowly adjusting to

this standard.

It is

also a size

that allows for exciting handling of visual elements as well as pedestrian

handling of textual matter, as a

visit to

your

local

magazine counter

will

quickly attest.

The essence

1.

to

be

of handling a

magazine

lies in

two

factors that are peculiar

medium.

to the

It is

small

enough

2.

It

is

made up

spread two facing pages seen together

makes one overall impression per spread.

for each

visible as a total unit.

It

many pages and therefore becomes an object in

many impressions following each other as the reader

of

three dimensions with

turns the pages.

These essential characteristics can offer tremendous advantages: you

can create an
find

it

artifact that

has such personality and unity that the reader will

valuable, useful, and important.

How do

you achieve that? By making

the most of the sequence of impressions the reader develops as he or she

turns the pages and perceives the pages

sequence or progression by

in

progression.

You

page and spread to spread, by the use of minimal variety

maximal

by consistency

effects,

in

establish

by horizontal alignment from page to

repetition,

in

typography for

the placement of like elements on the

page, and by standardization of everything that can be standardized. Far

from making the object

same time

giving

it

dull,

such techniques

make

strong, while at the

it

impact and recognizability.

These are qualities that cannot be

because eight

built into a newsletter,

pages aren't enough to work with. They are also qualities that a newspaper

cannot achieve, because

The magazine
paper (form) that

is

is

its

page

made up

later

size

is

too large.

folded into a signature that

other signatures to form the

is

is

a flat sheet of

then assembled with

product. Each signature consists of

final

multiples of 4 pages; 16 pages

on

of groups of pages printed

the most economical, although 8-page and

12-page signatures are possible. Large magazines are printed

signatures. Black-and-white pages are printed separately

in

32-page

from color pages,

because single-color presses are cheaper to run than four-color presses;

often the paper stock varies. Thus a magazine often consists of several

black-and-white signatures interlaced with or surrounded (wrapped) by color

You need

signatures.

makeup

of the object,

to understand the fundamentals of the physical

in

make

order to

the most of

it

within

its

own

limitations.

The way people hold the product

Holding
it,

we

it

flip

by the spine the way

the pages

the inside half

is

fast;

we

is

another factor to take into account.

we do when we

first

pick

it

up

to

examine

only see the outside half of the pages because

hidden. That outside half of the pages, then,

ought to put our attention-grabbing material.

Later,

when

is

where we

the product

is

studied for the second time, after the potential reader has decided, "Yes,
looks interesting," that inside half

is

laid

bare because the object

is

it

then

held differently: on the lap, on the desk, folded backward.

The page of

All

a typical

dimensions shown are

magazine

in picas.

is

usually broken into

two or three columns.

Some magazines

9.5

9.5

9.5

also use a four-column format.

9.5

These are by no means the only patterns although they are most often found,
for they fit the sizes of advertisements. Publications that do not have to face
the problem of

accommodating ads need not

restrict their thinking.

They

should develop other patterns, such as these: Narrower columns can be

concentrated toward the center of the spread, allowing a wide outer margin;
that precious high-visibility area can then

be penetrated by headlines or

small pictures or can have pictures extend into

Or how about

taking two columns, centering

it.

them down the middle of the

page, and giving them ample outer margins to create a quiet, elegant,
dignified feeling?

Or consider taking three columns per page but making them narrower than
the maximum. You then have the option of placing them in two positions on
the page: working outward from the gutter, yielding a wide outer margin;

or working inward from the outer edge, yielding a wide gutter margin.

There

ways of organizing the space

are, clearly, lots of different

at

your

The advantage of an unusual arrangement is that it makes the

product look different. Not only does the type feel different, but the pictures
do too. That is because in the usual two- or three-column makeup, there is
disposal.

an expected sameness to the pages, no matter

original or

to obtain striking photos.

even

attaching your material forces you to size

If

the skeleton

is

how

hard you

The skeleton
it

to

may

try to

be

which you are

according to certain proportions.

ordinary, so will your proportions be.

If it is

unusual, then

the result will look unusual.*

If

may

your publication

well be a

is

good idea

likely to

to

have a great many photos

work out

column format

that

in

it,

then

it

encourages a

variety of sizes suitable to the variety of pictorial matter you'll want to

accommodate.

If

your page can be so arranged that

standard, recognizable margin

allows the

live

it

remains within a

so the pages hang together

clearly

yet

area to be broken into two, three, four, and even five

columns, you have a scheme that

will

be the basis of a product whose

interesting expressiveness will be the result of the flexibility of the system.

12.3

12.3

12.3

*See Jan V. White, 18 Ready-to-Use Grids (Arlington, VA: National Composition

Association, 1982).

The combinations such a scheme allows for example, coupling various

column widths together to leave empty areas of different proportions can

be both gratifying and enriching. Gratifying, because

it

made

enriching, because the

to the size the editor

deems appropriate

for

it;

the material be

lets

journalistic thrust, joined with the visual effect, creates excitement in the

product.

something and says

says

It

it

clearly, at first glance.

By the way, breaking up the page into component columns

thought to be a Big Solution to

grid.

page

grid

is

Our Problems when

All

make

and also
is

into horizontal shapes.

The

the additional horizontal ones

multiples; or they can break the page's height arbitrarily

in

into equal-sized pieces.

is

It

the true grid. They can be coordinated with type lines

individually or

it

sometimes

nothing but a geometrical pattern that divides the area of the

into vertical shapes (columns)

columns have already been discussed.

that

is

referred to as a

is

it

good planning

the publication

If

is

use a

likely to

shape those pieces so they

to

will

lot of

photographs,

the proportion of

fit

35mm

the photos: 4 to 5 proportion for 4" x 5" photos, 2 to 3 proportion for

photos. Clearly, any arrangement that helps to define the future page design
feasible.

is

It

up to

("text

decks

area,

The

can be as simple as a few lines that define the edges of things

and down to here but no further

this point
in

grid

there
is

.")

said to

embody some

produce the publication and makes

such thing.
as

It is

framework

better to have a

it is

that

it

to insert

is

hung;

may

easy to

does no

or

may

In

Space

1.

is

good

fill

the material, and insofar

it

it

helps. But

it is

no

stories, inventing clever

provides

it

it

is

a set of slots into

the frame on which the publication's visual

is

helps give identity;

it

creates consistency from page to

will

it

the forerunner of the

is

be done on video terminals, the

is

style,

there are four other characteristics that have

become

magazine makeup.
used actively to create the product's patterns.

expected to be

fully

packed from side to

side,

magazine page (although there are some, such

do

fit

be universally used.

terms of

essential to true

page

not

that material.

coming technology: when page makeup

grid will

in this

it

speeds work habits; and, of course,

it

headlines

it

framework than not to have one,

the other hand,

character

page;

all

makes

kind of magic that

graphics, or getting fine photography. All

On

an effective vehicle. Alas,

substitute for thinking, journalism, writing

which

or as complex as imagination demands.

A newspaper

top to bottom. Not so

as the

newsmagazines, that

out the live-matter rectangle as a matter of course). Such an informal

approach, whereby white space

matter the editor

deems

is

utilized actively to focus attention

important,

encourages. Unfortunately,

this

is

the boss objects to "wasted paper," and because

they are

in

evolve,

is

often unused, because

many

editors, trained as

newspaper journalism, cannot purge themselves

imposed on them by newspaper

traditions. Interestingly

many magazine techniques

of the rigidities

enough, as papers

are invading the supplements

includes the utilization of space as an active element

of as just the passive white background

get printed.

onto the

something that magazine makeup

valuable capacity

in

and

that

presentation, instead

on which the words and pictures

2.

Newsletters plunge right into their contents on the

first

page.

Newspapers run their most important story atop page 1, often above the
between covers.
flag. But magazines are packaged like cornflakes: in a box

The picture and cover

enticing

in

become

lines

shills

and are made

irresistibly

order to pull the reader into the product. Obviously, covers

also exist to create recognition for the product from issue to issue, so they

have to express the publication's personality and be consistent with

policy.

The picture

that

its

run on the cover usually has something to do with

is

the major story. Artwork or typographic covers are also sometimes used, and

they can be highly successful as sales tools

much

easier

and

they are well executed.

if

It is

good photo, though.

safer to use a

3. Magazine pages have their center of importance at the top; that's

where the eye goes to find the important matter. The foot of the page is

much

less

important.

follows, then, that

It

is

it

bottom of the page always precisely squared

columns down

to the

become aware

of that area of the page that

inaccuracies without worry. Certainly

paragraphs

typography

in

order to

is

it

not necessary to

off

bottom margin makes

it

and

look

make the

neat. True, filling

tidier,

but so few people

you can get away with

foolish to insert space

between

out the columns, for that destroys the flow of the

fill

and to what end? Perhaps some theoretical principle of which

few are aware. Certainly

newspaper page made up

arrangement has to have

a neat outline,

in

and there the

the traditional,

full

lack of alignment

across the foot of the page looks noticeably messy. But newspapers are a
different case altogether,

medium
It is

and

unwise to transfer the necessities of one

is

it

to another.

much

wiser to

make

a virtue of necessity

for

example, by making

the foot of the page deliberately staggered or scalloped, as long as the

inequalities are sufficiently large to

you intended
4.

In

to

do and

general, the

that

is

it

make

it

quite evident that this

most successful presentation

devoted entirely to one

story.

is

what

not a mistake.
is

one whose spreads are

There the medium's proportions are used

optimally and concentrate the reader's attention most effectively. The page

comfortably with longer

size evidently coordinates

could not be as successful because

it

is

far

wrong. By the same token, magazines that crowd a

page newspaper

style

stories.

A newspaper page

too large; the scale would be

lot of

small items onto a

can never succeed to the degree that newspapers can,

simply because of the smallness of the page they are working with.

Magapapers, magtabs, and tabloids

Here

we

are dealing with a

much

larger object.

The normal dimension

11" wide and anywhere from 14" to 17" high. Usually

(to get

the newspaper feel as well as to

make

it

less

it is

is

run on newsprint

expensive to produce),

although the format can be used on heavy, white, fine stock too. The tabloid
is

What makes the tabloid into a magtab or magapaper

more fold and, because of that fold, a smaller cover. That

the basic format.

that

it

has one

sounds complicated, so here

it

is

in

diagrammatic form.

is

The back page of the tabloid becomes the cover for the folded piece; the
upper part is the front cover, the lou/er part the back cover. The reader sees
three sequential elements upon receipt of the publication:
front cover; second, the back cover; third,

tabloid-size

first

opening

it

all

first,

the small

up, the

full

page.

The word magtab comes from magazine (when folded) and tabloid
(when opened
similarly,

is

up).

(Nobody

Inside, they are

columns, they

rigid
in

magazine

often

calls

a tabzine,

it

thank goodness.) Magapaper,

magazine and newspaper.

all

basically the same.

Assembled newspaper

style in

out every square inch of available space; or assembled

fill

they have greater freedom of placement and sizing, and

style,

weave ample white space

into startling graphic arrangements. Clearly

the contents should determine the choice of presentation style: news stories
in a

news section can and should be presented

in a style

natural to

them; on

the other hand, long, analytical stories that are not news-oriented deserve a
different handling. There

is

no reason why there cannot be

a variety of

handling within the same issue; such variety helps to enrich the product
visually,

and

can help the reader realize the variety of matter packed

it

the Issue. This kind of variety

needs of the material.

must

fit

the stories

It is

(in

form

as in content)

an organic, natural development, and as such

and the vehicle much more believably than the

of extraneous variety that

in

grows out of the inner

one

finds injected into a product for

its

own

it

sort

sake:

fashionable headline type; peculiar text block treatments; fussy details that

no one notices except the people who put the product

differences

treatment of subheads

in

in

Magazine-style layouts work best

noticeable at

first

glance.

It is

out, such as

copy; and so forth.

when

dominant element becomes

usually a large photo, but

it

can be anything

else appropriate to the story: a large headline, an important chart or

What deserves prominence

for editorial reasons

is

given that

map.

visibility in

order to create immediate communication.

Newspaper-style layouts imply putting several comparatively short but

unrelated items on the
tabloid size
totality.

is

much

same page. Since the newspaper page

larger than a

The two-page spread

of a

magazine page,

newspaper

is

it is

full

size or

seldom seen

as a

practically never seen that

it cannot be done without standing back too far. Instead, the page is
examined by the reader in a series of jumps. Therefore newspaper design
needs to be contemplated from a very different point of view. Its

way:

composition
in

is

much more complex.

columns, the usual approach

is

to

Unfortunately, because

weave the

it is

organized

material through from

column

to

column so

meld

that the stories

each other; only by reading

into

and concentration can we determine where one ends and the next one begins.
(MtMMUjXM^

y)lil^lli;l\MUiUiiA^MyHIJmMU-

It

would be wiser

WIMJifJ^ <iMA"UMHMU.vU

to think of each story as a self-contained rectangle or

building block of which the page

determine the lengths of the

built.

is

from each other

stories are divided

is

That way the

greater: at

first

in

with which the

where they begin and end, what

and which article they

stories,

belongs with what, which pictures go with what text

ought to get involved

clarity

glance the reader can

reading.

Another fundamental difference between magazine-style makeup and

newspaper-style makeup

is

the approach to the utilization of pictures.

In a

show what the subject

looked like, or that prove the veracity of the report. Seldom does the story
depend on the pictures, in fact, the essence of a newspaper news story is
newspaper, the story

is

accompanied by pictures

straight verbal reportage,

unadorned

story could happily stand

magazines

just extra

cake to make

raisins tossed in the

In

and the

any pictures are

feet;

(at least in

rather than those that are

that

it

added

on

its

own

attractions. They're just

less stodgy.

those that

assembled

make

like

the most of their potential

miniature newspaper pages, as

is

too often the case) the story grows out of a blend of the pictorial and the
verbal.
exist

The two are

inextricably intertwined in

meaning: the words cannot

without the visuals, and the visuals would make no sense without the

more

accompanying words. This

is

and much more

produce than the comparatively simple-minded

newspaper

difficult to

story.

whose contents

makes the

It

viewer-reader that
vivid

sophisticated communication technique

difference, however,

between a product

are glossed over and fast forgotten (unless the subject

crucially important)

its

and

its

a product that creates such an impact

message

is

Is

on the

imprinted on the consciousness because of

power.

The standard tabloid makeup

The height

varies with the

page

5 picas or thereabouts, but in

measurement, much

its

as 41 picas

is

based on

size, of

own

course.

a 56-pica live-matter area.

The 56 picas allow margins

arithmetic

it

is

a very flexible

and 39 picas are the key dimensions on

magazine-size pages. The page can be broken into:

of

10.5

columns per page

The

overall scale

pictures tend to

and

is

become

for a reasonable type size

oversized,

be

size.

problem

10.5

10.5

columns per page

is

a bit narrow,

resulting in too many word breaks.

The use of a condensed typeface can
overcome bad setting. A great

and better

up two mug shots per column

accommodates that perennial

People pictures need to

arranged

set into the text or

10.5

The column width

variety of picture sizes; doubling

text lines are a trifle long for

easy reading, unless you use a large

type

columns per page

This yields an excellent copy width

a bit large,

10.5

variety of picture sizes

is

possible.

neatly.

in clusters.

Mixing column widths on the same page

variety in look

and scale

is

an excellent way to create

as well as in emphasis. Furthermore, a

pattern also helps to segment the large page into

its

change

component

in

parts at

first

depends on horizontal building-block

makeup: instead of intertwining stories from column to column, each story

glance. Such segmentation, however,

takes up a clear rectangle of space on the page. The vertical edges are, of
course, defined by the columns themselves.

The top and bottom edges are

defined by alignment of the type (which has to be precise, or

work) and by the headline that

is

space between such rectangles acts as a separating moat,

precise and straight and therefore appear deliberate.

horizontal cut-off rules,

if

you

it

fee! the

need

for

if its

edges are

You can always add

them. But a combination of

change of column widths and neat horizontal alignment of type

them unnecessary.

13

18

13

13

18

13

18

doesn't

placed across the top of each story. The

lines

makes

Odd-width columns are

most useful

possibilities

if

also perfectly feasible,

the width

is

and they embody the

custom-tailored to a specific sort of

Many tabloids are faced with running numerous short items,

mug shots, large official pronouncements, lists of anniversaries,

material.

endless

winners of awards, and so

forth. Fitting that kind of material into the

normal

column widths often squeezes the matter too tight, or worse, inflates it
undeservedly. A specially sized column might just do the trick. Here are four
examples. Anything
to

is

possible,

the material and typography are

made

14

14

14

11

Headlines and capsules can be run

in

if

fit it.

the narrow column at

16

left.

16

Policy statements from the CEO can

be set in large type in an extra-wide
column.

16

15

Anniversary celebrants' pictures and

Mug

names

the page.

fit in

the narrow column.

15

15

shots line up on the outside of

much under discussion

made to organize
page from left to right, the same way

Horizontal modules are an aspect of grids that are

nowadays

(see

page

7).

Many

attempts have lately been

the page into bands running across the

that

columns run top

worthwhile because
sizing of pictures)
lines of type).

where

to bottom. Theoretically, such a

it

can simplify the process of

modular system

makeup

and copyfitting (by organizing the page

into multiples of

Such coordination appears to be helpful because

to put things

and how big they ought

is

(by predetermining

it

shows you

to be. In practice, unfortunately.

seem

things never

to

work out so

copy

neatly: the

too short, the photos refuse to crop

right,

and

is

invariably too long or

after struggling for a u'hile

you

tend to give up on the grid's restrictions. Unfortunately, you either have a

you don't; there's no compromise.

grid or

There

aren't left v^^ith much.

one horizontal modular element, however,

is

make good

that appears to

sense: to have a band of space, about 2"

across the tops of

heavy effect that

pieces

grid's

you

rigidities,

all

the pages. You can leave

a tabloid

Or you can use

space.

you depart from the

If

it

page creates, but

as

those usually used

an area

you'll

which to

be accused of wasting

insert short,

amusing

as fillers that get such high readership.

love to read items that are short

postpone longer

in

it

deep or so, running

empty and thus lighten the

enough not

to

stories until they are ready for

bits

and

People

demand effort; they

them. A frieze across

the top

can be a useful repository for such odds and ends, and can help cajole the
readers into reading the big stories by pulling their attention onto the page

with small ones.

Sidebars are substories related to the story they appear with, but of
lesser importance.

They

are, in fact, boxes. Their

from the hackneyed, ruled, outlined box or

area to a

much more

graphic expression can vary

a tint of black ink

imaginative and witty presentation that

flavor of the subject with graphic expression.

Two

factors

over the whole

may

need

to

help the

be

understood about them.

1

It

is

necessary to set text narrower than the regular column width,

because you have to leave room for the graphic surrounding that encloses
it.

Such measurements need to be coordinated properly to the column

is also needed: there has to be a
between the headline type and the miniaturized version that

structure. Parallel handling of headlines

relationship
is

used

in

the sidebar.

Because sidebars are peculiar elements inserted into the column

2.

structure

elements.

and appear different from

One

their surroundings, they are disturbing

can even think of them as illustrations

sure, but pattern-breakers nonetheless.

attracts

nonpictorial,

to be

Anything that breaks a pattern

our attention. So, to get some mileage from

this,

it

might be

good

idea to use a typeface of contrasting size, color, and texture, so that the

sidebars really are different.

If

the basic

makeup

pattern follows the horizontal layer or building-block

approach, then sidebars that are handled as though they were pictures can
help enrich the product visually

at

very

little

cost.

Make the
publication

name

Your name

is

your trademark.

recognized, and

it

publication so that every issue

its

and special to you

individual

It is

must become

the major symbol by which you are

your

a familiar friend to the recipient of

newly welcomed.

is

It

ought to be

as

becoming exaggerated
is the most

as possible without

or illegible. This problem of character and personalization

hallmark

difficult to tackle, since

looks technical to

reflects so

it

one person

is

what's just contemporary design to

someone

aggressiveness to

much

subjective interpretation.

What

seen to be cold and dull by another;

someone may

well be the

else; what's decorative

be seen as bad taste by another. That's

why more

epitome of

and amusing

one may

to

intramural battles are

waged about logos than anything else. That's why, in spite of the temptation
to do it first, it is wisest to leave the logo until last, when you are working on
a new format or a new product. Let the logo grow naturally out of the spirit
and atmosphere of the entire piece. If you have the discipline to work out
the background first, you will have solved so many basic questions that the
logo will evolve organically from the decisions already reached. If you do
the logo first, it may well become an albatross around your neck.

The difference between

logo, nameplatejiag,

Logo

is

each

letter

short for logotype. Logos

was

assembled

cast separately

letter

by

in

on

Greek means word.

name was then

prepared and repeated

names. (As

in

commonly used

for a publication's title

is

of publication

beholder. Logo

is

nameplate

will also

One
for short)

caveat:

Do

were

specially

or trade

also often called an

is

incorrect.

nameplate, or you can

call

it

name

of the

The correct name

a flag, or a banner.

like

beauty,

is

for magazines,

in

the eye of the

nameplate

for newsletters,

reserved for newspapers and tabloids (though

be understood there).

much, but you might

is

that

you have determines the correct nomenclature,

commonly used
is

when

words were made

company

inevitably, applied to the

although such pedantic correctness,

while banner or flag

words

or trademark a logo

was then,

the days

Such ready-made words were called

transferred to any

publication, although, strictly speaking, this

The kind

short

that peculiar form, such as

company name

"adcut.") This usage

In

and words had to be

a piece of metal

letter into lines,

into units to save the compositor's time.

logotypes. The

and masthead

as well

not

call

because that term

All this

does not matter very

know the proper terminology.

the name of the publication the masthead {mast
is

used for the

list

of individuals responsible for

the publication, the date and volume number, publishing information, where
to write for

change of address, various pieces of

legal information,

and

all

nobody ever reads except

the rest of that small print that

name's correct
is

spelling.

check

to

pages following the cover. This

put your

name on

legal material

front page. This expectation

favor of putting

.,,...-

^^

Aj

tell

the reader at

the

first

It

it

is,

is

somewhere on top

is

one

is

five

of the

the major factor

you have

of the reasons

glance which publication he or she

vital

is

at all

it

looking

is

in

to

at. It is

reference point for your product, and traditional

probably the easiest to

live with.

of course, perfectly possible to position the logo elsewhere

on the

front page:

in

the middle (waist high), at the bottom

or sideways, reading

become important
from issue to

it

Remember
folded?

Am

upward or downward (on

handling can

you repeat

(0
If

to consider

its

the publication
first,

is flat,

(at

the foot of the page),

Such unexpected

ear).

as a recognition factor in

issue, exactly the

how your

way you

product

itself,

it

is.

But

if

flat

or

thing the recipient sees.

first

then the graphic strength of the logo

no matter where

as long as

started out.

be received:

will

either case, the logo ought to be the

In

being seen

first

also called the indicia.

on the part of the recipient

there, because

first

and most

placement

is

the page

The normal or expected position of the logo

her

information required by the Post Office to qualify the publication for special

postage classification, which must appear somewhere within the

Where to

his or

Often appended to masthead material, by the way,

the publication

will

is

ensure

its

folded, then

the logo ought to be positioned so as not to be hidden by the fold. Such

a consideration as folding

is

another reason

why

is

it

unfolded, uncrinkled, and seen

^^mm

successive steps as

in

you

essential that

perceive the product as an object held by the recipient

in

it is

the hands, to be

opened.

It is

necessary that you avoid falling into the trap of designing the product as a
flat

object, even

Remember

though

it is

made up

that there are areas

flat in

on the page

order to print and produce

it.

be affected by

that will

the folding.

One more element

to consider:

Many

publications are mailed out with

the address labels attached to the front cover. Clearly, the size of the piece,
as well as the
label. But

page, for

machinery used to attach the

you had better

it

find out

must be accommodated

ahead of time than

to

label, affects the

in

the design.

It is

far better to

How to make the name

impossible to miss

Seven factors must be taken into account here. But, before

us.

that the underlying premise

the logo visible because

It is

we

are proud of

it

is

we

discuss them,

understood:

and because

it

we need

to

represents

we want to project, and the character

image affects the mood of the potential reader. So

the image of ourselves that

and atmosphere of that

we

some loathsome

label.

you must make sure

make

know

be unpleasantly surprised that the logo you have

fussed over with such meticulous care has been overlaid by

address

placement of that

about that before you design the front

should show

it

off clearly,

assuming, of course, that

it is

worthy of such

treatment. But

in

let

us

make

a positive rather than a negative

and analyze the seven

that score

order to give the logo

its

assumption on

must be combined and balanced

factors that

requisite visibility.

Graphic Artists Guild

NEWSLFITERI

^^^
Anchorage Daily News

By size
Make it big enough
depends on the

it

overwhelms everything

size of the page, the scale of

size of the headline

Use your

so

EdfeoB

common

typography near

it.

It is

else.

How

big

is

that? That

surrounding materials, and the

impossible to devise a formula.

sense, but be courageous, and err on the side of bigness.

Me
Hafi

<rHE9USINBS<WRITER
<MflKING

WORDS WORK FOR YOU

By blackness
Making

letters large

but using thin lines just tends to

scrawny and pale. The purpose

giving

it

ample

ink so

it

will

is

read

to
in

make your name

make

the logo look

visible.

That means

bold contrast to the paper background.

Boldface type run tightly together or type with "shadows" that add extra
ink,

Drop shadow type^^

good,

fat

ruled lines

anything

to

add color and

darkness-.

(SM^?rm?m

>^K

ORWALK Hospital

norwalk hospital

insideBI

Published bi-monthK- for friends of Norwalk Hospital

By

clarity

The

most important element

single

to be

accompanied by

such as the
issue, the

name

itself.

Alas, usually

it

needs

the essentia! publishing information

all

volume and number, and so

in relation to

around and only reduce the

itself.

forth. All this ancillary information

the logo. Regrettably, the normal practice

to surround the logo with itsy-bitsy

precious logo

name

of the publishing organization, the location, the date of

needs to be placed

static all

the

is

several other pieces of information: a line indicating

the purpose of the piece, as well as

is

January- /Februan- 1983

odds and ends

clarity,

that crackle like visual

and thus the impact, of the

The logo must be allowed

to remain dominant. All

the additional information should be arrayed inconspicuously alongside

or beneath

it.

TMimAGANmiPQmr

A WEEKLY SURVEY OF IDEAS AND METHODS FOR COMMUNICATION EXECUTIVES

THE WEEKLY SURVEY OF IDEAS

ANOMFTHnnSFflR

_H^

By contrast
The

size

and blackness of the logo

will

appear stronger when

set off

by the

smallness and paleness of ancillary information. Such graphic trickery can

work magic, because

size of the logo

the visual

if

the secondary matter will be tiny, you can reduce the

and take up

less of

your precious front-page space, yet retain

impact you seek.

17

By isolation
To achieve maximum
(with

its

visibility

and impact,

the page can be demarcated by an edge of

of

it

is

ancillary material) in a self-contained

empty space,

a box, or

even

just

wise to enclose the logo

bubble of space. The area of

some

moat

sort: a line of type, a

an implied line that

is

injected there in

the imagination of the viewer. The easiest, and probably most effective,

device

is

to

have a ruled

logo area from the rest of

line separating the

the page.

RECOO
m.1981- NUMBER im.

By juxtaposition
This

is

just a

concept

bombastic way of bringing your attention to a simple but

area, type to white space.

to

be seen against

area of

how

vital

that of contrasting fullness to emptiness, printed area to blank

To achieve

startling visibility for the logo, allow

a large, clear, uncluttered,

empty surrounding

space.

And "empty" means empty. No matter

may be, if it is printed in

small or insignificant a word, phrase, or date

that valuable white space,

it

it

and geometrically shaped

will spoil

the whiteness by

its

presence.

The Gaffer

8/82

AEA PROGRESS
NEWSLETTER OF THE ARTS, EDUCATION AND AMERICANS, INC

VOLUME 2/NUMBER

By separation
No amount of careful

logo design

balance against white space, contrast

be any

with tiny type, definition of space, and other desirable factors

good

if

the effect

is

Obviously, the best story

space on page
as

much onto

is

that

retain sufficient

will

undercut by competition from the headline below.

is

the

first

one on page

1.

Equally obvious, the

the most valuable. Therefore, the temptation

page

as possible.

It is

wise to

resist

space between the logo area and

that

is

to

cram

such temptation and

first

headline to allow

each to be seen as separate elements, rather than as a mass of matter fighting

for the reader's attention

and achieving

little

but confusion.

19


Your name/your

self:

why you ought to

Before thinking about

how

to

personalize
make

it

the logo "different,"

let's just

agree on

the fundamental need for restraint, because the logo should represent your

product

in a

dependable, dignified manner for a number of years.

and

therefore, be decorous

fit

your image;

it

ought not to be

trendy, because fashions change so quickly; and

although the distinction between

graphic symbol

is

a subtle

legibility as

one indeed

it

must,

ought to be legible

type and recognition as

to draw.

The context, the

wording, the audience, and the planned image, as well as your

instinctive feeling for Tightness,

It

startlingly

must be the determining

specific

own

factors.

Jttkltnga

INKUNGS
SiaplesHigh School

70 North Avenue '^tetpon Conrccoojr 06680

Given the importance of the logo as the symbol of your

highly advisable to turn
careful

about

of capability

whom

in this

its

identity,

2221209

it is

design over to a professional designer. But do be

you choose,

for

being a "professional"

is

no guarantee

rather arcane field. Designers specialize in various

aspects of their profession, the

same way

that lawyers or doctors

Design has many branches, and competence

guarantee of the same

in all

in

one

is

do

in theirs.

not necessarily a

the others. Be especially wary of entrusting such

is much more to logo

at first glance. Mature judgment as to appropriateness
comes only with experience and this is a quality you must be able to rely
upon in your designer. However bright, promising, and exciting a newcomer

crucial

problems to too youthful a designer. There

design than appears

may

to the profession

may

or her

be, entrusting

in all things,

little

for,

amortized over a long period of time;

is

more

How to make the name

wrong material at the wrong time. As

and what you are paying for is not
design. A good logo is an investment whose

you get what you pay

merely clever design, but right

cost

your precious trademark/ symbol to him

well be gambling with the

it is

therefore wise to pay a

to be sure of getting the best.

look different

Essentially, there are

amendment and

two graphic areas under consideration: typographic

pictorial imaging.

They can be used

individually or in

combination. They are also seriously affected by the surroundings

they

will

be observed.

don't be put

names

off.

to raise

order they

will

All of this

They are

them

just a

couple of techniques that are given recondite

to the level of intellectual concepts.

become

totally demystified

and

short

in

simply: playing

bits

and pieces of them to make a fun

pulling at a line and elongating

interweaving

fooling around with the shapes of the letters, slurring them,

overlapping them, changing

monogram,

Read on

bafflingly clear to you.

By amending the typography

What do we mean by "typographic amendment"? Quite
with the type

which

in

sounds awesome and occult, but please

letters,

bumping them up

it

and wriggling

close to each other

it

around;

in short,

using

the words and letters as malleable material.

NYU
^

TniTlcnn college
:)f physicians

03smB
Clearly,

want
will

how far to go

is

where the problem

a personalized version of a

change the way

the typesetter or

beginning.

If

it

make

looks

lies.

Equally clear,

if

word, you have to do something to

in plain type.

The

straight type

yourself from transfer lettering

is

you use calligraphic type or a typeface that

you
it

that

you receive from

just the very

is

sufficiently

21

VDion
^y^^BuOetitv
unusual

Mbil

lily.*

in itself,

But

if it is

perhaps you should leave

it

alone and avoid painting the

an unexceptional typeface, then some tampering

prove to be called

for.

with the o picked out

Think of the Mobil sign:

in red.

the Exxon sign: the double X

That

is

tampering

combined

into

in

one

extended beneath the bottom of the word. That

^M

letter

form. Think of Coca Cola: the

when

the words are

in

Arabic! That

wonder
is

show

terms of color. Think of

is

tampering

is

it,

The
Independent
Investor

"gilding the

you

lily" is a

realize that

misquotation

besides being a cliche?

"To

gild refined gold,

to paint the

lily,

throw perfume on the

smooth the ice
or add another hue
unto the rainbow,

to

violet,

to

or with taper-light
to seek the beauteous eye
of heaven to garnish,
is

wasteful and ridiculous excess."

(Shakespeare, King John, Act

Scene

IV,

2.)

And here you thought

how-to book!

this

was

just

is

an arbitrary collection
is

capable.

Is it

any

and judgment are needed to produce the kind that

THI-VIMS PKKSS. INC

*lncidentally, did

terms of

tampering with the words by adding

exactly right for you?

rNOTES

in

wave beneath the word remains even

the rich variety of which plain old type

that restraint

well

ligature with the legs

an external element to them. Here, for the fun of

of logos to

may

plain, simple, dignified type

Nai

i/\ZZ

JUST

The Arts-Seen Thru the Eyes of the Artist^

lains

Fatmer

^Sl

^"'^S

^l^^/^l^^

By pictorial imagery
"" make your symbol unique by adding pictures, drawings, pictograms,
visual symbols, coats-of-arms, company trademarks, maps, buildings, and
^^^

such assorted graphic material to the name. But what a terrifying minefield
that

is

When
a

to cross, with
in

booby

on

traps

all

sides. First

competent guide. Third common-sense

common-sense
because to

it

rule:

try to

of conditions

Perhaps

common-sense

doubt, don't. Second common-sense rule:

is

is

Make

rule:

If

Make

rule:

you must, then get

it

small. Fourth

the words dominant. That about says

it

all,

generalize about this totally subjective and individual set

not likely to be helpful, except

worthwhile showing

in

the most elementary way.

few examples.

Securities Regti/ation

and Transfer Report

Cthessie News

THE-

UCLA
MONTHLY
5b

Arbitration
Tiines
^v^\s i \/> \ w,\\s from

rm wmKicw

\RmTR\Tio\ \ssoa\rio\

Enriching the name's effectiveness with color

may

The

visual effect of color

may

well impoverish the coffers.

it

is

a simple

that

logo

itself

known

You

won't.

in

are,

at

the future.

it

green.

in

issue.

manufacturing, unit cost

In printing, as in all
If

you have

a longer pressrun

you

individual pieces will cost

cheaper to do peculiar things

like printing

to

you run

if

you

if

print

That might well

your logo

in

purple or

off

month, yet you order 60,000. That way you have a

readiness, printed at

volume

prices,

production. True, your added cost

extras

less.

enough of them, the price may even go down far

be economical. Your regular print order is, let us say, 5,000 pieces

In fact,

enough
a

one time, your

an element

is

The date may change, but the

therefore, dealing with the one element that is a

decreases as volume increases.

more
make

The logo

rich dividends.

be constant from issue to

quantity

and the cost

worth considering nonetheless, because

It is

procedure that can pay

likely to

is

well enrich the physical product

you don't need

for this

is

year's

full

worth of logos

based on today's cost of paper and

that of the storage of

upcoming

But what

issue).

your overrun (the

is it

that

you have?

Stacks and stacks of your publication's paper preprinted with the logo in
color, like blank letterheads.

Those blanks

then go through the press a

will

second time using normal-color ink (most probably black) to print the
actual issue's content.

There are presses that can print two colors

They have two

ink of

one

sets of rollers that

more

to use than a single-color press.

such equipment, you are probably utilizing

merely running the logo

Colorfulness achieved by running the

logo
is

in

in a "second" color: the panel

mustard brown, the name
in white and the word

dropped out

"letter" surprinted in black. All

maximum:

the photo

color, of course) continues

up

(in

background.

Carworth

in

of course.

succession,

one bearing

If

you are already using

capabilities for
if

you are

more than

restricted to a

one-color press, you should not rule out using more than one color,

want

it,

in a

Now,

second

take

it

a step further:

How

you

about printing color on something

other than white paper? Color-on-color

costs.

if

pass.

Aaah! Yes, money: well, perhaps

into

the logo against a pale yellow

its

color anyway. But

on

tan-colored stock. At right, colorfulness

reaches

in

one "pass,"

another color. Obviously, such a complex

color, the other ink of

press costs

in

touch the paper

it

the variety and

effects are limitless.

might be worth looking into the actual

They may not be prohibitive, and the benefit of improved quality and

personality

may

well be worth that

added

cost.

61ri^

: i

How to make your own

special logo

By lettering
This

is

it

yourself or commissioning a calligrapher

liable to result in the

executed.

If,

however,

it is

most personalized image of

the tone of the product undeservedly.

ISkm/

all,

if it is

well

not masterfully drawn, the result can bring

down

depends on the character you are

It

trying to achieve: For an informal, unpretentious "family style" effect,

comparatively unsophisticated lettering

wise to err on the side of well-crafted

may be

styling,

if

just right. But

it

is

always

only for the dignity that

it

helps to impart.

By using ready-made lettering

Ready-made
local art

lettering

sheets from which

Name

comes

in

two

basic varieties (both available at your

supply dealer): type imprinted on adhesive acetate sheets from

which you cut each

letter
it

and attach

it

easier to control because each letter

kind

is

with

its

position (and you can shift

down

burnished

it

physically

remove

tight).
it*

and type imprinted on

to your paper;

The cut-out

transferred to your paper by rubbing.

is

is

movable

around afterward, unless you have

it

Transfer lettering stays

and rub down another

The wisest procedure

is

to

do

you are happy

until

rough

where you put

letter in

its

it,

unless you

place.

no, several roughswhich you

then copy

in

A rough

simply a piece of tracing paper (transparent, smooth paper

is

final,

made

specifically

because the lettering sheets are

for tracing) that

you place over the

fairly

expensive.

lettering sheet

and on

draw your word letter by letter. The shapes of the letters

amendments to you once you see them strung on to each
Clearly, the bigger the letters, the easier it is to handle them. Working

which you
will

the

lightly

suggest

other.

with type any smaller than 60 points gets to be tricky indeed.

Each manufacturer of ready-made lettering sets has a different system to

help you with the spacing of the

letters

and clean alignment. Most

sets

have

oDfy

NAME

Hame
a horizontal line

below each

letter,

guideline you have drawn on your

publishes a catalog of

how

its full

which you place

own

line of materials, in

to use the sheets as well as useful tips

of these catalogs are free.)

It is

directly over the

paper. (Each manufacturer also

which clear instructions on

and shortcuts are included. Most

a very simple procedure to

produce

word or

two with

transfer lettering, provided

you work accurately, cleanly, and

carefully,

and use the

same

right tools (the

as are

needed

for

making

mechanicals; see page 148)*To remove transfer

lettering cleanly, simply pick

it

up with adhesive tape.

By having
In

set in

it

type

the past, printers supplied typesetting as

one

of their basic services,

they continue to do so. However, since typesetting

branch of the graphic

They are

likely to

arts,

many independent

is

and

a highly specialized

suppliers have set up shop.

have a more interesting selection of faces available, as

well as a variety of machinery to generate them. (The richness of their

stock-in-trade

is

their reason for being

service, of course.)

Helvetica Thin

Helvetica Thin

Helvetica
Italic

Italic

Helvetica Light

Condensed

Helvetica Light

Condensed

to quality

book

workmanship and
what is

to determine

Helvetica Black Condensed

Italic

Helvetica Black Condensed Italic

Helvetica Bold

Helvetica Black Extended

Helvetica Bold

Helvetica

Italic

Helvetica Bold Condensed

Italic

added

get their sample

Helvetica Extended

Helvetica Light

Helvetica Light

Condensed

You must

Helvetica Bold Condensed

Compressed
Compressed

Helvetica Extra

Italic

Helvelica Ultra

Compressed

Helvetica Light Extended

Helvetica Bold Extended

Helvetica

Helvetica Heavy

Helvetica

Rounded Bold

Helvetica Heavy Italic

Helvetica

Rounded Bold Italic

Helvetica
Helvetica

Italic

Condensed

''i

-''

':^'

"'

'
:

"yftdDOTKi

Helvetica Black
available to you.

the

name

Then you take your word and specify

of the face, the size

(in

it.

You must

tell

points or a dimension of the capital

them

letter),

the case (upper or lower) you want, the weight (bold, extra bold, regular,

the style (roman or

light, etc.),

may

30
ee

wish.

Many

versions of

between

special faces

italic),

come

which you need to

e,

letters, for

any other peculiarities you

as well as

with alternate characters, such as two

specify.

You must

"extra wide"

you use

\\

between

letters,

common-sense nomenclature
operator. (See

more on

is

in plain English,

translatable into

such as "set normal spacing"

machine speech by the

typesetting and specifying on page 47) The

if it is

generated, or a reproduction proof (repro proof

was printed on

tight

"normal," "tight," or

according to your preference. The terminology

typesetter will provide you with a printout

normal

is

for such specification varies according to the technology, but

or "tight but not touching"

gg

also specify spacing

given today's flexibility of photographic output,

typesetting machines can give you spacing that

photographically

in

the vernacular)

a press.

abcclefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
abcdefghijklmnopqrstu\AA/xyz

very tight

alxclefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

touching

abcclefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

if it

How to achieve the personalized

look

Once you have your word

once the name

in final,

type

in

is

clean typographic form (whether

may wish

hand-lettered, do-it-yourself, or typeset), you

it

be

amend some

of the
order to personalize them, make them more into a trademark form.

letters in

to

Dhislraled
im::^

ited

limstrated
Above: this is about the smallest
size you can work with accurately and
comfortably to achieve the precision

You should never tamper with the original, but have an enlargement made
(a "PMT"; see page 130) to much larger scale. Three-inch-tall capital letters
you have

the subject demands. The size also

are ideal, although

helps you to notice what needs doing.

you might prefer type

First
is

step

shown

in

tampering with the type

in (1):

the horizontal stroke

left was removed

up the space between the
"st," but it was left alone in the
second "t," because it tucks into the

of the "t" on the

with.

needed

for

when

only

to close

space created by the lower

When

if

wee

you have perfected

your publication.

it

is

large can

it

Why do you
make

the

the letters vertical and properly aligned

bar

(2).

a fine horizontal line

entire word. Enlarging the

to create a space into

initial

"I"

which the

underscoring bar can be inserted.

Still

to

be improved: the

gap

in

the "r."

irritating

easier, but

under the word. That

reassembly. Next, you apply

allow the bar to extend across the

have

to

it

to the final size

it

so large? Because

and control amendments that

disappear

wax

if

monkey

the version you

in

it

also protects you,

the subsequent reduction.

you do the amending? Before doing anything

Second

Third step: shortening the "11" to

need

work

will

is

then reduce

details

draw

step: addition of the horizontal

That

will

"a'.' The "ra" was also tightened

and overlapped, as werp the "11'.'

the

"Antidisestablishmentarianism,"

like

you

workmanship

since minor errors of

How do

it,

you discern

are needed. Not only does

serif of

word

bit smaller.

will

else

you must

ensure your getting

you cut them apart

to the back of the paper,

for later

which

will

allow

worked with until you are finally

satisfied with the result and can burnish them down permanently. Then you
cut the letters apart with scissors or a blade of some sort and start the
the letters to adhere to a surface and

Once you have the type the

way you want it, you add the art symbols to it, if you plan to use any. The
more cleanly you work, the better the final result. Use fine pen and black
tightening, overlapping, and expanding process.

India ink for

can

affix

making

lines.

ready-made

For wider lines you can get broader nibs, or you

lines that

you cut from acetate sheets or transfer to the

paper from rub-off sheets. Experiment with the techniques involved

don't expect to reach perfection at
result looks too messy.

And,

if it

first try;

go back and

recommendations from the

go to the

remarkable
if

local

a fair fee for the

make you

printer,

art

first;

if

skills

the
are

teacher or get

reproduction supplier, or

ad agency or graphic design studio

art
it

supply

is

how widespread the availability of specialized help actually is,

And quality doesn't ever come cheap, so expect to

only one looks for

pay

again

looks hopeless, get help. These

not easy to acquire. Check with your high school

store, or

start

realize

it.

work involved. Trying

what

a designer has to

do

to

do

it

yourself

first,

though,

will

to earn that fee!

27

How to
make
the most

Many producers
type they use

second

of
typewriter

and

They

use.

and shoddy unless

rate,

has been set

it

inviting

used

if

in

is

makeshift,

type by a typesetter. This

if,

in

of

Is

method

qualities.

its

appropriate to the writing

If it is

subject matter, format, paper stock,

and so on

in

makes the most

a fashion that

Typewriter type can be effective

size,

be apologetic about the

to

feel that a piece

even the most primitive typewriter Image can be handsome,

a grave error, for

legible,

communications tend

of printed

or rather don't

style,

of distribution, scale of

other words, the reader's expectation

Is

page
by a

fulfilled

well-balanced product.

''typography''

Clearly, attempts at

producing

image with

a sophisticated

a typewriter will look unsatisfactory: aping an expensive

appearance

without simultaneously conforming the content to that appearance creates

On

Insurmountable problems.

the other hand, understanding the advantages,

medium

as well as the limitations, of a specific

can result

In

a product that

handsome

has vigor, immediacy, intimacy of Information, and, yes, the good

look of something that

So get

rid of that

is

"right" for

with

Is.

it

chip on the shoulder and

those typewriter keys. And,

your disposal

what

all Its

in

order to

limitations

make

start

your fingers pounding

the most of the technology at

restrain

your desire for fanciness and

work within the restrictions imposed by the

machinery. Write the Items as short newsy pieces, have an Insider's attitude
and tone of voice (to make recipients think they're In on the latest Inside
dressing things up. Instead,

information). Think of the product as a hot-tip sheet, be informal

language,

make

it

as person-to-person as

often. Don't print the piece

on

Is

in a
It

a letter typed
in

on

is

lead-ins or hanging indents. Don't try to "catch the reader":

with the assumption that the very fact the recipient

indicates that he or she

is

already vitally interested

straightforwardly and

perfectly satisfactory.

The essence

Don't

signaled by an

the paragraph, perhaps; or use boldface or

start to

it

reminiscent

a letterhead.

the typical magazine format,

but organize the piece Into smaller units, each of which

Therefore, saying

is

second color, and then impose your

were

write articles with headlines and subheads

underscored

in

use the word you

but use paper that

slick stock,

of letterhead: Preprint your logo

contents on that paper as though

sensible

making

is

in

it

all

cap

You must work

on your mailing

what you have

appear simple

of typewritten material

is

that

It

list

to say.

Is
is

such

valuable, timely information that the producers haven't had the time or the

need

to gussy

The
material

space.

it

up.

visual success of typewritten pieces lies in the

on the page,

In Its simplicity,

Some examples

chapter.

First,

It

is

composition of the

consistency, and Imaginative use of

of this approach can be seen throughout this

necessary to discuss

technicalities before getting Into

how

some
to

of the

more

matter-of-fact

assemble an overall project.


Typewriter type, strike-on type, cold type: what they are
Basically,

they are the same thing. They produce

as a result of a key being depressed,

which

that transfers black carbon or ink onto paper.

simple as an old mechanical typewriter, or as

but

all

phototypesetting). Cold type used

in

misnomer. The essence of cold type

that

mechanism

The machine used can be as

up to date as a word processor

produce a product without having had recourse

traditional typesetting) or photographic

is

black marks on paper

little

turn triggers a

in

to hot metal (as in

exposure of the characters

reference to phototype

is

(as in

a confusing

just like strike-on or typewriter

type

the result of a direct impression on the paper. The machinery that

it is

can generate

this kind of result

although, of course,

is

comparatively cheap and easy to use,

capabilities vary with the sophistication of the

its

processor. The limitations of what can and cannot be

done

are built into the

machinery. Because of the simplicity of typewriter type, the cost of producing

usable typescript, ready for reproduction,

low. But just because

is

economical to produce doesn't mean that the

It is

is

it

has to look cheap.

indeed to generalize, since there are so many variations of

difficult

machinery available:
output. However,
in

final result

it

their features differ

can be said about

all

and therefore, too, the resultant

of

them

that there

is

some

rigidity

the shape of each character and the space each takes, as well as the

Amendments have indeed been attempted

spacing between characters.

reduce the
lowercase
capital

M.

normal typewriter, where

rigidity of a
/

must be made

On

to take the

same space

"executive" typewriters, the

and spaces more appropriate

subtleties of spacing

letters

narrow

as a

letter

wide

to

such as a

letter like a

have been given shapes

to their characteristics. Nevertheless, the

between

letters,

the coloration, and the flexibility that

have been developed over centuries of tradition and innovation to improve

legibility in typeset material

cannot possibly be produced on the typewriter.

Typewriter faces are available

For lengthy forms

general

is

the square serif style

this

is

innocuous and unpretentious.

in

several basic styles.

It

is

probably the easiest to read, too,

because the reader pays no attention to

it

0^ execotcue, p^A^onal. u4e^

doesn't interpose

more

itself

correspondence

since

it

is

if

only

so expected. Therefore,

between the reader and the message

its

much

as a

use for entire publications

questionable. The sans-serif or gothic style

thus perfect for headlines.
situation's specific

For classic strength

it

self-consciously designed script style does. That has appropriate usage

for short or specialized messages, but

For forms,

common

The most

the most expected and, therefore, the most

as always.

It is

is

less perfect for solid text,

although the

needs as well as your judgment must be the

The reman or executive

style,

is

bolder, heavier, and larger and

which has thick and

final arbiter,

thin strokes in

the letters themselves, a variety of widths of letters, as well as proportional

spacing,

For scientific,

legal work

is

probably the easiest to read since

it

comes

typeset proportioning. Typewriter type can also be

complement
IBM catalog.

to the square serif.

Mixing type

may

styles

well be good,

if

closest to proper

in italic style, a

useful

The examples shown here are from the

can yield a piece with great visual variety, and this

the type styles chosen help to convey the sense of

different kinds of material or

messages through

their visual differences.


meaningless fancy-dress party where variety
look

like a

used for

is

its

own

formless jumble and confuses readers more than

through the piece. As

what matters

is

and not the form.

the content

sake tends to

helps

it

them

presentation (the "art" end of editing),

in all editorial

your type can help to

If

communicate that content to the reader, then go ahead and do what your
instincts tell you to do and have fun. But avoid being different for the sake
of being different.

have Knoun many

interviewed scores
ue ve found there is

Some

Ule

'

efflpioyea DV

How

of the newest

computers produce printouts that are

ideal for

reading by machine but are probably the worse offenders with respect to
legibility

by people, because their wide spacing disintegrates the fabric of

^I^^ letter

group by which we read or recognize complete words. Machines

by

and

them such travesty of typesetting is essential

what is made for machines onto people.

"read"

letter

but

us not attempt to foist off

let

letter,

for

long should typewritten lines be?

x 11" page,

Given the standard SVz"

lines to full-page

width

about 3y2" wide each.

characters

many

In

you have two basic choices:

one column about

7" wide, or in

page (which

full

and you have 35 characters

In elite type, at

setting your

two columns

pica type, at 10 characters to the inch, you have 70

the width of the

in a line

lines to face),

column.

in

in

is

a bit

much

if

there are

each half-page-wide

12 characters per inch, those numbers grow to 84

and 42 characters respectively.

If

you reduce the scale of your type

photographically (see page 31 for

how and why) your numbers

will

grow accordingly.

What

is

the ideal line length?

matter, size of type, spacing

breakup (subheads and the

is

one

like),

number

printing, size of page,

that

varies,

depending on the kind

number

lines,

of lines,

of subject

amount

of

color of ink and paper, excellence of

of pages, and so forth.

single formula can cover

a guess to start with.

It

between

all

It

folly to

is

pretend

these contingencies, especially

if it

The best decision can be reached only through

observation of others' products whose results you admire, and by

experimenting with your

own

publication to see

how

it

comes out most

such experimentation should be done before you

satisfactorily. Clearly,

commit

yourself to a standardized format.

It is

always better to go through a

dry run or two than to do your gambling with the

The advantage of

a single

first real issue.

column on the page

is

that

it

makes the

publication look like a letter: a personal communication, inside

information. That character

enhanced by the

title

is

very appropriate for a newsletter;

being preprinted

letterhead (see page 24 for logos

in

second color so

it

it is

looks like a

in color).

A two-column page structure is easier to read because the lines are

shorter. But
is much more difficult to compose neatly and clearly, and the
resultant confusion may reduce the full page's legibility.
One variation on the single-column format might be considered
it

seriously: Leave an extra-deep indent at

be inserted. The type

space acts as a

foil

lines are shorter.

to the type

left

to allow space for

Heads are

visible,

headings to

and generous white

and adds lightness to the overall

effect.

You

more pages

do, indeed, need

this,

though:

Isn't

it

accommodate your

to

better to be read (even

material. Consider

costs a

if it

page or two more)

than to be cast aside as unattractive (having saved that extra paper)?

Should you use ragged-right or

Justified setting

typewriter typing?

justified

means

that

the lines

all

in

course, for the

first line

last line of a

paragraph, which

of a paragraph, which

same

the column are of the

yielding a clean left-hand edge and a clean right-hand edge

necessarily shorter,

is

length,

except, of
and the

usually indented. In order to achieve the

is

desired alignment of the outside edges, you have to manipulate the lines of

column. You have to space out between words

text inside the

some
make

the line

come

to look neat at

we

between the

regrettable instances, even

first

letters of

glance, but
letter

order to

in

disturbs the legibility of the type because

it

groups. Making unexpected, random,

gaps between the words, or even between the

we

or, in

word

out to the right length. This undoubtedly helps the page

recognize words by

with which

the

scan the text. That,

in turn,

of reading, disturbs our concentration, and thus

artificial

the rhythm

letters, dislocates

makes

us conscious of the act

detrimental to our

is

comprehension of the message.

Ragged-right setting trades off a neat right-hand edge for ease of
reading. By removing the need to
a steady flow of

open up space between words,

typographic images

other and, thus, improves

in

each

legibility.

typewritten copy, where the machine

In

ensures

it

their optimal relationship to

itself

already compromises

the quality of legibility by tampering with the shapes of the characters

themselves (by making them

of subunits),

degree.
is

We

it

would be

into spaces of equal width or a small

fit

decrease the

folly to

legibility

expect to see typewritten matter set ragged on the

the natural output of the machinery. Forcing

it

mode

right, for that

to justify (by typing

second time and enlarging the holes between words)

is

number

by yet one more

it

an inappropriate

of expression for the mechanics of typewriting that leads to an

unaesthetic visual result.

In

other words: Sure, you can do

it,

but

it's

we

expect to

likely

to look awful!

How to

reduce the scale of typewriter type

A

letter

see:

It

typewritten on a normal letterhead has an image that

looks and feels right.

consider to be

normal U.S.

letter size
If

is

somewhat

magazine,
in

you'll

the

be amazed

same

with our expectations of what

The 8V2"

x 11"

page

space. Yet,

at

it

size

that

we
is,

larger (yes, larger!) than the standard

you count up the number of words* on the

typewritten copy and compare

more

in line

scale with the page.

in

magazine page.

It is

to the total

on

page from,

the difference. 7/me crowds

in spite of its

typical

say.

in

smallness, the type

page of

Time

close to
is

300%

clearly

'About counting words: An average of 5 characters is assumed for each word. In highly
specialized texts, you might be more accurate if you counted 5.5 characters per word; and
for children's books,

perhaps 4 or 4.5 characters per word.

legible.

That

because the reader's expectation of

is

from that of a typewritten

different

magazine page

is

quite

page. The concentration and

letter

focusing are automatically adjusted to correspond to the product held

in

the hand.

To make typewriter type

from the normal

scale

likely,

copy you supply

negative.
for

palatable,

letter size to

you are printing by

into a printing plate that

Any time

is

smidgen

highly advisable to reduce

is

little

made from

size

is

at

hand.

as

If,

But

it

is

If

you submit an

no extra charge. Here

for you, probably at

not quite so easy

type look and read

when

it

is

have to prepare for the page

reduce the size by,
the

same

you must

its

most

photographic

is

say,

if

little

You must know two things: How

How much more

reduced?

for

will

the

material will you

you reduce the scale of the type?

10%, you make room

original

a perfect

opportunity to improve the scale and look of your piece with very
effort.

is

camera can make the

larger than the final product, the

needed adjustment

smaller.

have to turn the camera-ready

photographic process comes into play, an opportunity

enlargement or reduction of the

that

it is

something a

offset, the printer will

10% more

If

you

material to

fill

space, don't you? To determine the answer to the second question,

first

figure out the mathematics of the

To help you make up your mind

reduced photographically, here

is

as to

how

first

type

question.
is

likely to

a table of reductions of a

read

when

sample block

This is a sample of several lines of typing using

a typing element called Elite
twelve-pitch, on an
electric typewriter. This is the size the machine
produces. It looks well in its own context, on a
and
letterhead, but it appears eno2nnous in a book
so it is That's why it needs to be reduced:
,

focus 96.0 This is a sample of several lines of typing using

a typing element called Elite , twelve-pitch, on an
electric typewriter. The number of characters per
line is about fifty
which is perhaps a good,
round niomber for easy legibility in this material

9^.0 This is a sample of several lines of typing using

a typing element called Elite
twelve-pitch, on an
electric typewriter. The number of characters per
line is about fifty
which is perhaps a good,
round number for easy legibility in this material
,

92.0 This is a sample of several lines of typing using

a typing element called Elite
twelve-pitch, on an
electric typewriter. The number of characters per
line is about fifty
which is perhaps a good,
round number for easy legibility in this material
,

90.0 This is a sample of several lines of typing using

twelve-pitch, on an
a typing element called Elite
,

electric typewriter. The niamber of characters per

which is perhaps a good,
line is about fifty
round number for easy legibility in this material

of typewriting

done on my well-worn IBM

been reduced

to a series of decreasing sizes expressed as percentages of the

how

because

or focus

90.0,"

nine-tenths of the original size or

is

00.0,

is

that's

printers

Selectric 12 pitcht

The typing has

and cameramen communicate: 100%,

original,

SS or same size, that

is,

original size;

10%

table as a rough guide. Having determined

90%

or "focus

smaller; and so on. Use this

what looks about

right to you,

experiment with the printout from your own machine, but don't be
surprised

down

if

the effect looks very different. The larger the sample you reduce

to the size

you guess might be about

the safer will be your

right,

final decision.

Remember one
snippet of five

lines.

What you see here is just a short

Anybody can buckle down and decipher a few lines'
other important factor.

worth of material, no matter how small or

lines to a full page,

and you have a

acceptable, or even attractive,

repulsive mass as a
issue's

worth of

full

in a

But extend those few

illegible.

totally different situation.

may

small sample

What may be

well turn out to be a

page. So before committing yourself to a whole

page to see

disasters, get a reduction of a full

if it

works.

'Ordinary typewriters have either pica type (10 characters to the inch or 10 pitch) or
elite

type (12 characters to the inch or 12 pitch). Obviously, the 12-to-the-inch characters
little smaller. Both pica and elite typewriters have the same spacing vertically,

appear a

yielding 6 lines to the vertical inch (pica

is

equivalent to

V,,

inch: 6 picas per inch). Pica

and

elite type differ only in the number of characters they pack in per inch horizontally.
"Executive" typewriters have variable pitch: to get an accurate count, you have to count
all the characters in several lines and calculate the average per inch. Other word processors
have other counts, of course.

80.0
This is a sample of several lines of typing using
a typing element called Elite , twelve-pitch, on an
electric typewriter. The number of characters per
line is about fifty
which is perhaps a good,
round number for easy legibility in this material

This is a sample of several lines of typing using

twelve-pitch, on an
a typing element called Elite
electric typewriter. The nunber of characters per
which is perhaps a good,
line is about fifty
round number for easy legibility in this material

This is a sample of several lines of typing using

a typing element called Elite
twelve-pitch, on an
electric typewriter. The number of characters per
line is about fifty
which is perhaps a good,
round number for easy legibility in this material

This is a sample of several lines of typing using

twelve-pitch, on an
a typing element called Elite
electric typewriter. The number of characters per
which is perhaps a good,
line is about fifty
round number for easy legibility in this material

78.
,

81i.o

T6.0

This is a sample of several lines of typing using

a typing element called Elite , twelve-pitch, on an
electric typewriter. The nunber of characters per
line is about fifty
which is perhaps a good,
round number for easy legibility in this material

This is a sample of several lines of typing using

a typing element called Elite twelve-pitch, on an
electric typewriter. The nunber of characters per
which is perhaps a good,
line is about fifty
round number for easy legibility in this material

82.0

T^.O

This is a sample of several lines of typing using

a typing element called Elite, twelve-pitch, on an
'--ctric typewriter. The nunber of characters per
'^ is about fifty
which is perhaps a good,
r.d number for easy legibility in this material

This is a sample of several lines of typing using

twelve-pitch, on an
a typing element called Elite
electric typewriter. The nunber of characters per
which is perhaps a good,
line is about fifty
in this material
legibility
for
easy
round number

Enlarging the paste-up to

accommodate reduced typewriting

You can handle the production one

type photographically:
size before

of two ways if you intend to reduce your

Get every piece of type reduced to the desired

you begin the paste-up, or

a larger sheet of paper,

Doing

(1)

it

which

later

is

(2)

pieces can run into

in little

paste up the original typescript on

reduced as a whole.

money because

it

requires a freshly

reduced piece to be inserted every time you need to make a change. The

second option requires

larger should

it

a larger

be? Obviously

dummy sheet

it

reduction you desire. Such a ratio

assume

to paste

must be larger
is

in

up on.

How much

proportion to the

not easy to calculate. For instance,

let's

90% of original size, and that

to measure the standard 8V2" x 11". How much
sheet be to yield this result? In the table of

you want to reduce your type to

that

you want your printed page

bigger must your

dummy

reductions you'll discover that

(focus 111.0)

dimensions

and

in

that

it

it

11%

bigger than 8y2" x 11"

x

MVa". (The

the table have been brought to the nearest X^th of an inch

enough.)

that's tolerance close

To reduce

... the page

must be enlarged
from the

... so that

to this

percentage or "focus"

original S^^j" x 11"

this size,

of

by

typewriter type

its

original size

The problem

has to be

must therefore measure 9%"

this

it

percentage

measures

to the

nearest

^^-n"

98%

or 98.0

102.5% or 102.5

8"/"x

111/4"

96%

or 96.0

104%

or 104.0

8%,"x11^,"

94%

or 94.0

107%

or 107.0

9i/i6"x11V

92%

or 92.0

109%

or 109.0

91/4" X

90%

or 90.0

111% orlll.O

9^/i6"x 121/4"

88%

or 88.0

113%

or 113.0

9Vx12iV

86%

or 86.0

116%

or 116.0

9Vx12V

84%

or 84.0

119%

or 119.0

10'\"x1V\"

82%

or 82.0

122%

or 122.0

IOVXI37/16"

80%

or 80.0

125%

or 125.0

10V X 13V

78%

or 78.0

129%

or 129.0

10i5/,6"x14iV'

76%

or 76.0

132%

or 132.0

113/14" x 141/2"

74%

or 74.0

135%

or 135.0

111/2" X

or "focus".

of creating emphasis

in

11%6"

14V

typewritten copy

new is the major problem in pieces that are

Two major areas need exploring: how to
space, and how to give headlines, or their equivalent,

Signaling the start of something

made

of typewritten copy.

separate stories with

visibility

so they

pop out from

their

background.

In

typeset products you can


use boldness and blackness

in

display type such as headlines to create

attention-getting contrast. In typewritten pieces, you are limited to what the

keyboard can provide, unless you add extraneous material.

you intend to run

If

page

lines across the full

acceptable

in a letter,

but somewhat dangerous in a publication

hedge your bets by breaking
your typewritten mass into units that look smaller. The easiest way to do that
is to insert space between paragraphs: a full line if the machine you are
using cannot deliver a half-line, but a half-line

view of apparent breakup

a

as a full line,

and

good idea

to

accompany

up

to,

perhaps, a quarter of the

indents;

The problem

this extra

that the space

is

it

is

as

good from the point of

uses up less paper.

way

into the line

needed between

is

not excessive.

stories has to

more generous than the space between paragraphs, if each story

become noticeable, and that eats up your paper very quickly.
If

might be

It

space with extra-deep paragraph

you intend running two columns per page, you don't need

be even
to

is

full line

between the paragraphs: A deep indent for each paragraph ought to

be enough. Furthermore, don't leave too much space between the two

of space

columns

(the alley)

copy adds

because the ragged-right setting of your typewritten

to the visual impression of separation

between columns. Too much

emptiness on the page may signal the wrong interpretation to the reader
not enough value for your money, perhaps? So, at a two-column-per-page
or narrower setting, tighten up;

if

you

feel the

need

to

open up spaces, make

the paragraph indents deeper.

How to make headlines using your typewriter

You need
visible.

also

need

most of

combination of several factors

You have

have color

in

order to make your headlines

more darkness, more ink on the page. You

a thicker texture of type or greater concentration of type.

all,

headline

to

is

you need
to

a clearly

edged area

of space within

And,

which the

be perceived. Such white space need not be large or excessive.

does, however, need to be clearly, geometrically demarcated, so that

It

appears as a deliberate ploy.

repeat any technique mo.

One

to the strength

in

mind:

If

it

you

than once, you create the impression of

deliberateness. So repeat, because

and adds

important factor to bear

it

accumulates

in

the reader's subconscious

and personality of your overall product.

These two lines represent the end of the text piece that precedes the
start of a new story; here follows the new headline...

THIS IS AN IRRESISTIBLY INTERESTING HEADLINE

Type your headline
aiim capitals ma single ime,
underscoring and overscoring
with the last character on the

Here is the Start of the text, which the reader will be intrigued into
reading by the cleverness of the language in the headline. Note that
^
^ ^ t\
^.u
jt^ ^^
u i ^j.
the first paragraph fol 1 owi ng the headline is typed flush left without
right,
^" indent; that IS done deliberately, to make the space in which
but extending the rules a couple of
the headline is Seen geometric and clean.
characters over farther to the left.
The regular paragraphing indention can be dramatically deep,
Two lines of space above the head and
one beneath
yield the requisite
as in this example, where ten spaces were left for the eye to travel
breakup on the page.
i ntO
It

flush

j.

l.

j.

^.i.

it

35

Here starts the text of this article and it is

indented the same number of characters from the
left for a total of four lines of type; this trick
allows the space within which the headline is
placed to be clearly visible and pop out from the surrounding text matter.
Here is another line of dummy type to illustrate this simple idea. Another minor
variation might be the following illustration. Allow 2 lines of space, then...
THIS IS A HEADLINE
TYPED IN ALL-CAPITALS

THIS IS ANOTHER HEADLINE

TYPED IN TWO LINES

Here starts the text of the next article, below

the overscore that extends all the way across the
page, thus separating stories from each other most
obviously and effectively .. .!Z^en continue as above
Break every headline into two
type them

beyond the obvious and extend the

underscores to a width of, say, 24
characters, you add a graphic
trademark to your product in all
your headlines.

lines,

capitals, flush left,

all in

with no extra space between the

lines.

Break the lines according to

phrases that

make

lines give the

sense.

maximum

The

all-cap

ink coverage

Start the text a

couple of

except for one other possibility:

characters farther to the right and

underscoring. By adding underscoring

indent four lines the same way; that

beneath each

line, as

well as above

will

the line of typing, you create a dark,

triple-decker sandwich. But

if

then leave a two-line hole below

the headline that acts as a

good

contrast to the display type.

you go

This is the end of a normal text piece, typed at a fairly

narrow measure. The advantage of narrowness is that it
allows the left-hand margin of the page to be much wider than
is customary, and thus yields a useful space for placement
of the display headline at left.

THIS IS THE
FIRST LINE
OF A NICE LONG
HEADLINE THAT
READS INTO THE TEXT, THUS: Here starts the text of the succeeding story. Note
that there are two lines of space skipped between the two
The headline can have any number of short, stacked
stories.
lines in the left-hand margin, as long as the last of those
lines reads into the first line of the text.
Type your

text to a

than the full-page

55 or so
text

as

on the page

much space

is

in

space between

width narrower

maximum,

elite characters.

two

say,

Impose the

such a way that

available

in

line of the

bumping

the

left-hand margin as possible. Insert

your headlines into that space.

stories, skip

The

lines there.

merely

last line

of the

headline should read into the

new

story

first

perhaps even

into the text a

Then

little.

stack the rest of the short lines of

the headline flush

Ultimately,
However, in order to avoid wasting
there are
only a few
simple things one can do with a typewriter.
Beyond this, individual good
sense and subjective taste take
over. It boils down to a matter
Here you
of mixing and matching gimmicks
thought
and tricks to produce the best
you were
recipe for the project at hand.
reading
some philosophy and it is noth in g of the sort
It is padding, woffling, humbug,
twaddle, prattle, blather, piffle.
But what an gobbledygook
gibberish, rodomonamusing,
tade, balderdash, inanity, bushwal
fresh
technique to tuck a lot of stuff in a p age
and make each unit appear selfcontained and separate from the
others below and above it. The
change in faces is a great help.

left

above

it;

underscore them to add color.

Here's a solution similar to one

suggested above but applied to a

narrower column setting. It is
particularly useful for a collection

of short pieces,

and may even feature

an extra added wrinkle: varying

typefaces
easy to achieve on some

machines.

Here

is

another technique for short

page format;

fllT!ll!!SLt\^.
you read the

necessary details

words,

if

THE NUMBER OF OPTIONS FOR DESIGNING w t h a

typewriter is very limited. It becomes
3n exercise in ingenuity and mathematics,
(^^^ ^^^^^ to indent, where, and with what.
Hanging the heads out into the space
at left is a piost effective means of
letting our attention focus on the
starts of things. But we must add as
much color (i.e., blackness) to those
points as possible. Hence the additional
underscoring an d overs co ring.
HERE IS ANOTHER SUCH HEADLINE which interrupts the flow of the text very effectively. But it is not very strong
in signaling something NEW. A line
of space preceding it would add to
ts headl ne qual ty
i

shown in a two-column
it would be perfectly
possible to apply this to a one-column

headlines,

THIS STARTS SOMETHING DIFFERENT: and a colon

helps the idea of the start along...
see how that line of extra space makes
the headline look that much more important?

How to make sideheads on your typewriter

Sideheads are headlines placed
left

with the column, or they

secondary headlines,

less

at

may

therefore categorized as subheads

definition of a

subhead

of the text and helps to

is

the left-hand edge of the page, or flush

run into the text at

in

simply that

show

are,

however,

it is

centered on the column. But that

visibility

necessary to create such

a headline that starts a subdivision

the organization of the material, as well as

break up the grayness of the type.

it is

They

terms of their functional ranking. The

(In

newspaper parlance,

short line set bold in the typeface of the

Trying to gain

left.

important than the main headline, and they are

is

body copy,

a highly specialized

on the typewriter
visibility

is

usually

subhead

all

is

capitals,

usage of the term.)

not easy. As with headlines,

by manipulating the space and color,

by indenting, and by general composition, as well as by using the underscore

or other repeated marks of which the

machine

is

capable.

One

trap to avoid:

the habit of centering the line on the column or page. Such a placement

doesn't help pop the words out clearly enough, unless there are
lines of

space

white space
small pieces,

left

left

free

above and below such

over after the subhead

one

is

each end of the head

at

much

much impact

wiser to combine the two

subhead over to the

left

placed has been

as larger ones:

little

(thus turning

two

split into

two

obviously, or the words wouldn't

be centered, would they? Experience shows that tiny

don't carry nearly as

at least

subhead. Furthermore, the

bits of

They

white space

aren't noticeable.

It is

pieces into a big hunk by sliding the

it

into a sidehead).

Sidehead words
Th e sidehead is indented five characters; the
underscore beneath it is extended four characters beyond the end of
the sidehead, and the first initial of the text is typed in atop the
last stroke of the underscoring. The fact that this block of text is
"justified" at right is purely coincidental and unintentional.
:

37

Another sidehead version

This is a variation on the same theme
and you can go on playing this way ad infinitum. The variations that
are possible are almost endless, and you can figure out the one that
will be most appropriate to your content and format.
This is copy that precedes a freestanding sidehead. Two lines
of space should be left to separate such a sidehead from the
last line of the copy that precedes it, like this.

THIS

IS

A FREESTANDING SIDEHEAD

After leaving a line of space, the text continues with a fresh

direction of its content. The sidehead was typed flush left.
The text that follows it was typed flush left also, without
indention, to make the space within which the sidehead will be
viewed as crisp and clearly defined as possible.
However, normal paragraphing is encouraged in such page
formatting. Here a four-space indent was used to illustrate
the principle.
What follows is another handling of a sidehead: After leavii
two lines of space as separator, the sidehead will be typed
flush left and in al -capi ta s However, the wording of it
will be the start of a sentence:
1

A LEAD-IN SIDEHEAD is one which is integral with the text, for

it is made of the first words of a fresh paragraph. Those words
must be carefully chosen to be important and interesting, or
the subject will be unworthy of the technique!

How to make

lists

on your typewriter
in

typeset type,

numerals, or

all

that's different

we would be

able to use bullets, triangles, boldface

sorts of other

from

its

symbolic spots to signal a series of material

surrounding context.

On

the typewriter,

we

are

restricted to numerals, space, horizontal rules,

and punctuation marks.

Numerals are too weak

if

as hanging indents

to stand alone, except

they are placed on the page

outside the left-hand margin of the

i.e.,

list.

Here are a

few ways of handling numerals.

12-

1.

1/

1)

2.

2/

2)

(2)

3.

3)

h)

(3)
ih)

1+-

5)

(5)

5-

I4

k.

3/
h/

5.

5/

It is

(1)

3-

advisable to build numerals up visually with a

little

embellishment.

good example, which places them flush left, then skips four
characters before starting the text. To formalize the arrangement, you
Here

is

underscore the numerals, the four empty spaces, and the

initial

capital of

the text. That adds a touch of color and creates an unexpected surprise to

the thus-defined

empty

space. Placing the numerals flush

precision of the left-hand margin of the text,

contrast to the ragged right-hand edge, and

The problem with numbered

left

retains the

makes them look neater by

is

also very easy to produce.

lists (1, 2, 3, 4)

or lettered

lists (a, b, c,

d)

is

that they can

be misinterpreted as implying ranking of some kind. To

dispel such misapprehensions,

it is

necessary to introduce a numbered

with an explanatory statement such

such-and-such."
start

it

On

the other hand,

out with something

like

as,
if

list

"Here are seven examples of

you want to imply

"The Seven Steps

a logical

sequence,

to Happiness."

This is an example of handling lists within the body of the text.

Although it is not too vn'se to allow full lines of space between items
normally, it helps the legibility of lists to do so:
On the sixth character start the first word of the copy; then
1
continue flush left in the second line. Underscore the numeral, the
empty spaces, and the first letter of the text.

Repeat the pattern precisely

to emphasize your list makeup.
2

and you have

well-working trick

These are the last two lines of text preceding

a list. Here is a numbered list:
The first item is shown thus.
The second item is also easily accommodated.
The third item gets to be tricky because
it needs a second line.
4. The fourth item is nice and short again.
5. How many more do we have to type?
1.

2.

2.

And this is the start of the text again ^ set

flush left without an indent^ to help to define
crisply the space in which the list is placed.
these two lines of type represent the last two
lines of the text that precedes the list:

Use dash-dash for short, one-line items.

Single space between them.
Double space above and below the list.

This represents the first line of the text that

fol lows the 1 ist.
.

somewhat elementary trick to play to

gain variety on the typewritten page is
ust rated here
Type ten characters' worth of
underscoring lines. Then start the
sentence which begins the new paragraph.
Complete the entire paragraph, and when
it is finished, start over.
^Those ten lines of underscoring
give an unusual effect in the texture
of the column. It is not necessary to
leave a line of space between paragraphs
when using this trick. The ten-space
indents made visible by the underscore
are more than enough as signals.
^Here we go again...
a

Preceding each item in the list, just tap

the lowercase o^ on your keyboard.
Depending on the column width and your tastes,
indent or type flush left.
Double space between entries.
You'll find this method especially suited for
entries with two or more lines and multisentence entries.

_here is a variant on the same trick

_used in reverse pattern. Instead of
_j)oking the starts of paragraphs into
_the body of the surrounding text,
_why not
Poke the headline or start OUT at the lefthand margin in some fashion such as
^this one? Each line of regular type
starts with six characters' worth of
^underscore. New paragraphs do not.
This is a new paragraph starting out at
far left followed by the normal or
abnormal typing method, whichever
way you wish to characterize it...
The advfintage of this trick is the very
clean left-hand edge that your type
columns get

Big

initials

added

copy

to typewritten

Inserting an initial (a large-sized letter)

accent on the page, even

signal. In theory,

sense

it is

when

there

the text. Not only

weapons

it

made up

would be

symbol

mistake to

that

and

it

is

unworthy of

blunts your graphic

it

that they have

in

does not

style

no inherent meaning.

need

you can possibly dream

dream up

the flow of the story.

in

is

how do you make

of,

and

have enough

few words

of handling initials

in

are

to say something. Initials are

that your conscience

and when the typescript

will

or

It is

phony breakup because they

for

the typewriter doesn't provide them?

some $8 you

exist,

the situation warrants.

is

you have

clear because
initials in

You leave

typewritten material

where the

a space

you add the

finished,

initial

any of the transfer lettering sheets available. You can select any

of

in

to the flow of thoughts in

hard to read any meaning into such elements

solved the ethical problems,

to go,

is

interpreted as a break

is

when

rules a bit

subheads

utilize

However, assuming

initial is

to achieve visual

foolish to pretend that such misuse

bend the

to

other than their strategic placement

when

way

functional need for such a

be used correctly for their intended purpose.

of words, and, therefore, they

just bigger letters,

simple
strictly

cheating the reader, but

are innocuous elements

far greater

no

is

is

no such change of direction

is it

one ought not

Initials

insert a

for the times they will

However,
that

is

there

unwise to accentuate something that

You shouldn't

attention.

when

size

from

and type

for an initial investment (pun intended)

letters to

that start with Q, X,

do

dozen

articles

and Z! Here are

typewritten copy. The words

in

if

you can

few examples

the copy describe

the variations.

With the exception of

initials,

which are merely

KN
the page,

it

is

Because the two are not compatible: typeset type

is

sophisticated a material than typewritten type that

crude and shoddy by comparison.

limitations of the originating

is

the

first

It is

so

much

it

so

on

Why?

much more

makes the

latter

look

better to accept the

machinery and work within them. That

simplifies the production process

that

a decorative accent

unwise to mix typeset type with typewriter type.

and gives the product

genuine simplicity

step toward true elegance.

re are some ideas on using big

initials added to the typescript after
the typing has been completed. They are
simply transfer lettering rubbed on from
sheets purchased from the art supply store
in an incredible variety of sizes and
styles.

Jnother way to do the same sort of

thing is this. It appears just
about irresistible on a page.
How can the reader NOT be beguiled into reading?

Wl^obody

would accuse these solutions

of brilliance or subtlety or even
originality. They are completely
o bvious
once you begin thinking
^^fc^^^along these lines...
,

^^

W>

ou see how interesting this could

look when the particular
trick is repeated? The white spaces
surrounding each solution, the contrast of color, the precision of the
ruled underscore, the startling incongruity of the initial itscrlf, all
add up to character-creation with the
simplest of means.

VT.

his

hat you happen to be looking

is an in-itial cap hanging

at left, outside the left-hand margin, whose great advantage is that
it adds lots of white space all
around, obviously at the expense
of space used for body copy. But you
can't have it both ways: If you want
drama, you've got to give something
up to achieve it. Space is the
easiest sacrifice to make.

at is American Typewriter type from

sheet LG2803 of Letraset, i48pt caps.

I've used it here for two reasons.
(1) I believe in using appropriate
faces wherever possible; here we use
typewriter for body copy, why not a
variant thereof for the display?
(2) I happen to have lots of it handy.
Could there be a better reason?

How to

handle standing
In

art

with typewriters

magazine parlance departments are sections of the publication

recur

in

each issue and specialize

in a clearly

that

defined area of interest.

Subdivisions of such departments are columns, which are written by outside

authorities

under

their

own names.

All

such departments are signaled to the

reader by a department slug, or heading, giving the

(usually

and

its

mug

subject) or the

shot of

its

title

writer).

If

of the

column

title

(usually a

of the section

pun with the name

the headings are embellished typographically

or with additional artwork that

is

repeated every time, these regularly added

features are called standing art.*

What

is

the purpose of this digression, where

we

are dealing with

the limited technology of typewritten pieces? The inescapable fact

in

such pieces, too, the need for the equivalent of standing

faced, because any periodical, whatever

elements that

call for special

nature,

is

is

that

has to be

likely to carry recurrent

handling.

Here, to prime the thinking pump,

replicated

its

art

on the typewriter. They look

is

an array of headings easily

colorful

and perfectly appropriate

to

the technology: unlimited repetition or patterning of a limited group of

symbols. You are encouraged to dream up your own.

employee benefits

mmimnmimrjimmmmmmmmmmmmmmminmmmmrammmmmminmmmmirm^

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvwwwwvwww^
jjt4e*** LOGO ***it****************

L*0*G*0

""Pick up from page 000 in date of issue" are the instructions you give to the printer to
have these features repeated.

Using
type
effectively

There

is

no magic about typography.

requires considerable technical

is

common

is

means

easier,

sense.

It

is

a discipline, a craft,

an

art that

knowledge and experience, but whose

The best typography

is

which

that

is

message read and absorbed. The

to an end: having the

basis

unseen. Typography
faster,

and smoother that process of reading can be made to be, the more

becomes

effectively the typographic skills are being applied.

If

conscious of the act of reading or of the type

then the typography has

not been used to

good

effort, for

it

itself,

interposes

the reader

between the message

itself

and the reader.

Your aim

is

to invite the reader to continue reading to the

The character

piece.

of the product

you are working on

will

mix of typographic and graphic materials you use on the page.

however, that simplicity, discipline,

said,

the

number

clarity of first

end

of the

determine the
It

can be

impression, limiting

of typefaces you mix, an evenness of gray color of the type as a

mass printed on the white background, and

elements that

attract

The typography
pages and, as such,

and
is

it is

coherent structure are

the fabric of the publication.

a

all

retain the reader's attention.

seen on

It is

all

the

fundamental raw material you can control.

and all the rest of the embellishments are

You can have a product without any of the

Pictures, charts, headlines, logos,

additional to the typography.

aforementioned elements, but you cannot publish without words, and that

means

type.

Tone-of-voice typography
if,

as the philosopher Hegel said, "architecture

typography

is

crystallized speech.

Or

speaker, you have to concentrate and

information that

may be hidden

in

it

can be.

work

is

frozen music," then

If

you

and you have

hidden on that droning,

A good

it

unbroken column

as an

and work

to find those nuggets

page that you're looking

at.

speaker adds loudness for emphasis, or allows the pitch of the

voice to modulate up and

type:

to concentrate

dull

monotonous

that droning, dull delivery. Translating

such a speech into type, you would expect to see

of gray type

listen to a

to find the nuggets of useful

when you

down

the scale. Loudness translates into size

shout, you represent such shouting by large letters.

in

Change

of pitch can be translated into a variety of boldness: lightface for high notes,

extra-bold for low ones. This analogy could be carried a

little far. It is

perfectly logical, however, to think of typography as being nearly as flexible

as the

human

to decide

voice.

If

you think of the material

on typography that

is

that way,

you

will

be able

expressive and functionally responsive to


your editorial purpose. The whole thing boils

what

down

important deserves emphasis, and what

is

to editorial

how you do

background, or ordinary can be played down. Precisely

depends on the

specifics of the subject,

its

judgment:

unimportant, or

is

that

context, and the courage of your

own conviction. Too much printed matter is composed the way it is because
we have always done that way. We seem to be living happily in
straitjackets not necessarily of our own making: three columns per page,
it

with two columns as a possible variant for important

An unquestioning

12 pi" ad infinitum.

for meaningful, clear, crisp, obvious

stuff.

"Ten on 11 by

traditionalism robs us of our capacity

communication. Knowingly or

we

not,

tend to drone on and on. just by being aware of tonalities inherent

in

we can break out of that monotony and excite our readers.

How? By contrast of size and color. What is important ought to be given
prominence, so you make
bigger and use bolder type. Conversely, you
make the subservient matter smaller than expected, or set it in a lighter face.

typography,

it

You mustn't

think of the solution as being isolated or limited to

in fact,

you must

others.

Typography

realize that

swatch book, and

it

green, although by

is

will

look hideous

itself

when

run

in

styles of type

for

size

watch out! Too much spice

features. But

and

just so with contrast

color.

They can

also

example, by mixing decorative faces

that express the flavor of an unusual subject with

foto-typography

foto-typography

conjunction with the

between the two.

Those contrasts are made by varying

be made by varying

all

you can pick a lovely red from the

the green you picked was also a pretty color. The

secret lies in grasping the relationship

in type.

one element;

any one element on the page reacts with

just like using colors:

in

workaday type

your stew

will ruin

for regular

the taste.

Today's film-based type fonts are more flexible than the old hot-metal

foto-typography

ones used to be. Not only can the spacing between characters be controlled

foto-typography

much

so

foto-typography

so that

some equipment

allows you to tighten the setting (by

kerning) until the letters touch or even overlap

flfi

letter

forms.

Where such

also specially

special alternate characters are not available, the

phototypesetting equipment can tuck

To To

but there are

designed ligatures that overcome the problem of ugly gaps between some

letters into

each other so

instance, an o tucks under the roof of the top stroke of a T,

neater and

We

more

roman,

are also fortunate for another reason today:

(in just

one

size,

and boldface) was

in

hot-metal linotype

but encompassing the

a serious

full

range of faces:

investment that had to be

amortized over a long period of usage. Today's typesetting equipment

far
is

more

sophisticated, and

it

can produce

its

is

infinitely

cheaper than

it

is

output from a master font that

either a film negative or an electronic imaging source.

master negatives

it

legible.

days a font of type

italic,

that, for

which makes

To make such

used to be to produce a font of

linotype matrices. The investment, at both the production end and the user

end,

is

much more modest. That is why we have such an outpouring of new

To be sure, some of them are probably not going to last very

faces available.

long, but others will prove

worthy of longevity. Furthermore, the

proven faces are being transferred to the new machinery, and

old,

their range of

and weights are being enlarged and filled out so that the usual typefaces are now available in full ranges from extra-light to extra-bold. Many of
sizes

these faces have added condensed and extended versions so that a single

43

Light

Light Italic

Condensed

Light

Light

Condensed

Italic

Book Condensed
Book Condensed Italic
Book Book Italic
Bold Condensed Bold Condensed Italic
Contour
Bold Bold Italic
Ultra Ultra Italic Ultra Condensed Ultra Condensed Italic nc ch ni.am
itt

family of type can be used to achieve

terms of

its

the variety a publication needs

all

graphic expression with a uniform type

style.

comparative cheapness of the new materials, and the

Due

fact that

in

to the

they can be

applied to most typesetting equipment, you are no longer shackled to one

supplier, but can

demand your

from the competition

particular face

as well.

The freedom and riches now generally available allow for more expressive
and thus more effective use of type. This flexibility must be used for worthy

make

ends: not to

What face to

things pretty, but to

make

work

things

to tell the story.

use?
The choice of

typeface(s) depends on the nature of the material to be set.

body copy, then the tried-and-true standards are probably the safest
and best, although they are certainly the most boring. If it is display material,
If it is

then your search for attention-getting, startling type ought to take

precedence over anything

Yet you must always balance the specific

else.

needs of each kind of type with the overall look or design of the product
as a

whole

So your choice must take

as a package.

at least

two

factors into

consideration: the specific function of each column, department, or piece

and the overall character of the publication.

If

you need to create

a special

reflects the subject matter,

flavor.

They are available

mood

with your typography, one that

you can choose faces

as display type

more

that

have such special

readily than as

body copy, of

course, although certain allusions or impressions can be subtly suggested

even

in

body-copy typefaces. A good catalog of what

supplier, as well as in do-it-yourself lettering,

is

is

available from your

what you need

to study in

order to make your selection.

The confusion about names

When

of typefaces

old Baskerville, Caslon, Granjon, Bodoni, and

all

the other great type

designer/printers designed the faces that bear their names, they gave a
distinctive

shape to each character of the alphabet. Those shapes remained

unaltered over the years because they were physically cut from metal

punches
until

each

letter separate.

There was

century. Suddenly a variety of machines

letter-by-letter

new

little

reason or need to change them

the industrial and communications revolution

faces,

The great

when

came

in

the mid-nineteenth

into use that supplanted

handset typography, allowed for the introduction of

and led to the adaptation of old ones

original faces were, therefore,

phototypesetting was introduced

to the

amended
in

to

fit

new

totally

technology.

the machines. Then,

the mid-twentieth century, to be

followed by the computer and electronic type-generating equipment, the

We are living amid an explosion of typefaces. Many

them are fresh, new, and contemporary. Many are amendments of the
good old traditional ones. Many are returns to the true originals. That is
problem was multiplied.

of

perfectly logical. Equally logical

(each with

own

its

is

the fact that the producers of equipment

compete

roster of typefaces)

the marketplace

in

terms

in

of the mechanical quality, flexibility, and excellence of typographic result

they offer.

What

is

names the

faces,

even the derivative ones,

maddening

to the user of type

named

typeface that Miedinger designed and

Alpha type

on Autologic

as Claro,

on Star/Photon

as Helvet Star,

as

that each manufacturer

is

differently.

As a

Helvetica

Newton, on Compugraphic

on Graphic Systems

the

result,

obtainable on

is

as Helios,

Geneva, on Harris as

as

Vega, on Mergenthaler as the Original Helvetica, and on Varityper as

Megaron. They are

basic design.
list

the face by

actually give
fact that

make

all

a tiny bit different, but

What makes
its

even more

life

name, such

original

you the version

unquestionably the same

all

difficult

many

that

is

typesetters

as Helvetica, in their catalogs, but

that their particular

machinery produces. The

you are not getting the Helvetica, but Megaron,

a difference in the overall color of the type,

certainly thecharacter count* per line.

let's say,

apparent

its

The only way

could well

size,

and

to avoid disaster

is

to

work only with information that your supplier gives you about the specific
faces available at that shop.

North Lynn

on

all

if

Street, Arlington,

VA

22209,

is

the clearinghouse for information

aspects of typesetting, and will be glad to help.

Preparing copy for setting

in

you want

secret

The National Composition Association, 1730

is

to

type

to

do

a job professionally, efficiently,

be meticulous

and economically, the

the preparation of the final copy.

in

for better quality at lower cost

is

found

in

first

The opportunity

the handling of the details.

It

makes no difference whether the copy is to be set in type by an outside

someone on a keyboard in-house. Whether it is to be set

supplier, or by

hot metal or by any of the cold-type composers,

prepared,

it

will cost less to

sides.

is

in

carefully

x 11"

double spaced, with

Use one side of the paper only.

generate a great deal of copy for setting, then

specially prepared

the copy

have typeset.

Type the manuscript on white paper 8y2"

generous margins on both

if

it

If

you

might be a good idea to use

copy paper that can be bought ready-made, with or

without carbon copies attached. Each sheet tabulates the story name, author

name, publication name,

top,

and

count

it

issue date,

and manuscript page number across the

has markings for character count across the page as well as line

down

the page, like the one

The usefulness

of such forms

shown
is

here.

that they force

you

whereas blank paper requires you to remember to do

clearly, organization of

of paper

if

your work

of the essence.

It is

be organized,

that labeling.

And,

so easy to lose bits

they aren't identified, and then you have to waste time trying

to recognize the material by

one

is

to

all

its

sense

and

it

is

remarkable

how fast

forgets.

Average number of characters or

letters in a

given length of

line.

See page 33.

The manuscript need not be typed

no awards.
all

Its

legibility will get

long as they are clearly done.

will pick

It is

It is

up on the xerographic copy

wise to avoid splitting words

who

at

ends of

the place they occur

in

whether

make

also wise to

It is

win you

that

all

it is

is

like are fine, so

you make

in ink,

for yourself as a

original to the typesetter.

lines to

avoid confusing the

then has to decide whether such hyphenation

to be included (set in type) or

manuscript.

will

wise to make these notations

backup and checking copy before you give the

typesetter,

beauty

its

So some erasures, crossings out, and the

that matters.

which

faultlessly;

you thanks from the typesetter, and that

is

merely a word break

supposed
in

the

your setting instructions as close to

the text as possible, so the setter sees

the process of scanning the copy line by

line.

them during

Such instructions are given

in

the standard proofreader's marks, although they are not being used for
corrections. These marks consist of

two

sets of signals: graphic signs

verbal abbreviations to explain them. The verbal part

is

written

at the same level as the line or word referred to. The graphic
drawn on the line of text itself. Instructions are circled.

WRITE

MARK WORDS WITH

TO INDICATE

4^

4^

word

(^^
cc^

4^
CAPITALS

LOWERCASE

(one

LOWERCASE

(several letters)

wo^d

letter)

ITALICS

/ORD

cri>

word

(^

word

PARAGRAPH

/First words

-t^

INSERT

Missin. letter

BOLDFACE

(caret)

ADD BETWEEN
MOVE

LEFT

OR RIGHT

CENTER

TRANSPOSE

ADD

SPACE

CLOSE
FIX

AND CLOSE UP

SPELL

OUT

DELETE

nnnnnnn
1]

^
ssssssd

73 mmraminm

^ m

v.??iek

Cce^-i^

(&
^JM^

(^second ^first^

add^pace

clo^se up

^close^"-^

3-.L

imp;|)rove sps^lling

(%eSS^ J

the(N|) subway

unwanted word werd-'^

K^o<U

(^jilei,^-.

ttttttt

vwvl

addfepace

MARGIN

9r

LINES

IN

r^'"

in

and

the margin

signs are

When

you want

to

kill

some words,

horizontal line (but leave the

them

later, in

which case

which cancels out

[stets]

all

indicate such deletion with a single neat,

words

you

will

you decide to reinstate

legible in case

need

to

do

put dots under them,

is

the cancellation).

THIS WORD IS Ner NOT NEEDED.

THIS WORD IS ff^OT NEEDED.

WORD

THIS

PUNCTUATION

IS

NOT NOT NEEDED.

COMMA

SEMICOLON

(T)

SLASH

COLON

PERIOD

HYPHEN

QUOTE

APOSTROPHE ^

{y

numbered

the manuscript pages must be

All

logical to

add pages to an

(3a, 3b,

they follow page

if

ONE EM DASH

existing set

consecutively.

and number them

a, b,

It

is

perfectly

and so on

3).

You should try to cut down the typesetter's effort to a minimum in

order to save money. You must cross-reference insertions clearly if you
cannot squeeze them onto the original typescript. Add a separate piece of
paper, numbered page 27a, let's say, and mark the insertion "Copy A,
insert on page 27." Then, on page 27 itself, where the insert belongs, write
in the margin in large visible letters
perhaps even in red "Insert Copy A

from page 27a." Never staple or tape a

slip of

manuscript and hope that the typesetter

He

can't,
It is

even
a

that slip of

good idea

are to be set

much

if

easier

in

out where

it

belongs.

fallen off.

your headlines from the body copy

a different typeface.

and

will figure

paper has not

to separate

paper to the original

It

makes the process

if

they

of typesetting

captions could well be bunched together for

faster. Equally,

setting separately.

Specifying type:

how to

instruct the typesetter

Your instructions must be clear (you must know what you want, and say
complete (leaving nothing for the typesetter to decide), and concise
(expressed

in

the standard

manner understood by

typesetters).

without saying that the instructions should be legible and

Instructing the typesetter

is

also called marking the

type (short for specifying). The following information

needs to know, although most of

practice

many assumptions

are

it is

is

is

goes

intelligible.

copy or spacing the

what the typesetter

not actually written

made based on what

It

so),

down because

in

considered to be

normal. (That normalness, then, goes without saying.)

1.

Type

size (in points, or for large headlines, in the

the height of the capital letter

in

measurement of

inches or even centimeters).

2.

Type family (by name

3.

Branch of type family

extra-bold, as far as weight

KX

example, Times Roman, Helvetica).

for

medium, semi-bold,

(light,

as far as width of the lettering

is

concerned).

4.

Posture of the letters (roman,

5.

Kind of

italic,

oblique, slanted).

(upper- and lowercase,

letters

bold, ultra-bold,

concerned; condensed, extended, extra-wide,

is

capitals, lowercase, small

all

caps, swash letters, special characters).

Swash characters

6.

Leading, also sometimes spelled ledding (space between the

7.

Column

ragged

left).

8.

Line length (width of the

9.

Kerning

(for larger

between characters,
machine expresses

make

to

column or measure).

type sizes,
it

tight,

possible to control the spacing

it is

normal or loose. Each typesetting

capabilities in a different set of units, so

its

determine the language or measurement system

Indentation

10.

normal) for

is

lines).

Structure (justified or unjustified, or ragged right or

first

(in

em

ems, which are indicated by squares; one

i.e.,

quotation

marks or other punctuation to be placed outside the margin of the

12.

space

or any other lines of a paragraph.

Special handling of punctuation (regular or hanging,

11.

you need to

first).

Spacing between words (French spacing,

follows a period as

is

type).

which the same space

in

placed between words; or regular spacing, which

wider).

is

This

list is

not meant to frighten you.

It

merely

illustrates

the possible

complexities of typesetting. The spec you will probably be using consists of

a

shorthand that looks

like this:

%T7^^,r

This

tells

the typesetter that you want to use a 10-point type size with

2 points of leading or space

slash
it

is

is

short for the

a regular weight.

15

between the

words "set on." TR

not followed by any other word,

means 15

The X means "across" or

picas; again, since there

flush-right setting

is

implied.

what the 12

lines (that's

is

short for Times

implies the normal

it

is

is).

The

Roman, and since

roman version

"line length" or measure.

no other

of

And

instruction, justified or

The paragraph indents

will

be one

em

if

you

don't ask for anything unusual. This will be the type specification that the
setter will follow for as

specification. So

all

many pages

you need do

is

of manuscript as

write

it

once

at

manuscript has headlines or subheads interrupting

individually; the setter will

know

do not bear

the
it,

it

after

If

a different

your

you mark those

to return to the basic

specification without your repeating

start.

body copy

each such interruption.

Frequently used terms are abbreviated:

Bodoni

gr

stands for boldface

U^l.c

stands for upper-

y.c.

BODONI

Ct^^

only

calls for setting in capitals

calls for setting in

and lowercase

stands for uppercase or capitals

^^

%.

lowercase with the

ini tial letters

of important

words capitalized

made

stands for small capitals (known as small caps; specially

14 PT. Bodoni small caps

S-CXps

characters looking like capitals, but

whose height

is

that of the

"x-height" of the lowercase)

crS"^

with small capitals

calls for setting in capitals

stands for the Latin

word

for "let

it

stand" and you use

every

it

time you want to return to whatever the condition was before

<cJ^eJr'

you started

to

tamper with

it,

quo

or the status

ante.

Type measurement
When

handling type, the printer doesn't work with inches and

feet, or

centimeters, but with picas and points. (Where the metric system
Instead of picas and points they use ciceros and points. In fact,

machinery

calibrated

is

futures.) For

traditional picas

to the inch,

in

the metric system, and that

practical purposes,

all

is

6 pts.

12

pts.

72

pts.

inch

=
=
=

3<2

pica o

V2 pica

6 picas o

are,

Do remember this.

'^ inch

o Vm inch

pica

our

a sense of scale, there are six picas

broken down into twelve points. There

therefore, 72 points to the inch.

Ipt.

in all

however, you can concentrate on the

and points. To give you

and each pica

probably

is

even

used,

is

some

%
1

inch
ich

WW

.1.

WW w WW WW

inches
in.jimii|iii|i{i{iwiiiiiiliiiii|i|i!i|i|i|ili|m^^

Vi inch

inch

V2 inch

=
=
=
=

5 picas,

4 picas,

picas

10

1112

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

Vg inch

=
=

22

21

23

24 25

26

27

28

29

30

3 picas.
3 picas,
Htl1'p1ff|'ii!flf!t|flflflflfpi11'|1!lt|!lflflflT!'lflf|fl
,6789| 123456789!
1234567891 I234|{;B9{i234^6;89| 1234567891 I23<56189! 1234^6)'B9il2345f

V* inch

20

and points

pica,

6 points

picas, 9 points

12

centimeters

'ffPflfifl'I'I'IflT

I23456789J

123456/891 123456789

10

11

234567e9|l234567

DkSD

-x-height

-descender

abcdefghijklmnopqt
9

10

ABCDEFGHIJKL^

Type

size

is

taken from the

traditionally

molds

of

ABCDEFGHIJK

new

been

and 96

for

differences

as follows: 51/2, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14, 18, 24, 30, 36, 42,

points. Sizes in

between were not made, because each

in sizing

would not be economically

phototypesetting technology allows

abcdefghijklmr

the

increments. But there

may
It is

look enormous

due

in

feasible.

be

sizes to

all

Now some

it

says,

of

set in half-point

a trap here: the design of the face itself.

is

may, indeed, measure precisely what

ABCDEFGH

set

making them was an expensive investment and such minor

ABCDEFGHIJ
abcdefghijkln

14

That measurement

ABCDEFGHIJKL

48, 60, 72,

12

in points.

top of the ascender to the bottom of the descender. The sizes for type have

abcdefghijklmnc
11

measured

is

abcdefghijklmnop

The type

36 points for example. Yet

one kind of typeface and

tiny in another.

to the proportion of the x-height to the ascenders

Why

is

it

that?

and descenders.

abcdefghij
a

abcdefghij klm

ABCDEFC
abcdefg

Garamond

.ABCDE

abcdefgh ij klm

Century

abcdef

abcdefghii kim

Helvetica

oABCE

the x-height

If

is

very large

(as

it

tends to be

in

contemporary typeface

design) then the ascenders and descenders are short, and the type appears

abcde

very large. That makes

it

type, in bulk, looks small

ABC

easier to read.

and

is

If

the x-height

is

larger size for easy legibility. By enlarging the x-height,

overall

very small, then the

harder to read. Often, you need to use a

because you can use a smaller type

size,

you can save space

and thereby squeeze more

same space on your page without sacrificing legibility. You

know what typeface you are talking about when you
say "Ten-point type is easy to read, so let's use that size for our body copy."

words

into the

must, therefore, always

Ten-point Baskerville
10-point Times

is

Roman

tiny, yet
is

10-point Helvetica

just right; yet

they

all

is

enormous, and

measure 10 points from the

top of their ascender to the bottom of their descender.

Close upon the hour of noon the whoi
need of the as-yet-undreamed-of telegr
from house to house, with little less than
for that afternoon; the town would ha\
A gory knife had been found close to ti
so the stor
as belonging to Muff Potter
Potter washing himself in the "branch" a
suspicious circum
at once sneaked off
Potter. It was also said that the town had
in the matter of sifting evidence and arri
i

Close upon the hour of noon the w

news. No need of the as-yet-undre<
from group to group, from house tc
course, the schoolmaster gave holid
strangely of him if he had not.
A gory knife had been found close
by somebody as belonging to Muff P(
citizen had come upon Potter washi
in the morning, and that Potter had at
cially the washing, which was not

Close upon the hour of noon the whole

need of the as-yet-undreamed-of telegrap
house to house, with little less than teleg
that afternoon; the town would have th(
A gory knife had been found close to
as belonging to Muff Potter
so the stor
Potter washing himself in the "branch" i
at once sneaked off
suspicious circums
Potter. It was also said that the town had
in the matter of sifting evidence and arri\

tl

While discussing measurement systems,

is

it

essential that

you also

understand an aspect of the printer's measurement that seems a

em quad

concept to absorb: quadding. The

square of the type's height

in points,

is

If

you are using 12-point type, the

same height

em quad would measure

then the

the

is

is

very

B Making mechanicals

em quad

and 12 points wide.

as the type)

difficult

that

which sounds complicated, but

l/VldKirig ^Making
simple.

measurement

If

12 points high (the

is

your type

is

10 points high,

10 points high by 10 points wide. Eight

points? Eight by eight, and so on.

Ilnescapable
A 2-em quad

retains

quad

in

wide.

A 3-em quad

its

original height, but

doubles the width: a 2-em

12-point type measures the same old 12 points high, but

in

24 points

is

12-point type would be 12 points high and 36

points wide.

|Make

em quad

Half an

used before,
Since

publications

it

is

called an en quad. In the 12-point type that

would indeed measure 12 points

we have

high, but only 6 points wide.

easy to confuse the difference between

it is

em and

en, printers

refer to em quads as muts and en quads as nuts. You need to know about
muts and nuts because paragraph indenting is so described (indenting one

em

is

the norm) and because horizontal spacing within type

designated. The handwritten sign for

Inches. Yes, printers

to size pictures

below). There
to

fit

and

is

em isLJand

do indeed measure with inches

to specify

when

picas
will

that will

and inches have

only be resolved

patched-up, antiquated, traditional system

make-up systems

is

One

6 inches

length. In technical

in

much more

to

They use them

be coordinated

when our

present

replaced by computerized,

appear on the terminal

Column-inches are used to express the length of

set in type.

also.

paper size or column-inches of type (see

great difficulty

page together. The confusion

full-page

so

is

en is0.

for

a text

at

our desk.

once

it

has been

speaks of a "6-inch story," meaning that the text measures

newspaper parlance, the column-inch

specific concept, referring to space

one inch deep and

is

column

means 14 inches of
of type wide. But in
agate (i.e., 5y2 point) type, which happen to add up to precisely one inch.
You can buy column-inch space in a newspaper to fill it with any size of type
you wish. On the other hand, if you buy a "line," you get the space that one
agate line would take up: 14 of them per inch. So far, so easy: The problem
is that the width of the column can vary!
terms of advertising space sales,

it

51

Copyfitting:

how much

space

words take

will the

Copyfitting or copycasting or casting off

space that typewritten copy

You have

to

know

will

is

type?

in

the process of determining the

occupy when

turned into typeset type.

is

it

much,

that in order to avoid having too

have to cut; or too

little, in

which case you have

in

which case you

to add. Cutting hurts

and

adding usually means padding. Both are a waste of money. So you have to bite

number

the bullet, and add up your total

proportion that

need
it

to

fit

of characters

correspond to the type

may sound

into. This

child's play

is

will

frightfully

and divide them

in a

be using or the space you

you'll

complicated and even looks

it,

but

once you master the two simple steps involved.

Step one counting up your words

:

No

matter whether you are typing the copy on an ancient Royal or the

electric self-correcting typewriter, or

word

processor, the

written.

You can

multiply by 5 to get the total

characters (which

have to

sit

is

you characters
that

number

how much

is

of characters, or
a bit

more

You don't

you

line.

that you're not using an executive typewriter (which gives

letter the

12.

same width: pica

edge of the typewritten

area.

Draw

it

so that

much easier. Take

down the right-hand

that there will

be some

it

hits

the ends of paragraphs. That

lines that spill

over to the right beyond the

pencil line, because typewritten

copy

is

typed ragged

right. (We'll

come

moment.) Now, count the number of characters between

the left-hand margin and your vertical pencil

line.

Obviously, each empty

space, as well as each punctuation mark, must be counted as though

a full character. Let's
;:::v:::::;:,;r,: _:::::::;:: :

,^.

(cpl).

Now

assume

your

that

add up the number of

double-spaced (which
at

the ends of most of the

at

with the exception of the short lines

to those bits in a

one

gives you 10 characters per line,

That regularity makes the calculation

sheet of your manuscript and draw a light pencil line

means

you can count the

accurate).*

of different widths just like type does), but an ordinary

makes each

lines,

you've

boring and inaccurate) and

is

there counting each one individually. Instead, you count the

assume

elite gives

words (which

even more boring, but

average number per

Let's

know

thing you've got to

first

either count the

latest

even using electronic magic on the

is

lines

total

number

is

on your paper:

it

was

50 characters per
If

line

you've been typing

the norm) you'll probably have 25. Each short line

the end of a paragraph should be counted as a

getting an equivalent paragraph

in

full line

because

you'll

be

the future typeset version and relative

numbers seem
(50

to work out just about the same.

Now, multiply the number of characters by the number of lines
X 25) and you've practically finished. You now know that there are 1,250

characters on the sheet of manuscript, plus those excess bits to the right of

your

vertical pencil line.

Those you have

to guesstimate, unless

count them individually. You'll probably find that four or

add up

to a full line. But

if

five

you want to

such pokeouts

you want to be superaccurate and do

it

quickly,

*Although that sounds similar to the way greenhorn cowpokes were taught to count cattle
(adding up the legs and dividing by four), it makes sense in copy because dividing the
characters by five gives you an accurate word count. Fortunately, typed characters don't
move like cows' legs do.

measure with
by 10

if

a ruler;

add up the inches of pokeouts and multiply that

your typewriter

by 12

a pica, or

is

an

if it is

and add

elite,

total

that figure

to your 1,250.
If

your typewriter

characters,

you

will

is

an executive, which varies the width of

have another step to go through:

average number of characters per

number by

dividing that total

number

of lines

pokeouts

is

have to find the

you multiply by the

ten. That's the figure

on the page. The likelihood

at the right

you'll

by counting ten normal lines and

line

that there will

be very long

rather small, since such adjusting typewriters are

intended to prevent such unevenness. So you can probably ignore the

excess on the

right,

and your averaging of ten

ought to give you an

lines

accurate enough answer.

Now
pages

in

multiply the

number

of characters per

page by the number of

the typescript, and you will have a complete character count.

Blank spaces between paragraphs should, of course, be subtracted from

the total

number

of typed lines, as should any deleted paragraphs. Insertions,

short lines, and other exceptions to the average must be calculated separately

and added to the

total.

You want

be accurate

to

within reason.

For regular periodical production, you'll probably

know how many

characters you need for a given typeset line under normal conditions.

know

that,

you can take a shortcut that bypasses

this calculation.

all

If

you

You can

mark your copy paper (on which you do your typing) with the average
character count, and then type within

number

of lines that

that width.
reset

it

You can

The trouble with doing

until

it

is

too

then

it;

you need do

all

you have written. You need not

character count on the paper.

late.

If

that,

typing paper by writing two typeset

lines

lines'

you count the number of

worth of

lines

itself

to

that

is

text

on one

to

single line of

typewritten copy (80 characters per line or thereabouts). Then,

calculation,

to count the

one tends to forget

are narrow, you can save

though,

your typeset

is

print the average

your typewriting machine

set

in

your quick

and multiply by two to convert

the total to typeset estimates.

Step two: determining the ratio of space to type

Commonsense

observation

longer line than you can

grows the

You can accommodate more characters in a

From this brilliant insight

shorter line of type.

next, equally scintillating

Commonsense

observation

long lines than you

Commonsense
more

1.

in a

2.

will short lines.

observation

3.

If

characters than you could

equal length.

And

Commonsense

For a given

So

amount

far,

you use type

if

of copy, you'll

that

is

small,

That

all

you can

you were using bigger type

in

fit in

a line of

further:

observation

4.

The spacing between your

you can space them out or tighten them up pretty much

extremely

need fewer

so good, but the plot thickens.

adds up to a truth that can be

flexible. So,

where do you

little

lines

is

flexible, so

at will.

frightening:

Typography

is

start?

You make two assumptions, see if they work, and if they don't you
make different assumptions. In other words, you reach a workable result by

and

trial

You can

error.

do

printer said to

name

the

it

(2)

to

know

yields,

it

how many

out

16

18

20

22

type.

the size of the type

and you need

to

common ways

You can use

(1)

know

that

way"

(fill

in

a table that

be using

in

order to find the character

the line length so you can figure

accommodate.

to arrive at a character count for typeset

usually printed

is

33

40

47

63

60

66

73

showing or specimen of the typeface you intend to

29
25

35
30

41

46
40

62

58

64

is

45

51

66

23

28

32

37

42

47

51

25

29

33

38

42

23

27

31

36

39

20

23

26

30

33

35

it

the width of your columns.

i.e.,

characters your line will

There are two

14

or "because the

does

are: (1) the size of the typeface you'll

the length of your lines,

You need

12

it,"

of your favorite publication).

count that

10

way we've always done

that way," or "because

The two assumptions

and

copy what has been done

also, of course, blindly

before, "because that's the

on the same sheet

as the

use. Normally, the table

read vertically for type sizes and horizontally for pica widths. You

start

way across to the column

number is what you need. (2) You
per pica. To do this, you use a table

with the appropriate type size and work your

nearest to your expected pica width. That

36

Can find out the number of characters

shows how many characters of

that

a particular typeface can

be expected to

Characters per pica

average

in a pica,

ranked by ascending order of

that corresponds to the type size

11

3 16

you plan to

You

size.

number

find the

use, multiply

by the expected

number of picas in your line, and there is your character count per line.
Armed with the character count, you can then quickly compute the number
of lines of typeset type your text might require. You already know the
number of characters your original text contains from your previous foray
into Higher Mathematics (see page 52
You divide the total number of
).

characters by the characters per line that you just found out, and that gives

you the number of

Now

new

lines of type to that particular length

factor

must come

or spacing between lines.

Its

you can expect.

into the equation: the

effect

problem of leading

needs to be known so that you can

ratio is going to work in terms
You have already assumed the type

determine whether your type-size/line-length

of the space you have at your disposal.
size

let's

say 12 point.

which means there

lines,

and

you'll

will

If it is

bottom of the

of type to the

set solid,

it

will

be 12 on 12 (written as 12/12),

be no extra leading or space placed between the

be able to measure 12 points from the bottom of one

next.

line

The bottom of the type, by the way,

is

you add

appropriately called the baseline (see diagram on page 59).

If

point of space, so that your spec says 12/13, every line of type will then

measure 13 points from the baseline of the

second.
If

If

you add two points of space,

there are a

it

lot of lines, that little sliver of

sizable chunk.

first

will

to the baseline of the

measure 14

points,

and so on.

space can accumulate to quite a

Anyway: you multiply the number of

lines that

you

just

You
number in points (because that
dividing
number into picas by
by

calculated by this factor of points. Let's say you'd like to use 12/14.

take your lines, multiply by 14, and get a

14

is

14 points). You must

now

turn that

because there are 12 points to the

your text
(see

page

will

51

),

need.

If

pica.

Your

result

you remember what was

then you

will

know

that

column-inches simply by dividing by

said

is

the depth

in

you can convert your picas

six,

12,

picas that

about column-inches

because there are

into

six picas to

the inch.

You now have knowledge

of the size of type, the

column width, and the

length of your text block.

If it is

Does

it

fit?

Probably not. So you change things.

too long, you can reduce the type

spacing between the

lines.

you can take out that extra

size, or

or

Your column widths

line lengths

are

likely

to remain constant, because

you are probably working to predetermined

page patterns anyway. But

you have freedom there too, you can

if

reproportion the entire thing by altering the column width (however,

you do change only

will

that

remain the same as

you are not

If

between the

between

filling

lines, or

lines

the space you need

enlarge the type

easy to calculate

is

number

size,

of space that

that
line)

that

more condensed

so that you can squeeze

just

(yielding

more

more

is

to pick another typeface

characters per pica and per

your disposal, or one

it eats up any excess space you have.
numbers you get from the table

into the space at

wider or more extended so that

is

is

It

absolutely essential that the

correspond to the typeface that your typesetter

There

was

as

from scratch.

other option open to you, of course,

either

is

it

you add, which you

of lines involved. Reducing or increasing the type

size requires recalculation of everything

One

you can add to the spacing

to,

or both. Increasing the leading

everything remains the same

two

before, except for that point or

multiply by the

if

one element, the overall area required by the type

it was before, except that it will have a flatter shape).

is

considerable variation

in

the

many

will

use on his equipment.

versions of the

same-named

face

that are available from the different manufacturers.

your

If

the next

comes out with a fraction at the end, remember to go up to

number when lines are being counted. There is no such thing
of a line sliced horizontally! But, if your computation comes out

total

full

as one-sixth

with 45.7 characters per

situations,

line, for instance,

you can ignore

significant;

?!!

it,

accuracy of your

then that 0.7 character

unless your copy

those minor fractions can

total

is

very long.

enough

In

not very

is

such

to affect the overall

result.

Copyfitting large-size type

Here again

trial

and error are your best

number

calculating the average

friends. In single-line headlines,

of characters, a

method

that tends to

work

body copy, cannot be depended upon for accuracy.

Rather, you have to be more conscious of the width of the specific letters
that you are using. Obviously, if you have a lot of m's and w's, you'll be able
to squeeze fewer characters into the same line length than if your copy
out so conveniently

consists of lots of
letters,

about

you

counts

in

i's, j's,

and

I's.

Furthermore,

if

you have

lots of capital

also reduce your total character count, because they

50% more

A much

in

space than lowercase

letters do.

As

occupy

a result, the character

typeface specimen tables are to be seen merely as rough averages.

safer

method

is

to find a real headline set in the face

the length that you intend to use, and type

you compose your own headline

it

on your paper

and

size

to a corresponding length beneath

barring hailstorms, earthquakes, or tidal waves, your headline should

If

that looks unnecessarily complicated, there

is

and to

as a guide.

good reason

for

probably want to rewrite your headline several times to make

it:

it fit

it,

Then
and,

fit.

you'll

and

55

wording

polish the

just so.

easier to

It is

do

it

in a

tabulated fashion on your

typewriter than to have to count each line separately, character by character,

as

you write and change them.

Proofs
The typesetter or compositor

your marked manuscript together

will return

with a set of proofs of the type as

set.

If

you are using word-processing

equipment, the equivalent of such proofs

is

on the screen, or

a read-out

hard-copy paper printout. The exact form and finish depend on the

equipment you

are using. But

let

way

us deal here with the traditional

of

doing things: whether they are true galley proofs pulled from hot metal that
is

placed on a tray called a galley, or whether they are xerographic copies of

type that has been set on photographic typesetting equipment makes no

difference.

You

two

usually receive

of reproduction proofs,

and

sets of proofs for reading,

a set of proofs

may

reproduction or repro proofs and the translucent ones

the
in

of proofs

first set

one

two

set or

on translucent paper. The

not

accompany

you receive, because you may want to make changes

the copy before the final proofs are pulled. The sequence of proofs you

should be decided on before the typesetting

will get
In

any case, one

set of reader's proofs

should be so marked, dated, and kept

marked
that

and changes,

for corrections

you may want, and

those marks on your

is

own

is

started.

becomes your

file

The other copy

safe.

as well as

is

copy and
proofread and

any additions and deletions

returned to the typesetter. You should duplicate

master

set,

so that you keep the stages of

production carefully on hand for future reference: the original manuscript; the
first

proof showing needed changes; and

later the final

changes are reflected. There may be several

ought to avoid them

if

charged as author's alterations (AAs)

amazed
,.~^ ^
\f_...-'

at

how

not, of course,

proof on which the

such changes

expensive they

are.

at a

higher

Mistakes

rate,

a record of

made by

in

on the telephone.

in

name

number, and a galley number,

other information that the typesetter

may need

to have.

your typesetter can find what

Reproduction proofs are

marking or damaging them

in

of the

as well as

number

fragile, sacred,

expensive, and

final.

any way. Protect them. Keep them

predetermined place where they can be stored

step.

If

in

so that

you're referring to quickly.

Avoid
in

the

which they came and stash them away from harm's way

mechanical-making

any

When phoning

corrections or changes, always refer to the job and galley

are

the margin, for printer's error. Be sure to

any changes that you may be calling

publication, a job or envelope

in

make

the typesetter should

Proofs are slugged at the top of each sheet with the

envelope

but you

and you would be

be charged to the customer, and when you come across them,

be sure to mark them with a PE

make

sets of

you possibly can, because any changes you

until

the

in

final

you must mark notes on them, do so with

nonreproducing blue pencil or ball-point pen available

at the art

supply

shop. Never fold or crease them, and protect them from being scratched

by paper

clips or staples.

near them either.

No rubber bands

or sticky tape should be

anywhere

Proofs pulled from hot metal

smudge

chance to dry and harden thoroughly.

easily until the ink has

had a

them by

possible to protect

It is

spraying them with a light coat of plastic or fixative. Proofs from photoset

equipment may not be well developed and may

literally

turn green around

the edges. They also smell of chemicals. The paper they are printed on

some Band-Aids handy. They don't smudge, but

razor sharp, so keep

surface can be scratched quite easily. Hot metal proofs automatically

get dupes

Body copy

come

three copies; photoset proofs can

in

even

singly

and you have

is

their

come

to fight to

at extra cost.

or text faces
Avoid fashionable faces
based on exaggeration

be

for

in

body copy

some

(the text); their fashionableness

it

in

shape, weight, detailing, angle, or whatever,

type

in

bulk

even though

it

may be

just right for a

advertising copy or for eyecatching display use.

that are very contrasty in their

is

aspect of their design. That very exaggeration,

own

line weight.

it is

is

detrimental to reading

paragraph or two of
also wise to avoid faces

Such strong contrasts create

a dazzling effect that tires the eye. That dazzling can also be created by

using shiny ink on shiny paper. So be aware of the physical materials of your
publication and respond to them.

on shiny
of

stock; others are better

thumb

is

Some

faces are better

on newsprint than on

that the better the stock

and the

on

dull stock than

offset stock.

your typeface can be; conversely, the closer to newsprint you

bolder, stronger, rounder, and
print

type size
is

10 point

more open your type ought

and read well.

general, body-copy type

'n

This

body-copy

that their readership

is

size

seems

and

printing, the finer

to

The

rule

lighter

get, the

to be, in order to

be growing. Editors complain

getting older, and therefore requires a larger-size

type for ease of reading. Ten points seems to be the magic number.

Remember

that

it

is

not just the size that matters; the typeface you use

makes all the difference. Some appear smaller than others although they may
all measure 10 points.
If

you are going

to

be setting type that

(white type on a black background, or

on

a tint or a color, then

in a

you should pick

little

larger than the type size

be a

little

you use

for

bolder, too. That will ensure

its

is

to

be reversed or dropped out

picture) or that

is

a special typeface.

to
It

be surprinted

should be a

normal body copy, and

integrity

when

it is

it

should

printed

the

thin lines won't close up with ink, and the type will not be as difficult to

read. Also, the face

you pick ought to have simple shapes and even strokes

rather than fancy ones and heavy contrast of thicks and thins.

would probably be the

safest.

sans serif

Sans

body copy

serif vs. serif faces for

This

is

whom

a cause for violent arguments from partisans of both sides,

evident, though:

the ones

TT:
Sans

serif

In

of

all

hold certain truths to be self-evident. Such truths are only partially

we

it

all

depends. The typefaces

are used to and that

we

find

we were

taught to read are

most congenial and comfortable.

the United States, those are the basic serif faces.

In

Europe, sans

serif

is

and

to

the rule rather than the exception.

Serifs do,

indeed, aid the eye to

move along from

left

to right,

that extent they are a helpful visual characteristic in type. Tests have

unequivocally proved, however, that a sans

measure (up
longer

to eight

words per

lines, serif faces are

serif faces

is

that there are

line

or so)

serif face set in a

is

probably the wiser choice.

many more

of

narrow enough

as legible as a serif face. For

them

to

One advantage

choose from, and

of

this

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTU ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUV
WXYZ 1234567890
WXYZ 1234567890 Bodom
Baskervine

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTU ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUV
WXYZ 1234567890 Bookman
WXYZ 1234567890
Caledonia

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUV ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTU

WXYZ

WXYZ

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

century Expanded
1234567890
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUV

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUV

WXYZ

WXYZ

1234567 89()

1234567890

Caslon

Caramond

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

1234567890

Coudy

Oldstyle

abcdefghij klmnopqrstuvwxyz

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUV ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPORSTUV

WXYZ

1234567890 Meiior
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

WXYZ

Memphis
1234567890
abcdefghij klmnopqrstuvwxyz

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUV ABCDEFGHUKLMNOPQRSTU

WXYZ

1234567890

Paiatmo

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

WXYZ

1234567890

Times Roman

abcdefghij klmnopqrstuvwxyz

range of choices makes

easier to create a special or unique character for

it

your publication. There are also new versions of traditional

have large x-heights and large counters to prevent

The advantage

processes.

of such

modern

faces

is

that

smaller size than you could the original versions, yet

same space.
Counter
o
r
Baseline

(For the reason

product a contemporary

Bowl

why, see page

up

filling

serif faces that

in

the printing

you can use them

fit

more

material

50.) Besides, they also give

in

in a

the

your

flavor.

The faces produced by

International Typeface Corporation are

obtainable on most manufacturers' typesetting equipment as well as on

do-it-yourself sheets under license, and are the leaders
for the ITC preceding the

name

of the face

for

in

the industry. Look

example, ITC Garamond.

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUV
WXV^Z 1234567890

ITCCaramond

abcdefghijklmnopqrstu\^^yz

ABCDEFGHUKLMNOPQRSTUV
WXYZ 1234567890 AvantCarde

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUV

abcdefghijklmnopqrsluvw)^

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

WXYZ

1234567890

cmsans

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUV ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUV
WXYZ 12345B7890
WXYZ 1234567890
Eurostue

Futura

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUV
WXYZ 1234567890

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUV

WXYZ

1234567890 umvers
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

Helvetica

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
Sans

serif

is

a contrast to the
in a

useful for technical materials; for

body copy;

bold version; the

It

is

list

boxed sidebar material

as

for captions to pictures; for display, especially

continues.

virtually impossible to

make an

arbitrary

list

of advantages or

disadvantages. You have to follow your preference. The better educated that

preference and the more knowledge and awareness you have, the wiser your
choices are likely to be
differently,

and the more courage you

will

your way. There are no such things as rules

have to do

in

it

typography

there

are only personal interpretations of the purpose, objectives, material, and

communication value of typography, which can be manipulated the way you

think it ought to be. That's what makes it so much fun.
59

Line spacing, leading, interlinear spacing

Each line of type
line
In

was,

set

is

in fact, a

on the machine by

hunk of metal

itself. In

a full line's

days of hot metal, each

worth of words

up the

we

lead. Nevertheless,

separate entity.

In

should continue thinking of each

the past, you

lines to separate or

would

It

be called leading

that used to

used to be added

increments of a

in

With modern machinery, you can space out the

feasible

then you need

to right.

left

less

If

you are using

point.
full

or tightened spacing

you are using bold type, then extra spacing between the

If

help pull the eye from

serifs,

full

by adding not only

lines

much smaller increments. Even negative

on the new sophisticated equipment.

points, but also

is

given

line as a

between the

insert a sliver of metal

"open them up," and

pronounced ledding).

cast in lead.

we have

photographically or electronically generated typography,

lines will

a typeface that has

leading because the serifs help the eye

move

across the page.

If

you are using sans

the lack of

serifs.

large to start with, there's

life of Giambattista Bodoni has
often been told. He was born at Saluz
zo, Piedmont, in the year 1740, the s
on of a printer. He had the good fortu
ne of being apprenticed to the polygl
roncrrocTatin d
*
f the
tho Congregatio
H
printing office of
ot .!*!crffil^^
It was he
Ro
e Propaganda Fide at Rome.
crarx
craft
ot on
oniy
V the
xne
re that he learned not
...,":"
^.u.VJt.
which was his father's, but also was in
troduced into the art and secrets of c
utting punches as soon as his talent a

The

The

The

The

life

told.

of Giambattista

He was

born

Bodoni has often be

Piedmont,

n the year 1740, the

prmter. He had
the good fortune of being apprenticed
"
polyglot printing office of the Congregati
Propaganda Fide at Rome. It was here that h
^ learned not only the craft which was his fat
her's but also was introduced into the art and
secrets of cutting punches as soon as his tale
:

serif type,

And because
little

then extra space

is

the x-height of the type

advisable because of
is

probably quite

space to pull the eye from

left

to right.

The

life of Giambattista Bodoni has

often been told. He was born at Saluz
^o. Piedmont, in the year 1740, the s
-_' * nrlnter Me
He naa
had tne
the gooa
^ood Tortu
fort^
printer.
^^ ^^ ^^j^^ apprenticed to the polygl
office of the Congregatio d
* printing
V''.'J^r.HrpTHo^\^R
"^if
!f.*<!ho

Propaganda
Fide
e
at
Rome.
It
was
..v.
he
-!-"&""
.,...^.
^-^
-
..
_..
>^_
J;
,^
p.-nr.ao'anHa
was he
r-ropaganoa Fide at Rome, it
.^
re *h^*
that h^
he i^oK^H
learned ^*
not iw
only *i,^
the ^.=
craft e Propaganda
^
^.
^
which was his father's, but also was in ""e that he learned not only the craft
troduced into the art and secrets of c which was his father's, but also was in
utting punches as soon as his talent a troduced into the art and secrets of c
utting punches as soon as his talent a

life of Giambattista Bodoni has

often been told. He was born at Saluz
^o, Piedmont, in the year 1740, the s
^n of a printer. He had the good fortu
^ of, being
ul^-.^^ apprenticed
=...^*;^^h to
*^*h^
polygl
the ^iw<,i
"^

life of Giambattista Bodoni has often be

)ld. He was born a
Saluzzo, Piedmont, i
n the year 1740. the s
printer. He had
the good fortune of being apprenticed
polyglot printing office of the Congregatio
Propaganda Fide at Rome. It was here thai
'earned not only the craft which was his fat
^^r's but also was introduced

secrets of cutting

punches as

The life of Giambattista Bodoni has often be

en told. He was born at Saluzzo, Piedmont, i
n the year 1740, the son of a printer. He had
the good fortune of being apprenticed to the
polyglot printing office of the Congregatio de
Propaganda Fide at Rome. It was here that h

his tale

which was his fat

was introduced into the art and
punches as soon as his tale

e learned not only the craft

her's but also

secrets of cutting

The

effect of leading

on comfort and
in two

ease of reading illustrated

examples: Franklin Gothic (top) and

Bookman both set in 8 point.
The left-hand samples are set solid,
the center ones leaded one point, the
ones at right leaded two points.
Incidentally, these showings are cut
from an old hot-metal typesetting
sample book.

If you are using type that has a small x-height, then there is probably
enough white area in the space between the ascenders and the descenders
to act as horizontal slivers of space, and you may need no extra leading.
If you are setting your type in a fairly narrow column (up to eight words

on average) and are using

normal typeface,

add extra spacing, and you would

as

its

designer intended

you get more

you

to

text into

make your

it

to

set solid.

be used, and

it

it is

That
will

probably unnecessary to
is

your available space (which,

pictures bigger or even

add

the type's natural state,

read well.
in

a bit of

turn,

It

will also

help

might well allow

white space for the

rest in. Wouldn't that be an advantage?).

You can increase interlinear spacing in order to lighten the effect of the
typography. By adding more "air" the overall color is made to appear paler.
And, of course, you must add space between the lines if your lines are

eye to

very long.

How

long should the lines be?

If

lines are too long for comfortable reading, you can help overcome
problem by adding leading between them; the longer the line the more

your

that

leading you need. The sliver of white space between the lines helps to keep
the eye running along from
in

the lines above or below

left
it

from the words

to right without distractions

more

and, even

eye back to the beginning of the next

importantly,

line at the left.

then guides the

it

Without such help,

it

would be too easy to skip a line or reread the same line. You have to have
clear connection between the end of one line at the right and the start of
a

new

line at the left, or else.

is ten on thineen trump roman regular by twentytwo and a half picas. It is ten point trump three points
leaded and set on a slug that is twenty-two and a half
picas wide, which is the correct measure for two column

This

This

is

trump roman by

ten on fourteen

thirty-five picas. It

four points and set to a width of thirty-five picas,

and there

are a

between the

lines

ters per line,

This

is

ten point

trump leaded

of forty-seven picas,

which

is

five points

maximum

is

ten point trump leaded

which spans three

four-column page arrangement. The character count

at this

width

is

of fifty-six lines in every

and expressed

as ten

the width of the full live-matter page, spanning

all

on

fifteen

trump.

of the

columns

in a

eighty-seven charac-

column. This
It is

is

ten

set at a set-width

the various page arrangements possible;

two-column, three-column, four-column and the five-column picture spacing. There are one hundred and seventeen
characters in ever>^ line of type and there are a total of fifty-two Hues of such spacing possible per page. This

What

length then ought the line to be?

wouldn't be bad,

illegible

ail

Because the factors vary so much,

analytical

common

It

which need to be taken

of

all

ten point

depends on

into account.

formula cannot be worked out. You

sense, experience, and tradition, as well as your

and decision-making

is

there were a formula, there

typography wherever you look!

a series of interrelated factors,

have to use

If

Some

skills.

of the factors

own

you should

consider are these.

What

typeface are you using?

What

size are

Some

are

more

legible than others.

you using? The bigger, the more legible

but don't forget

those x-height variables.

What

leading are you using? The

more space there

is

between

lines,

the

longer the lines can be.

What

color paper and ink are you using? Contrast or lack thereof can

affect

human

What

sort of

reaction and fatigue.

paper are you using?

Is it

shiny or matte? Shininess creates

tiring highlights.

How much

text will there be?

The greater

its

easy to read. You can get away with

mass, the greater the need to

sorts of sins in short pieces.

make

it

What

kind of text are you presenting? Technical material that requires

all

concentration, or smooth, flowing narrative?

61

How

big

is

the page?

How much

breakup

How

daunting does the text look?

How many

there?

is

subject are signaled by subheads,

stopping points or changes

initials,

in

or the like so that each block of

type appears short and easy to take?

Such
rule of

a litany

may

not be terribly helpful to you, so you should use a

thumb. Nine or ten words per

line

is

comfortable length

using serif faces. Sans serif type should be set a

words per
faces

perhaps

line,

and because the

trifle

because most readers

narrower

you are

if

eight

to nine

aren't as used to sans serif

themselves help guide the eye horizontally and

serifs

thus increase legibility.

Another formula that has been with us

for centuries prescribes

one-and-a-half alphabets, or 39 characters per

words, each reckoned

Two

at five characters

line.

Another suggests eight

on an average.

other points need to be made: narrow columns tend to break up

the structure of sentences and force a

lot of

word breaks and hyphenation,

both of which tend to interfere with smooth readability and comprehension.

On

the other hand, wide columns

the start of the next

Should type be

set justified or

line.

tire

make

the eye and

difficult to find

it

mean.

to try to find the comfortable

ragged?
means

Justified typesetting

length, so that

You have

that

all

lines in the

column are

you have a neat right-hand margin

set to the

same

as well as a neat left-hand

margin. Ragged means having lines of varying length so the margins are not
neat.

It

is

assumed

that "set

ragged" implies ragged on the

column

rather than the left-hand

feasible

and

is

of type, however,

left-hand margin
in

done

often
it

is

is

in

right edge of the

edge of the column, although ragged left is

picture captions (see page 70

unwise to use ragged

a far easier reference point to

the process of reading; as a result, there

from one

transition

left setting,

line of

can easily be caused by

This disorderliness

its
is

type to the next.

is

).

In

long blocks

because a neat

which the eye can return

minimal confusion

In

in

the

ragged-left setting, confusion

apparent disorderliness.
not a problem at the right-hand edge of the

column, where raggedness does not

affect ease of reading. In fact,

it

has two

valuable advantages.
7.

Ragged

right looks different.

It

can be interpreted

in

many ways

as

poetry, as informality, as a different visual treatment for emphasis, or even as

a deliberate departure

alignment, which

is

from the

used throughout the publication

in parts

rigidities of precise, square,

ordinary. There

is

no reason why ragged

(to give

it

hard-edged
right

a visual character of

its

cannot be
own), or

of the publication (to separate those portions from the rest), or in

small bits here and there (as visual relief and contrast).
useful for major
editor, or

It is

particularly

pronouncements (be they by the chief executive

any other Important Person) that are

set in larger

officer, the

type to a wider

measure; for commentary on segments such as answers to questions; and for

decks (the sentence that explains or qualifies the headline) and quotations,

and so on.

2.

Ragged

right reads better.

little

unusual

but

at first glance,

We just aren't quite

do so

is,

coming

it is

usage, and ultimately that will be a

will

boon

into wider,

People don't read

letter

by

common

way

letter the

(OCR) robots do, but rather recognize words

groups. The word groups
this follows the

shapes of the
letters to

looks a

more accepted

Why or how

it

sense.

optical character recognition

o u p

s,

but as groups. From

fundamental principle of typographic design:

letters

because the

it

It still

as words, as unified letter

not perceived as g

is

to.

to faster reading.

everything else, a matter of

like

used to

been so strongly adhered

tradition of justified setting has

it

the

isn't just

themselves that matter, but the relationships of the

each other,

the spaces between the

i.e.,

letters, are

equally

vital

for legibility.
In order to set justified copy, you often have to spread out the spaces
between words and, sometimes, even between the characters in order to

have those

lines

come

especially serious

in

out to the same length. This problem becomes

narrow columns where the

the text varies from one line to the next and

problems, there

lines often create

affects the visual

rhythm of each

is

lines are very short.

word breaks

an unevenness

in

Identical

copy

set three

justified x

it

Because

the ends of

the spacing that

and disturbs one's reading:

line

it makes the eye work to compensate

makes reading tiring and more like work.

the eye stumble;

In short,

at

it

makes

for these imbalances.

ways:

14 picas

ragged right max x 9 picas no word breaks

iustlfied X 9 picas

order to set justified copy, you often

have to spread out the spaces between
words and, sometimes, even between

order

In

In

justi-^

set

to

In

copy, you have to

spread out the spaces be-

the characters in order to have those

lines come out to the same length. The
problem becomes especially serious in
narrow cotumns where the lines are very
short. Because the text varies from one
line to the next and word breaks at the
ends of lines often create problems,
there is an unevenness in the spacing
that affects the visual rhythm of each
line and disturbs one's reading: it makes
the eye stumble. It makes reading tiring
and more like work.

copy, you often have to

tween the words and,

sometimes, even be-^

spread out the spaces

between the words and,
sometimes, even between

tween the characters in

order to have those lines

come

out

the

to

length. This
becomes

lem

serious

in

the characters

prob-^

same

where the

especially serious in

narrow columns where

lines are very

word breaks

next and

the lines are very short.

Because the text varies

from one line to the next
and word breaks at the
ends of lines often create
problems, there is an
unevenness in the

at

ends of lines often

create problems, there is
an unevenness in the^
spacing
visual

with

it.

right

The type

affects

the

rhythm of each

line

that

overcomes

is

set the

spacing that affects the

this artificial

way

advantage of natural spacing

is

it

length. This

problem becomes

especially

narrow columns

short. Because the text

varies from one line to the

in

order to have those

lines come out to the

same

the

Ragged

order to set justified

fied

spacing by simply doing away

should be

naturally spaced. An added

the evenness of the type's color: by avoiding

that extra spacing, there are no loose areas to contrast with tighter ones

the

text.

in

Tight ones appear dark, loose ones appear pale.

more complicated than

max x 15 pi," which tells the
10-point Times Roman with one

Specifying ragged right setting can be a

saying "10/11 Times

Roman

typesetter that you want the

point of space between the

little

flush left rag right

column
lines,

set in

ragged

right,

with no line to exceed 15

63

picas in length. There are various degrees or raggedness you

about

in

order to be able to ask the typesetter to supply

The most ragged and feather edged (and

when you

need

know

to

it.

also the messiest looking)

word

is

means that
your line will be set as the copy comes, and if there is not enough space to
accommodate the last word in full, it will become the first word of the next
line. Rough rag can create some deep holes if that last word happens to be a
long one. You can reduce the danger of extra-large holes by asking for
"no hyphenations, except to avoid indents deeper than two picas," or
rough rag. That

whatever

is

is

called for

ask for no

breaks.

It

appropriate to the type size and line length that you are using.

some word

That allows

typographers

breaks, yet retains that rough feather edge.

Some

call that tight rag.

You can have

much

equivalent of justified

neater edge by calling for a setting that

the

is

hyphenation allowed), but that skips the

(i.e.,

final

step in the setting: pressing the button that opens up space between the

words and characters

If

order to

in

justify the line

the typesetting machinery can produce

(usually expressed in terms of

the characters

is

minus

units)

measure.

it,

you can also ask

for kerning

by which the spacing between

reduced. That way, you can produce a very tight and

organized feeling to your typography that makes the ragged edge even more
dramatic than
Identical

copy

set three

it

otherwise would be.

ways:
ragged right max 12 picas
hyphenation OK

ragged right max x 12 picas

hyphenation OK to avoid rag

ragged right max x 9 picas

no word breaks

deeper than 2 picas

Rough

rag.

Tight rag.

sometimes, even between

In order to set justified copy, you

have to spread out the spaces
between words and, sometimes,
even between the characters in
order to have those lines come

ters in

between the characorder to have those lines

the characters

the

come

out to the same length. The

order to have those

lines come out to the

same length. This problem

becomes especially serious in narrow columns where the lines are

ous

same

very short. Because the text var-

the lines are very short. Because

ies from one line to the next and

word breaks at the ends of lines

the text varies from

especially serious in

narrow columns where

often create problems, there

lines often create

order to set justified

copy, you often have to
spread out the spaces
In

between the words and,

in

length. This

problem becomes

the lines are very short.

an unevenness

Because the text varies

from one line to the next
and word breaks at the
ends of lines often create

that affects the visual

in

In

spaces between words and, sometimes, even

problem becomes especially seriin narrow columns where

next and

is

the spacing

is

rhythm of

ing:

Warning: setting ragged

then the raggedness tends to be

much

in

fewer

lines

accommodate
There

is

little

line

it

more

space, though exactly

you have longer

less

lines (nine

pronounced

that

if

if

in

the

same copy

set

It

unknown

so)

you have
in

copy

narrower because the copy

they are longer. So you have to add a safety factor to

this

also

words or

or seven words). Clearly there are fewer line ends

wider than there are

rhythm of

and disturbs one's readmakes the eye stumble. It

makes reading tiring and more
ing:

right takes a

if

(six

problems, there
the spacing

in

the kind of setting that you are using.

depends on your column width:

short ones

an unevenness

each

line

it

how much more depends on

one line to the

word breaks at the ends of

that affects the visual

and disturbs one's readmakes the eye stumble. It

makes reading tiring and more

each

order to set justified copy, you

often have to spread out the

to your copycasting calculation.

yet another complication: the individual typesetter's

is

set

set

One operator may produce galleys that are

much tighter (talcing less space) than another whose setting is looser (using
more space). These are variables that can only be settled through experience
interpretation of the setting.

over time.

You have one option

you can decide where the

You then

accordingly.
flush

left,

ragged

you more control over the

setting:

should break and then type the manuscript

lines

specify the setting to be 9/10 Helvetica, for instance,

typed

right, set line for line as

What may

but watch out!

that will give

look quite neat

typewriter, or even on the screen of your

out very ragged indeed

in

in

The

setter will

do

as asked,

the right-hand margin of your

word

processor,

is

likely to

come

type. That's because typeset characters vary in

width, whereas each character

equally wide on your typewriter.

is

also

It is

an awful nuisance to have to retype your copy (probably several times over
to get

it

so this option

right),

such as decks, quotes

is

seldom used except

for very special material

and picture captions.

type,

in large

Display type
Headline or display type can be anything you want

body-copy typeface

to contrast with the

then you can use a bold sans

complement

it.

serif for

(if

you use

it

to be.

the headline), or

two types

the

text

and the display

consistency of typography throughout. There are

a variety of headline

every story.

It

is

it

some

it

to each

will exhibit a

publications that use

typography throughout the issue and a different face for

certainly creates visual interest

it

the text,

can be picked to

it

other, the stronger the effect of the product will be, since

the product. But

can be picked

terms of the overall product's look and character, the

In

greater the affinity of the

cleverness, and

It

serif faces for

especially useful

when

and

unhelpful observation that has been

made

lots of

opportunities for

there are few pictures to enliven

can also create visual chaos.

All of this

several times

adds up to an
in this

chapter:

You go according to instinct, preference, and experience.

To get enough characters into the headline, you have two options: you
can pick a condensed face that crowds more into the same space, or a size
smaller with your normal typeface, if you go a size smaller, you can make up

there are no rules.

for the loss of punchiness

by increasing the weight or blackness, say from

semi-bold to bold, or from bold to extra-bold. That way you have your cake

and eat

it

too.

Headline set three ways to show that

you can squeeze more words into
the same space by using a more
condensed face, or going a size
smaller, while at the same time
increasing the boldness.

This

is

This

is

This

is

a headline set
a headline set

a headline set

in

in

in

Helvetica

Helvetica

Helvetica

Headlines
Display type

is

intended to attract attention and performs two functions

simultaneously.
1

it

pulls the reader into a specific story

written, because of the promise of interest

because of the way

holds, as well as

it

its

it is

visual

characteristics.
2.

It

affects the reader's

awareness of the publication as a whole, as

the progression from page to page coalesces into an overall impression of

character.

its

You need

aware of these two factors

to be

in

order to handle your

options intelligently and respond to the specific needs of your particular

publication.

Too often the

editor

is

so involved with the story that the overall

product's interests are shelved or forgotten, resulting

do not work

effects that

actively together

and lead

in a

the product lacks unity,

let

conglomeration of

weak, ineffective

to a

impression for the issue as a whole. Any one segment

may be

excellent, but

alone consistency, from one issue to the next.

Such consistency has an invaluable by-product: recognition of the

product by the reader and the advertiser as a trusted, valued friend. The
product probably gains more from such recognition of quality than

it

would

from attempts to create "variety" through inconsistency, constant change of

pace, and typographic fancy-dress fripperies. Also, the reader sees the

product for a short time only, and so

the editor

may

be,

whose

life

not nearly as bored with

is

revolves around

it.

"differentness," or "change of pace" that the editor

trying to create by artificial

even harmful.

It is

format than to

That

is

much

start

why

means

is

like.
If

who

seems unable

also advisable to use

profess to

one typeface

know nothing about

is

going too

far,
it

art,

then the next best thing

exclusively

the

in

available: regular, bold, extra-bold,

or whatever other variables there

Whatever the choice may

outdated

but

body copy

experts, as well

who know what

in a

few

years. Fashion

italics, all

may

be,
is

many

is

to pick

do

one

they

basic face for

different versions in

which

it is

caps, outline, drop-shadow,

be.

you can be certain of one thing:

most strongly manifested

more
tomorrow or at

areas of publications, and what seems the proper and

things today will surely look outdated

in

it

will

be

the display

"with-it"
least the

way
day

tomorrow.
Even

if

responsibly

today

will

you avoid trendiness and exaggeration by

composed and

story

sticking with

expressive typography, whatever you are doing

be old-fashioned one day. To attempt to work for eternity

foolish. Instead,
its

for both

dispute this

will

Using one typeface creates a unity of character that cannot be improved.

that

after

to resist

not only unnecessary, but probably

reinventing the wheel on every page, or every story.

it is

the display and use

to

as

wiser to stick to a simple, restrained, recognizable

and display type, although many people

as those

it

Thus, the "liveliness,"

handle the display as logically as possible, allow

and content

as clearly as possible,

possible throughout the issue.

and

style

it

it

is

to signal

as consistently as

How

big should headlines be?

The

size of headline type

is

often predicated on newspaper tradition, which

decrees that the more important a story

the bigger the type ought

be

the louder the trumpeting should

is,

to be. Furthermore,

decrees that the higher up the story

newspaper makeup

also

on the page, the bigger the headline

is

type should be because important stories go at the top of the page, which

may choose

the important area. Fine. You

own

to accept this or

is

make your

decision.

What you must do in any event is make the headlines visible, big
enough and bold enough to make for ample contrast against the body copy.
If they are too small, they look insignificant. If they are too big, they overwhelm
and become out of scale. If they hurt the eye with their size, make them
smaller or shoot them through a screen so that the blackness is turned to a
gray

tint. In

The
and 36
is

any case, follow your

common

practice

points. Bigger than that

instinct.

have headlines

to

is

advisable for minor elements.

It is

What

is

will

make laws about such

remember that headlines

group throughout the issue and must not appear

as a

be individual impressions atop each separate

imaginativeness

anywhere between 18

impossible to

subjective, interpretive, unique decisions, just

must work together

set

few words; smaller than that

fine for just a

is

make

story.

Some

restraint

to

on your

a better overall product.

the best place on the page to put your headline?

Since

we

read from

left

to right

down

the page,

it

is

sensible to place the

headline above the text so that the eye can travel comfortably
as the stages of the story are revealed. That doesn't

put the headline anywhere else that makes sense

mean

special effect.
off?

Only

if

Is

that effect

worth

it?

You have

you do whatever you intend

to

do

to

downward
you may not

in a specific situation.

only means that you are giving up a natural advantage

visibly,

that

in

be the judge. Will

it

come

strongly, deliberately,

and courageously.

The top left-hand corner

of the spread

your major headline up there and you

will

is

where the eye goes

first.

lumping the gutter (crossing from one page to the other) with

by

enormous and overwhelming

it.

It is

wiser to lay out the page

on one page, even though

spread.

If

that the

it

you must jump the

word. You can also get

may

colon, a dash, or an ellipsis

(.

is

bridged

fall

whole
within a

by writing a so-called bimodal

sets of

.).

is

such a way that the headline remains

gutter, avoid having the gutter

two

the headline.

gap between the pages

refer to a story that covers the

a better result

headline, which consists of

of the headline,

in

Put

catch most of the readers.

headline tends to be dangerous unless the typography of that headline

so

It

order to achieve a

thoughts or phrases separated by a

The left-hand page holds the

and the right-hand page displays the second

first

half

half of

A few technical

terms about headlines

Since journalists are justifiably

some

of the proudest professionals and

verbally oriented people there are, a specialized

most

newspaper jargon has

evolved over the years. Here are a few terms you ought to be able to
recognize.

Times roman bold

set tight and

Times roman bold

and

set tight

without extra leading

FLUSH

LEFT,

Times roman bold

set tight and

without extra leading

without extra leading

RAGGED RIGHT

Times roman bold

set

kerned minus-one unit in one

line is strong in visual

impact

WALL-TO-WALL
(filling

out the space available)

The
The

issue

editorial

Times

Times roman bold

set tight and strong

of all editorial spaces in the issue

EYEBROW

KICKER

HAMMER

(free-standing, centered,

self-contained label over a large

(positioned flush left or indented, or

over an indented head, self-contained

beneath)

headline)

but tied into the head by meaning,

Times roman bold

The importance

(kicker larger than

of the relationship

its

headline

often with a colon or ellipsis at the end)

tight from page 00

TOMBSTONING
(a

depressing

problem
or

in

name

JUMP HEAD
for a depressing

page makeup.

more headlines

When two

align across the

page so they read into each other by

is avoided by
juggling the elements around in
mistake, the problem

different configurations)

(identifies the continuation of the

on another page usually by

means of a key word or phrase from
the opening headline)
story

This boldface continued

RUNNING HEAD
(a small label in the top left-hand
corner of the page identifying the
subject matter being continued from

the previous page)

Legibility of headlines:

We

up-and-down

cap,

all

recognize words

in

character groups rather than letter by

outline of such a group

word "recognition,"

recognifioic

i):^KiiNcmimc

ordownstyle

style,

is

The

letter.

Recognizing the
that the "g" pokes

a crucial factor in the process.

for instance,

is

aided by the fact

down below

the type, the "t" pokes up above

dots floating

in

and the two

it,

have

"I's"

same word

the space above as well. But set the

all

cap,

RECOGNITION, and you have a neat horizontal alignment across the bottom
and top of the letters, which forms a nice neat box that holds no visual clues
whatsoever to help identify the word. That is why all caps are harder to
read than lowercase.

Yet a few words set

headings, logos,

all

cap are no problem. Labels, department

are fine that way, as are special

etc.,

words picked out

headlines for their particular significance or meaning. There are also

demographic segments
tend to

letter their

even

Yet,

for

population

drawings

and

illogical

unthinkingly.

It

use

all

to

when newspaper

what

this style entails)

as to

proper names
with

initial

in

all

first letter

becomes

overcome shortages
cap. Such

and bold to

set large

extra

added

word

of every important

excessive. Not only does

it

it

lead

it

is

still

do

Why
it

to

an unnatural

way

of

decreases the distinguishing features of

headlines by making everything look

capitalization.

most newspapers

effect.

which words are important and deserve such treatment,

presenting them. Furthermore,

But it makes more sense

to set them this way.

inadvisable. For the

accepted somewhat

headlines were set

and headlines are

us,

also decreases the words' legibility because

it

is

them from the body copy anyway. So such

arguments

but

We Type Heads This Way

is

as a makeshift solution to

differentiation as capitalizing the

is

cap

all

Style of typesetting, to this writer's thinking at least,

shortages are no longer with

(which

who

have no problem reading caps.

hangover from the past that

in

some

and engineers,

cap with discrimination for special

was invented

of capital letters

distinguish

who

cap and

all

them, setting long blocks of copy

at large,

The Up-And-Down
seems

of readership, such as architects

is it still

make

proper names

like

done? Because of

habit;

their publications look

because

"newsy," and,

above

Than to Set Them This

Way Which Looks Funny
but We Are Used to It

all,

because our typewriters do

indeed useful

in

it.

On

If

you want your product

made,

is

body copy. However, the

typography makes little sense.

distinguishing heads from

translation of typewriting convention into

logically

a typewriter, the convention

start

to read smoothly, look

contemporary, and be

your headlines with a capital

lowercase downstyle just

as a

letter

and continue

normal sentence would, only

in

set large

and bold.

typography

To ensure

legibility, specify tight setting.

the characters are close together than

when

especially in sizes of type such as those used

typography

It is

easier to read

words when

they are spaced far apart,

in

headlines.

The new

typesetting machinery allows us to kern the characters, and this capacity

ought to be made use of

in

any type

size larger than 14 point.

Unkerned

typesetting creates unnecessary gaps between the letters. Closing those gaps

up helps us to distinguish the word as a word more quickly. Incidentally,

never open up between words or letters in a headline in order to fill out a
predetermined width. Set the head flush left and ragged right.

69

Decks and blurbs

Often headlines are accompanied by a deck: several

expand the meaning of the headline, explain

or

in

some other way

helps to persuade the reader to read the

basic idea of the story

significance and the

and

its

lines of display type that

significance to the reader,

its

is

first

stated in the headline,

paragraph of the text immediately

place the elements

below

manner. Headline

in a like

first

because
stories
If

it

is

news

practically

is

it is

the
its

logical to

the top, deck beneath

at

it,

a precis or repetition of either the headline

paragraph. Readers resent reading the same content twice

wastes their time, and

where

decreases the deck's importance on

it

it

is

being used functionally.

the deck

is

placed above the headline and

that the headline flows out of

it

If

that.

Often decks are misused as

or the

the

tells

usefulness, you have a sequence of reading matter that

irresistible. Since one thought flows from the previous one,

text

text.

the deck points out

if

it

is

written

in

such a way

naturally (with or without ellipses or leaders),

Decks and precedes are also often called blurbs.

called a precede.

Decks should be distinguished

summaries or synopses. Decks are

in

function as well as

form from

in

active steps in a series of information-giving

statements. Summaries are self-contained precis of the article. Usually

in

used for information retrieval purposes or as

scientific journals they are

fast

overviews that allow the potential reader to decide whether or not to invest
time and effort

in

reading the

text.

Captions, legends, cutlines

Everyone brings
interests with

aware of

his or

her

own background,

them when they look

this natural

human

your interpretation of

characteristic

own way

accompany the picture to

the editors, see it. The trouble is that
a

few situations

books), and cutlines

(in

in

its

pictures

it,

if

you want

tell

which captions

too much!
(in

magazines), legends

newspapers) are unnecessary.

of the caption and does the

interpretation of the picture

in its

own

it

it.

When

they are

shots used as openers to a story, for instance, the headline that

them takes the place

to get

and avoid having

How? By means of
significance the way you,

of seeing

explain

that

There are

As editors, you must be

and react to

a picture across to the reader

misinterpreted by the reader's

words

experience and individual

at a picture.

work

is

(in

mood

seen near

of focusing the

words.

Captions should, whenever possible, do more than just describe what

the picture shows or give the
at illustrations first,

name

before they

of the person in

start to

it,

because readers look

read the page. Their interest

is

aroused by images, which ought, therefore, to be utilized as hooks to pull

the readers into the story.
is

And

a juicy

gobbet of information

in

the caption

the best possible material with which to bait those hooks.

The caption should be

closely attached to the picture so they are

perceived together as Siamese twins are. Alignment and closeness are the

two obvious techniques

to

make them appear

that way.

precise

measurement of appropriate closeness depends on the scale and context,

maximum. As for alignment
they should be flush with the edge and should align on the corner. The
diagram shows the various alternatives.
of course, but perhaps a pica ought to be about

Readers look for captions below

pictures because that is where the\'
expect to find them, so it is wise to

put them there,

being equal.

It

all

is

other things

also wisest to

keep

them neatly aligned with the picture

rather than Indented because the

crispness of effect thus created

outweighs anv advantage you may

have from spots of empty space
alongside such indents, which aren't
big enough to be dramatic, but are
sizable enough to appear messy.

The purpose
to

study the

novarese

when
flush

set in
left

of this lypc

is

It is

often most attractive to set captions ragged right

if

the rest of the

effecl thai

ilalic

migM have

narrow columns

and ragged

The purpose

is

lo

jormat for picture captions

(often called

is

legends' in

columns. The contrast of texture and informality

set in rigid, justified

adds flavor to the product. The flush edge of the type

righi

use this

books and cullines

page

is

the edge to which

made parallel, so the type lines appear to

whiskers. And you can get away with setting

the picture should be aligned or

grow out

of the photo, like

flush right

and ragged on the

left

if

your captions are not too long

(a

dozen

in

newspaper parlancel

lines

perhaps) or too wide (more than 35 characters on average).

To help the captions belong to the

picture, use any two of these three
principles

in

conjunction:

(1)

Align

flush-left captions with the left-hand

edge of the picture and

flush-right

captions with the right-hand edge of

the picture.

(2)

Align captions with

the top or the bottom of the picture.

(3)

Set the inner

edge of the caption

one alongside the picture's

edge) flush, letting the outside edge
be ragged.
(the

Setting captions very

wide

it

may be

adding

start
fairly

lines

is

wide

perfectly

all

right

you jeopardize

full

width of the picture no matter

there

if

legibility

small up to about four lines, but any

readership to just those people

will, therefore,

two

the

who

only one line to read.

by going too wide. Your

more than

If

risk

how

you
is

that will reduce the

are fascinated by the information and

bother to plow through

legs of type (columns).

is

How wide

all

is

that material. Better break

too wide?

It

depends on the

it

into

face.

the leading, and so on. But

if

you must have

going wider than 60 characters per

line

is

a rule of

thumb, assume that

dangerous.

Should captions be bigger than the surrounding body copy or smaller?

Should captions appear darker or paler? Should they be

knows? Newspapers seem

visually sophisticated

logical

argument

that should

from personal preference:

Catch

lines or

Who

whereas

magazines seem to use the lighter/smaller type, often

body-copy typeface. There are no

set in italics of the

set in italics?

to prefer the darker/bigger direction,

nor

rules,

is

there any

sway the individual editor one way or the other

"I like

it

that

way."

boldface lead-ins
There are essential technicalities you should know about because they
increase the communication value of both the picture and the caption
it

accompanies. Used correctly, they are editorial tools for speedy

communication, which
self-contained

little

is

what you want.

story that

it

springboard for information, that

your main point

miniheadline
be.

is

The catch

free-standing

is

articulated

precisely

If

should be
is),

then

in a little

you think of

(if
it

is

line or

lines are usually written as labels

and

that

is

all

text.

first

words

it

so

Such a

boldface lead-in ought to

of the

whose

first

If

the

visibility relies

on

sentence of the caption

caps, or larger, or in a contrasting face to the rest of

the caption) are, alas, too often misused. Those words set

worthy of such emphasis

the

self-contained and

labels are interesting, they work. Boldface lead-ins

(usually set bolder, or

starts

probably the easiest way to handle them.

typographic contrast with the

as a

perfectly logical to write

headline that

what the catch

a caption as the

you are using the picture

in

terms of their

own

bold ought to be

in

significance.

You should

avoid blunting your precious weapons of emphasis, such as boldfacing, by

giving something the appearance of importance without giving

it

the

substance or meaning. The simplest test to determine such worthiness:

do the boldfaced words make sense

if

they indeed say something intelligent.

then you

know

that

caption variations.

BOLDFACE LEAD-IN

CUT-IN SIDELINES

you read them alone?

If

If

they do, then

they cannot stand on their own,

you must rewrite your sentence. Here

is

diagram of

Bylines
Two major

questions need to be asked that

will give clues to

handling

your bylines:
1.

Are there

a lot of

them

in

the issue?

If

so,

to establish a definite format and placement for

it

is

certainly

worthwhile

them so they add

to the

overall personality of the product.

2.

Are the names

publication?

placement,

few of the

ABOVE THE HEADLINE:

LEFT

BELOW THE HEADLINE;

LEFT

If

so,

size,

typical

WITH THE DECK: FLUSH RIGHT

IN TEXT:

in

those bylines important to the status of the

you must give them the importance they deserve through

and

visibility.

If

not,

you can play them down. Here are a

placements to choose from.

AT END OF LAST

LINE

FIRST LINE

tiBte
WITH BIO AND

PIC: LEFT

LEFT

COLUMN

Tips to help you take

better

photos for

your publication

Move

in as

close as you can

That way you help define what you are trying to capture on film. You are
deliberately getting rid of the confusing surroundings and

area that matters. The closer you

striking,

and detailed the quality

powerful

its

journalistic

move

in to

will be.

homing

on the

in

your subject, the more positive,

The bigger the image, the more

and design impact.

(Incidentally,

you can

retrofit

images that encompass too much by cropping. See page 98)

Use lenses

that will

move

in

close for you

you cannot get nearer, but

If

can

Having everything

in

come

focus

All

still

want

to capture close-up detail,

to your aid: Getting the right lens just costs

is

technology

money.

dull

but the simplest cameras allow you to choose your depth of field. That

allows you to

make

whereas the part

in

the important part of the picture crisp and sharp,

front of

and beyond

it

can be

made

to look fuzzy. This

another technique of "editing": drawing attention to that which

is

just

is

important.

You

control depth of field by changing the aperture of the lens.

The

smaller the aperture (the higher the f-number, like f-16, for instance) the

greater the depth of field; the

2.8, for instance)

lens,

more you open up the

lens (to an f-stop of

the tighter the depth of field becomes.

your desired

effect

is

If

you use a long

automatically produced: You focus on the

subject and fuzz out the foreground and background, which are
as a recognizable context but

do not compete

Putthecenterof interest elsewhere than plumb

in

the middle

is

a boring photo.
like this

where you expect

If

you imagine

it

The very

shows

edge

at

is

precisely

one

for the horizon. That

why

it

lines

way, either the upper

<

#-

every picture
you do so implies an

specific to say,
is

makes

of the four intersections

become dominant.

precisely the

which

in

editorial statement of

one element, you show

a point of view. By selecting

which
at.

in

fact that

something
look

the middle

which

a pattern breaking the viewfinder into ninths,

two-thirds or the lower two-thirds

Make something dominant

there

dominating position. Also, use one of the two horizontal

inside the diagram as an

to

in
it,

diagram, placing the center of interest

will give

It

to find

still

for the viewer's attention.

turn

same thing

Reading/hearing/seeing are

makes

it

as finding

all

more

some
that

kind:

you have

interesting to listen

something interesting to

related aspects of

communicating.

Compose your shots with

an awareness of the lines of force

Horizontal lines, flatness, lots of left-to-right elements, give the resultant

image a placid

quality. Lots of verticals can

be interpreted as strong and

tough. Diagonals or angles convey a feeling of action and motion. By

such knowledge

may

not be

all

that useful, but

help you give the photo the requisite

mood

if

knowing these

you use such

itself,

effects can

lines of force as

contrasting background to the foreground element that you are expressing.

Concentric or converging

lines

can help draw the viewer's attention to

your focal point.

Allow moving objects plenty of space

The composition

of the

frame can underscore or even imply

not actually be visible, such as the direction

What you want

pointing.

and allow ample space

in

to

do

is

in

activity that

may

which people are looking or

to take the motion's direction into account

the frame for the action to grow into. Keep moving

elements away from the edge of the photo, unless you want to be very
tricky.

on page

useful action-exaggeration manipulation of existing images

1

15.

is

shown

Use the rectangle format to

best advantage

Most cameras produce rectangular images. Look at the subject

whether it is a broad and flat shape (in which case you shoot it
horizontal) or a
better).

often as

Shoot
it

skinny shape

tall,

which case the

vertical

verticals as often as the subject matter

seems

to

make

into a vertical shape.

page.

(in

is

will give

Maybe you can even

get

you variety and

them on the

as a

would

fit it

suited for that, or as

sense. So look for arrangements that

They

to decide

fit

naturally

change of pace on the

front cover.

Enliven your picture with foreground interest

Looking through something

at

the subject

beyond

gives a feeling of "being

there" to the onlooker. Photographs are illusions of

purposes

is

reality.

One

of their

to foster that feeling of participation in their viewers. That's

what gets people involved

in

the story.

Pick a background that explains the character of the personality

Allow the context within which the subject
understand

at first

deem

glance what you

By substituting job backgrounds for

is

to be seen to help the reader

about the subject.

significant

sterile studio set-ups,

you can make

even the most ordinary people pictures become documents of people

true-to-life settings instead of catalog

mug

in

shots. Their offices, workplaces,

and surroundings can be highly revealing of the subjects' characters.

Don't

let

the background

become

a nasty surprise

Be aware of everything seen

in

the frame. The camera

cannot judge. The photographer must do

the

Eiffel

Tower growing out

and/or the camera.

Perhaps
that

way

it is

but

It

of the

isn't selective.

woman's head

might be wise to leave the tower where

it is.

best to shoot people against plain backgrounds:

is it

more

interesting?

It

why you have to notice

and move the woman

that. That's

It is

safer

Watch out for booby traps

We

see differently than the camera does:

editing out
brain, so

what

it is

up

is

We see selectivelyfiltering or

unimportant or misleading; the camera,

alas,

has no

photographer to do the noticing and visual

to the

editing.

The contrast of dark objects against light backgrounds, or vice versa, can
the image. We take no notice of telephone poles or u'ires when walking

down

the street. But take a photo of the

live in slashes

across the skyline.

dishes on the table

when

We

ruin

same view, and the black cage we

ignore and look beyond the dirty

the after-dinner speaker rises to pontificate, but

take a photo of the scene, and

all

you see

is

dirty crockery

white against

the dark dinner jackets.

Check

the edges of the picture

That

may

their feet,

in

your viewfinder before you shoot

help to prevent chopping off the tops of people's heads, cutting off

and other such generally unsatisfactory mayhem.

camera or moving

it

few inches

this

way

Tilting the

or that could allow you to

concentrate on the focal elements without having the surroundings just

appearing by happenstance or accident.

Shoot people as the individuals they are

This

is

often a problem

when you have a number of people to show:

new employees, and so on. Since everyone

anniversaries, honorees, officers,

is

different, their pictures should reflect those differences in character,

personality,

and

attitude.

Then having

to arrange

them

in

groups of

equal-sized pictures will not create such a boring result. The faces will

make themselves

interesting.


Bunch people

into tight

groups

That way, you can

the interest
to

lies.

come

in

closer

and get them bigger.

The normal space

make themselves

feel safe

that

It is

in

the details that

people prefer to have around them

and secure looks

like

very large gaps v^hen

frozen into photographs.

Figure out fresh angles for cliche situations

The

typical (and worst)

problems are the "grip-and-grin" or "grin-and-shake"

congratulation or welcoming pictures,

if

the story cannot be told another

way, neatly avoiding the use of the standard

handshaking event

as

set piece, try to

cover the

spontaneously and freshly as the circumstances

will

allow: shoot over the presenter's shoulder; crawl on your belly and shoot

upward

at

the symbolic hands; use a periscope;

from the room upstairs and shoot downward

variety. But

remember

you, as communicator,

that

people are interested

deem

to

in

the picture.

a hole in the ceiling

in

bit of

people, and that what

be deadly may well be fascinating to

your readers. And, most certainly,

appearing

drill

anything to get a

it

is

crucial to the

people

who

are

Sunlight

is

great,

except that
Shadows

makes strong shadows

it

are dangerous, especially

if

they are under the noses and

sockets, turning living people into cadavers.

The brighter the

in

sun, the

the eye

more

hard-edged the shadows and the greater the need to squint. Better to

shepherd the people into the shade and then shoot

Flashbulbs create

shadow monsters on
Move

the subjects at least

shadows
all

as well as

good

to the

in indirect light.

walls

six feet

away from the

throwing the wall

itself

wall to prevent casting

out of sharpness (which

may be

you are shooting against motel-lobby wallpaper or

if

its

patterned equivalent).

Don't blind your subjects by shooting

It

is

and

spots,

to
is

flash too close

better to stay about ten feet

one

much

it is

side.

It

even better to bounce the

is

not higher than about ten feet.

with the

away from the subject

flash, cut

its

If

Ten

feet

is

If

if

circumstances dictate getting

optimum. But new,

fast lenses

in

work

at all

closer

beyond 20

coupled with new,

it

fast film

possible to take far

lifelike pictures in existing light.

you want animated reactions from people, be funny

You want

to

have people appear alive

effect that saying

If

the pictures, but that

is

not the

"Cheese!" engenders. Forced smiles create waxworks.

you are going to

them something

in

start

shooting people

to smile about.

who

are

supposed

it

the ceiling

progressive starkness with a piece of gauze laid over

can avoid the use of flash altogether, which makes

more

camera and hold

flash off the ceiling,

the flashbulb. Incidentally, a flash probably doesn't

feet.

to prevent flash hot

better to separate the flash from the

to smile, give

People
pictures
People are interested

don't

have to
be
boring

in

publications. Yet editors

is why people pictures (mug shots

become such an essential ingredient of

people.* That

police and editorial jargon) have

in

all

decry their

rather than the readers' minds.

who

in print

though

as

see

it

them because they don't

media

it

is

pictures appear

want

just

to read a story
is

about personalities;

human

instinctive

need we have acquired from television and other

not important.

is

whose

What

important

is

that readers

is

want

what someone looks

like,

unless that someone's claim to

her looks. They care very

much about

character

curiosity

visual

to see the

person because they are looking for personality clues. They don't

his or

seeing

in

the editors'

in

are pleased to see them (although those people seem to react

were more important than it really is). The readers, too, care to

they want to see personalities too. Whether this

or whether

well be

the people

isn't just

It

because they persist

fate,

boredom may

these pictures as dull and boring. The

really care

fame happens

be

to

as expressed in the

look of the eyes, the body language of the stance, the revealing glimpse

caught and frozen for inspection by the sensitive photographer. That

the

first

duty for the editor

is

"dangerous" to use: the

insight. Naturally, these shots are

be

less

than happy to have their innermost selves revealed to the public this

way. Yet

it is

becomes the essence

precisely that revelation that

of lively

publication making. So you have to weigh the politics of the situation:

have to calculate the cost/benefit

ratio.

It

may

benefit to the publication will be the recognition of

(Perhaps such a risk/reward ratio

wrong

sort of reward?) Well,

is

J.

its

but the

pioneering

stacked against you: too

P.

You

cost you your job to run a

certain not-very-flattering picture of the chief executive officer

the

why

is

show such
subjects may well

to search out those pictures that

spirit!

much

Morgan, talking about the

risk for

risks of

"You eat better at 10 percent, but you sleep better at

You have to judge the pros and cons of going out on a limb

investing, said,
2 percent."
yourself.
Let's
is

Good
be

what you are

two basic kinds

mug

for

luck!

a bit

more

likely to

realistic,

then, and accept the fact that the safe shot

be stuck with. That

of situations:

(1

is,

indeed, boring. But there are

where you have one or

a story

just a

few

where the pictures are incidental to the story; and

(2) a story or section where you must accommodate a large number of
people pictures in some kind of catalog format. In the first case you can (and
shots to handle,

should) play with the material to

as possible. In the

make

it

as graphically varied

second case, you are stuck with the images

worth the investment or time

to

manipulate them

and interesting

it

is

not

and you must make

the group or pattern appear interesting.

*Has it ever occurred to you that there are never any people in pictures of rooms in
magazines? When you want the surroundings to be noticed, don't put people in the picture,
because if you do the readers will study the people and forget the room settings.

The

individual

mug shot and how to make

it

more

interesting

Clean up the background

If it is

distracting,

if

is

it

ugly wallpaper pattern,

it is

part of a snapshot with other people in

it,

if it is

an

has nothing to do with the focus of your story,

if it

too pale to give good definition to the edge of the halftone

darken

if

it,

lighten it, make it fuzzy, do something with it that makes the personage
"pop out" and get attention, so that the background becomes secondary.

How? By

retouching the photograph

having

a professional retoucher

spray gray paint over the bad area, or by "ghosting" the background (see

Or

page

108).

Get

rid of

This results

the background altogether

in

much more

interesting shapes because

everlasting rectangular halftone. Furthermore,

personage
This

is

sitting right there

an easy

trick,

you avoid the problem

especially

of

it

is

change from the

creates the illusion of the

it

on the white paper.

if

chopping

the person

facing the

is

off a piece of

camera

nose or mouth. (A

ear or top of the head doesn't matter nearly so much.) And,

if

bit of

you do create

unintended baldness, you can always counter the criticism by maintaining

that there are only a
hair,

and you are

To make

few perfect heads, the

just

a silhouetted picture

the printer to do

it

rest

have to be hidden under

helping out.

for you.

As

you can either do

far as

extremely unwise to cut up pictures.

doing
It

it

ruins

yourself

them

it

yourself or instruct

is

concerned:

for future use,

it

and

is
it

may

be very unpopular with the owners. But you can, of course, take your trusty
scissors

and cut out

a paper-doll

personage,

stick

it

on

a piece of

cardboard, and instruct the printer to "silhouette as cut out."

It is

white

much

safer

and the

results are better

marked where the edge

procedure

is

if

you give the printer a transparent overlay

of the silhouette

is

mask on acetate;

to prepare a

to appear. By far the best

that way,

you are

in total

control of the final results.

Here are diagrams

Original picture attached to white

Method

cardboard backing, with register

marks in position.

(black or red)

1:

to help

keyline or outline

drawn on

in

you visualize the process.

Method

ink

Insert the silhouetted

2:

mask

cut from cut-and-peel

overlay film (amber or red).

tracing paper.

personage

box

in a

The contrast between the head-and-shoulders halftone and the white paper
background

The person

is
is

enhanced by deliberately framing

then placed

in

smaller than the head, can appear to

Here are four

a piece of that

an individual bubble of space and,

emerge from

it

in

background.
if

the box

dramatic fashion.

typical variants.

The linework can be done by the printer, but it is best done by you on an
overlay the same way that any line art is added to halftones.

Add quotes and

The combination

identification in the

of a

box

disembodied photo inside

starting point for unusual treatment of the usual

a defined area

name,

title,

is

an ideal

and function,

is

and an opportunity

Be as

for a more-or-less-provocative statement.

courageous as you want to on

something rather ordinary

this,

into

because here

is

chance to turn

something quite extraordinary.

Crop courageously
The usual shape

is

not prescribed by law, just by habit and laziness of

thought and, possibly, lack of courage.

It is

perfectly acceptable to

the top of the head and bottom of the chin. There

for cutting off an ear or

two (Van Gogh did

it

is

in real life!).

Here

Lincoln, taller than ever because of the extra-narrow cropping;

Washington

is

peeking through a

slit;

Ulysses

S.

chop

off

ample precedent even

Grant

is

right

is

President

George

up close

to you.

^f--^<5!

-J

Keep the hands

in,

if

there are any

They may well be more expressive than the face

add some

activity to the

itself.

And they

invariably

image.

uy

Utilize screens other than the

expected halftone

Mezzotints, steel etch, line screen, line conversions, and the like (see page
130) are ideal for use on people pictures, but they must be used boldly, to

make

it

quite obvious that the treatment

the result of bad printing.

is

deliberate and not a mistake or

Bring individuals into groups

If

who

your story deals with several people

story,

perhaps

are connected

grouping might be more expressive than

the individuals as ducks

in a

row. But the photographers didn't catch

together, and several of the pictures are of individuals

studio portraits after the

who

them

submitted their

What do you do then? You cheat: You take

made sized in such a way that the
the same. The easiest way to do that is to

fact.

the prints you have and have copies

heads measure more or

the sense of the

in

a presentation of

less

decide on a standard dimension to cover the distance from the top of the

head to the bottom of the chin and ask the photo

new

prints to that

head

is

the

When

same

lab to

size as

anybody

you get the duplicate

and carefully cut out each

mug

that the shoulders overlap in

is

if

won't be

anyway.

else's

you then take your trusty scissors

Then you compose them in such a way

prints,

shot.

ways

that

appear natural, with some people

tight.

Any kind

of people talking to each other or people talking as a

realistic,

It

perfectly acceptable since nobody's

apparently standing behind others, nice and

believable and

blow up or reduce

dimension, given a reasonable tolerance.

precise, but variation within reason

group

of

arrangement

will

the eye level remains constant and

in

appear
alignment.

You then glue the group down, using rubber cement or hot wax from a wax
dispenser, burnish the whole thing down carefully, and your art is ready
for the camera. The more precise your paper-doll-cutting craftsmanship, the
better and more realistic the final result will be. To prevent the edges of the
photo paper from appearing as white lines in the printed piece, darken them
(only in the dark areas of the photo) by running the edge of a black felt-tip
marker on the edge of the paper itself, being sure not to mark up the face of
the photo. Then,

when

the edges are dry, start the assembling process.

Darkening the edges once they're

in

damaging the

one you're doctoring.

picture beneath the

place

is

impossible

if

you want to avoid

Other patterns than the collage of silhouettes described here are

possible, of course

and your imagination, common sense, and

restraint are the guiding factors as to

what

to

do and how

far to

editorial

go with

it.

Five

commonsense

principles for using people pictures

People ought to face inward into the spread

The direction
The

Remember how everyone

person doing
in

of people's gazes ought to be exploited

curiosity aroused by such a trick

page.

it?

Curiosity

is

which people are looking

should be

utilized.

It

may

well impel the reader to turn the

looks up at the sky

when

they see one

powerful motivating force and the direction

whether

in real life

or merely

in

works.

Relationships between people should leap to the eye

pictures

Size

is

interpreted as a measure of importance

This raises political problems, unless you are aware of

personage gets the biggest

size,

the next rank

and so on. Of course, you could decide to make them

Rarely does

it

become

it.

The highest ranking

down must be
all

the

little

same

possible to have fun with sizes for purely decorative

or superficial purposes of design and, unfortunately, what you

as playfulness

may

perceive

be misinterpreted by the reader and surely by

likely to

is

smaller,
size.

the subjects themselves.

Editing
That

is,

down

most

to the

telling

image pays

unless those extra photos help to

emotions, or unless

it is

show

off

a variety of characteristics or

photo essay, of course. Where the story (such

as

an interview) flows on for several pages, an effective and enlivening trick

to put different

mug

successive page.

It

shots of the

ties

same person

in

the

same

is

position on each

the pages together and creates a sequence of

images whose deliberateness comes across more strongly

for

its

regularity

of placement.

Make the

best of those unavoidable catalog arrangements

Croups

of people

whose existence must be acknowledged

or recorded for

new employees, 25-year veterans, honorees, graduates, and so

neatly and
ad infinitum have
be accommodated and handled

some reason
forth

cleverly as possible.

to

They

as

are, admittedly, not very fascinating

as

raw material,

show them. So you show them:

you don't make a feature of them, you give them as little space as is
commensurate with the dignity of the subject matter. You make the pictures
as unassuming as seems right, and you get it done as fast and expeditiously
yet the publication has a responsibility to

as possible, so there

is

more time

to

spend on areas of the publication

that

deserve more creative attention.

You must think in terms of pattern making when facing a number of

mug shots and biographies. The effectiveness of the handling must be sought
in

the group rather than

in

the individual images themselves. Such grouping

arrangements can vary from the simplest rectangle to

sorts of arbitrary

all

patterns such as pyramids or other geometric shapes that are seen in

depressing variety

in

high-school yearbooks.

on

DDnn

DDU
noun
nannn
nnnnnn
nanap
nuDD
nan

nnnnn crnnnn
aDDDD

nnn

Adding
units for

rules

more

elements: the

mug

(drawn

lines)

sensible variety.
rules,

^s
pP
11
DDOQii
am ii
nn
ii
^^
n
n

DCI

DDD

can help break the arrangement into smaller

It

which define

creates contrapuntal patterning with

a

two

geometric structure for the page, and the

shots themselves, which create a smaller-scale pictorial spotting.

If

you

also separate the biographies from the pictures (leaving the identifying

names, of course), you have

a third

element

to

work against the other two.

000 ggg
Here the

mug

shots create a horizontal emphasis strong

camouflage the

irregularity of the

words beneath. The

enough

to

vertical rules

organize

the space most visibly and thus deliberately by extending into the space

above the

mug

shots.

PD

Postage-stamp-sized

placement

is

mug

staggered

demarcate the four

independent of

its

shots appear

slightly.

The

more

interesting

vertical rules

vertical slivers of space,

make

it

when

implying that each

neighbors. The spacing between the

their

possible to

mug

sliver

shots

in

is

each

sliver

to

is

constant

making makeup very simple. The success

of this trick

have enough space separating the pictures from the description

foot of each column.

It is

that luxurious

empty space

at

drama

that lends

is

the
to

the arrangement.

Here are three

slivers of space, three

vertically into two, allowing

The horizontal placement

are

none

off kilter or

In

remain

of the

mug

shots

out of alignment as

makes the arrangement

shots

columns' worth. Each

two mug shots

lively

is

in

to
is

is

divided

be placed next to each other.

the

same

in all

of

them

the example above.

there

What

the arbitrary omission of one or two

mug

the right-hand sliver within each column. The left-hand sliver must
full

so as to create an obvious "belonging" to the vertical rule, but

the right-hand pictures are expendable. Further, to emphasize the illusion of

ptfat?

nn

flags fluttering

from a

vertical

mast

at left,

it

is

important to leave a

little

"A" than there would be had the area been subdivided

arbitrarily into equal parts. As in the examples above, the words act as a foil
to the decorative pictures. Cross-reference between them by numbering,

more space

at

lettering, or

running the

and

in

last

name

of the person both beneath the picture

the text below.

Cluster individual shots into close groupings

Here
is

is

where the

greatest fun can be had with people pictures. Clearly, this

also a highly specialized situation,

intended than

in plain

where

a greater

catalog-type presentations.

It

degree of importance
is

far

more

likely to

is

be

used for combining two or three personages than for a crowd.

Frieze run across the top. By placing

names

in

the

empty space "behind" the

heads, or aligned neatly beneath them, you have a good opportunity to

contrast the clean, neat horizontal alignment of the

raggedness of the columns

unaligned.

at

mug

shots with the

the foot of the page, which are deliberately

The same

frieze run across the foot of the page. This

is

much more

dramatic arrangement because the white space "behind" the people's heads

seems

to flow up into the text above them and, by so doing, makes the text
belong more intimately to the people below. This illustration would not exist

were the columns

sketched here.

of type

all

the

same

Names would have

to

length, rather than scalloped as

go below the pictures to avoid

disrupting that valuable illusion of white background flowing up into the text.

Vary the sizes of the faces

they were received

some people appear

arbitrarily.

Assemble the

at all sorts of different scales

close up

in

original

photos the way

to create a

the foreground and others far

grouping where

away

in

distance. That's the effect of varying sizes creating an illusion of depth

perspective. Also essential to this effect

above the mug

shots.

It

is

the
in

the clearly defined edge of the text

emphasizes the variations

in

the pictures by

its

own

horizontal precision.

Vertical overlapping

very startling effect.

is

perfectly possible in multipage stories,

In this case, identification

numbers is much more difficult. Also, it

shown this way are going to be referred
which

their

party,

if it

creates a

of individuals other than by

somehow

implied that the persons

to in the text

on the same page on

photos appear. For some peculiar reason, the informality of the

horizontal arrangements
implication.

is

Is it

shown

in earlier

examples does not carry that same

perhaps because the horizontal arrangement looks

whereas the

vertical

arrangement

is

more

like a

closely akin to catalog-type

presentation?

91

Tips
to

make

more
effective

Let's face

it:

Most

of the photographs

person frozen on film

use of
pictures

you are

be faced with are not

likely to

very exciting. They are the expected view of an ordinary event, scene, or

lucky

if

the shot

composition

is

sits in its

value or point of view

material you have to

Option

documentary fashion

in a

crisp

and

in

frame comfortably. As
concerned,

is

work

the way

focus and reasonably well

having

far as

was. You are

it

and the

lit,

much

reportorial

that's rare indeed. Yet that's the

raw

You have only two options.

with.

throw the ugly ones out

how can you publish printed matter without pictures in it? Pictures do so
much to attract curiosity in readers, open them up to accepting information,
enliven the product, and make
"interesting." (Yes, even deplorably dull
But

it

pictures have that effect, because readers respond to visual information

so

much more

readily than to verbal information.

is

It

much

less

work

than reading!)

To throw them out

is

too drastic a step. Besides,

typography

to enliven your pages, your

pulling readers

in

and retaining

more daunting than

facing

will

if

you have no pictures

have to bear the

their attention

a task that

is

full

brunt of

perhaps even

Option 2 make the best of what you Ve got

:

A crummy
doctor

it.

picture will always remain a

Don't think of

it

in

crummy

problem you cannot do much about. Do think

editorial value: finding

what

picture,

no matter how you

terms of improving the image, because that's a

is

of

worth publishing

it,

in

rather, in

terms of

the picture, and then

focusing the reader's attention on that point. That inner significance makes
the original's visual shortcomings unimportant.

on

a higher level

not

the type, not just as

just as

filler

for

It

justifies

the picture's use

decoration for the page, not just to break up

empty spaces

but as a functional

segment of

the communication package.

Under such conditions,

photo

it

is

perfectly legitimate for

as malleable material, yours to

appropriate.

It

consideration

may make
is

do with

as

you

you

to consider the

the editordeem

the photographer unhappy, but your prime

to publish a story, a message, significant content,

and


anything that helps that process along

be permissible.

likely to

Is

story that matters, not the photographer's feelings. Again:

fine

photography, then leave

ordinary material to

alone. Let

it

it

stand on

summon up

then

start with,

its

for the sake of editorial

before you delve into that,

about pictures

own. But

is

you have

if

meaning

A whole

starts

necessary to understand

of such

list

on page 105. But

some fundamentals

publications. These are the normal approaches that

in

good

demand.

pictures

The

it

the

It is

you do have

the courage to tamper with

the unprecious image for the sake of that valuable story.

tampering trickery

If

pretty picture: beguiling, but off the point

Often you are faced with the problem of what to do with a lovely image
here, available, ready to use; yet paradoxically

and doesn't

issue

really

you know

advance the cause of the

lead the reader to incorrect conclusions.

What

that

worse

(It is

pretend that

folly to

a side

may

somehow.) Such pretense backfires

in loss

Use the picture

in

worthy

in

well

for uplift, but

adds communication value to the

it

cheating even worse to twist the story

as an object

it

do? Rejecting a beautiful

to

image out of hand may well rob the product of an opportunity

it is

is

it

story. In fact,

order to

story.

the picture

tie

in

of credibility. Instead, be honest:

and of

itself,

and present

it

to the

reader as a treat to savor and enjoy.

Quarantine

where

it

will

the story

in a

it

box away from the story

do the most

itself;

run

it

as a

precede to

the end of the story.

Or use

contents, or refer to

it

it

and run

The awful

visibility

set a

it

be faced with

mood;

in a strategic

In short,

without

at

build

or add

it

into the story

whole, rather than

it

as a shirttail at

this situation

location elsewhere, like

the aim

the

picture: depressing, but informative

You'll

itself;

to the product as a

as a frontispiece opposite the table of

opposite the inside back cover.

product-enriching

good

visible

is

to give

it

the requisite

same time confusing the

and

reader.

essential

considerably more often than with the

opposite problem described above. Here you have a bunch of images

embarrassingly bad they are, too, yet inescapably important to the story

and you cannot improve on them because there

is

not time and, besides,

the subject has disappeared. The only sensible thing

splashily.
is

bloat

it

Blowing up

and

flaunt

a second-rate picture doesn't

its

is

to use

improve

them

it;

all

but not

that

does

inadequacy. Instead, run such pictures small and near

the foot of the page, and don't attempt to catch attention with them. Instead,

use a big headline or

variations

Have

on

some other technique. But remember, photomechanical

may well be useful trickery (see page 30).

originals

the courage needed to use that unexpected image

Obviousness

is

entire product)

dull. The easiest way to spice up the story (or the

accompany it with unanticipated imagery. The more

probably
is

to

startling the effect, the

more

likely it is that a dangerous, courageous decision

no question that there are numerous options at
ought never be rejected out of hand: unusual

has been made. But there

the editor's disposal that

is

viewpoints; peculiar lighting; surprising juxtaposition of elements;

surrealistic transpositions of function, scale, relationship.

make

necessarily

They don't

the subject funny or foolish; they do, however, add

attention-getting sparkle to a page.

How bleeds create an

illusion of size

First,

to bleed a picture

picture thus "bled"

Let's

assume

the page,

it

is

that

is

if

to print

it

right out to the

edge of the page.

called a "bleed."

we have

photo of

a landscape.

When

a miniature reproduction of that original view.

the margins of the page,

But

is

the picture

is

it

is

contained

expanded

it

is

held imprisoned by
in

to cover those margins, the

printed on

If it is

framed by

that page.

image appears

to

burst out of the confines of the page, creating an illusion of continuation

Into spaces

beyond the page. The page

focal point of a
if

you have the

itself

becomes merely the

with great care and decide whether the illusion of continuation

to the subject matter.

the page?
left

physical

much wider scene in our imagination. It is an exciting illusion

What you have to do is look at your picture

right subject.

In this

Are the significant elements

landscape,

is

in

is

appropriate

the picture bleeding off

the sky or the foreground or the river at the

flowing off the page? The blank wall that

is

a neutral

background

to a

vase of flowers would not be a sensible subject for bleeding off the page

because

it

is

not material to the vase of flowers, which

about. Clearly, editorial judgment has to

come

is

what the picture

into play here.

is

Interrupt the margin by bleeding pictures

Every printed page has a live-matter area that

is surrounded by a frame or
might be appropriate to name those margins here, remembering
that nomenclature varies, but these are fairly standard.

nnargin.

It

<^ Head

margin

Live matter area

(same as 7"

x 10'

<^

Outside margin

4^

Foot margin

Cutter margin

Standard-sized magazines are based on the SVa" x 11" dimension. But as

paper costs have

risen, the

page has been chopped down,

until

It

now

measures about 8Vs" x 10%", which are irreducible minimums. Why?

Because ads are sized to a standard 7" x 10" proportion, and publishers must
provide a page large enough to display them or else. The reason for going

is simply this: The wider the margin, the

more noticeable any interruption becomes. By reducing margins to the
minimum, magazines have robbed themselves of the capacity to surprise by

into this rather technical side issue

bleeding, because the difference between bleed and nonbleed

insignificant that

it is

is

so

hardly worth talking about. So you aren't likely to be

impressed by the capacity of bleed to interrupt the flow of margins and thus
gain attention for your picture

HB
3^
"-

^"""J"^
'"'"""'

'

normal magazine any more.

OS

in a

>

Narrow margins, small photos

None

of the

above

Wide

alters the principle:

margins, large photos

Anything that interrupts a

pattern attracts attention. Bleeding does exactly that

enough
enough

to be discernible,
to

make

accomplish the

it

and

if

is

is

trick of bleeding,

trimmed back

you

page

to the correct

will

if

the margins are wide

made

worthwhile pulling such a special

slightly larger than the finished

sheet

the picture that

to bleed

stunt.

is

big

Warning: To

have to print on a sheet of paper

size. After

the printing, then, the

page

lopping off slivers of the

size,

bleeding picture.

Most pages are printed on

Vs" on

all

slightly larger sheets

anyway, with

at least

outside edges of pages, except the gutter, where the pages are

folded and not trimmed. Clearly, you must size the picture to be Va" bigger

on any edges where

it

will bleed.

That

is

reasonable and logical.

What

is

infuriating

one edge

that

is

of the sheet of paper

is

needed by the press

machinery for picking up and passing the sheet along to the next step
printing process. That narrow

edge

called the gripperedge because

is

in

the

you

where the gripper picks it up. Unfortunately, it is

two things touching the paper simultaneously.
You cannot, therefore, have a picture bleeding in the place where that
accursed gripper will be doing its gripping. Under Murphy's Law, where
guessed

it

that's

technically impossible to have

everything that could go wrong inevitably

You must therefore check with the

printer will provide

printer

will,

your bleeds

and ask

will fall right there

for the imposition; the

you with a diagram showing how the pages

sheet of paper and where the gripper will be. You can then

from

Typical imposition diagrams.

The

various standard paper sizes offer

various page combinations. The
printer can outline the available

options

in

diagrams

like these,

on the

fall

shift

your bleeds

this page to that, or make

accommodate your bleeds. In any case, though, check with the printer
about any premium charge for bleeding pictures, for it is better to be

the printer turn the sheet

around to

prepared for surprises.

which

are essential planning tools for both

Zi

bleeding and utilization of color.

13

16

01

15

14

Four-page signature

Sixteen-page signature

How the reader interprets meaning through size

The bigger something
obvious that

we

take

it

is,

the

more important we think

for granted. But

once we

it

realize

to be. That
its

is

potential,

use the principle to guide our decision making about pictures.

It

so

we

affects

can

two

distinct areas of that process.

First,
it

worth

reader?

are

it?

we

just using the picture to

Will the extra size given to an

Or worse,

next time,

will

it

fill

up an empty space, and

if

so,

is

unworthy picture mislead the

devalue our technique of creating emphasis by size

when we do have an image we want

to bring to the reader's

Here

"When

a picture
in

doubt

we want

to use to go with a story about

ask a policeman. " Don't think of it as being

a tilling for a predetermined space (though, of course,

be exactly that

when

it is

it

will

printed'). Instead, see the original

an image that ought

be given a size that is

commensurate to its importance in the context of the
story a value judgment that is purely editorial, affecting
the design" of the page, of course, but based on the

as being

intrinsic value of the original

page. So: give

arbitrary,

it

the size

preconceived

it

to

NOT the

deserves.

Do

final

not

hole.

"beauty" of the

fit it

into an

1-column: a subsidiary image, hardly worth being there for

all

the

good

it

does (so minuscule).

J PL ?-i!45jr'^'**iJii^B^iH^****:w

"'^^:

..,*

rt
^^pS'i-r^P^
HyMf.'% ^m^-i

kjsyi

When in doubt,
ask a policeman

:L

m^

^^

"^'^^^(fi^/B

1
When indoubt,aska policeman

2-columns: a neutral image.

OK

So what?

3-columns: a dominant image. Eye-catching and thought

provoking. The story flows out of it.


attention?
bloats

Making an unworthy

picture bigger than

it

deserves to be just

it.

Second,

how does

How do

the picture relate to the words?

they

balance, complement, enhance each other? This area of analysis affects

mostly the opener picture and the headline of a story, since there
standard pattern: The photo
headline, which relates to

it

as precisely as a caption, then focuses the

on the idea you want

picture should
its

cleverness.

If

the picture

pertinent, play

it

is

as big as

Instead, start with a value

it

to feature. The size of that opening

grow out of the excellence of the image excellence in
meaning for the story and only incidentally out of its beauty or

reader's attention

terms of

is

intended to catch the reader's attention; the

is

beside the point, don't play

it

big.

If it is

you can. Avoid allowing space to dictate the

judgment and then

size.

find the space to display

properly.

impression of your pages

is

communicated by the

pictures and by the page arrangement.

If

the reader learns that size

The

first

arbitrary, but that big

images are meaningful

sizes of
is

not

terms of the story, every big

in

picture will then be a strong signal for attention, leading to effective,

fast,

intimate communication and thus a better product. Don't expect readers to

realize

why this

is

happening.

interesting publication. That

Why

it is

wise to crop the picture

This

is

close

All

they

will think

is

to the subject.

what

is

is

that yours

music enough to an editor's

it

What you have

significant

is

about

it,

important enough to publish.

expendable. Expendable, however,

is

to

All

too

if

the photographer didn't get

do

to

is

to search out in the

determine which part of the

the rest then

weak

remove unnecessary material, for it may well

from what you as editor want to be noticed.

word

becomes

it is

essential to

distract the reader's attention

Furthermore, changing the cropping of a photo can alter

homing

not just by simplifying or

in

on which

visual implications. Obviously, every picture

no

rules.

The only

rule

is

is

is

its

meaning

important, but by other

a case by

itself,

and there are

become aware of the possibilities and then

An extra added attraction: By chopping the

to

follow up on your insight.

an

ears.

hurts

the retrofitting you have to go through

enough

original print

image

until

is

original

down

to its irreducible minimum, you can use what is left at a much

and with much stronger impact; or you can gain valuable space

larger size

on the page by running

Crop

to

make

pictures
A

it

smaller than

work together

picture

is

never

communication
distance, special

otherwise would have been.

better

just a gray rectangle

that has

it

its

mood, and

own

on

a page.

See

individual statement,

and

something printed on the surface of a piece of paper.

view beyond the surface of that paper. As such,
perceive the photograph as though
that

window

is

in fact a

it

as a piece of

natural sense of scale, proportion, feeling of

it

were

it

is

much more

it is
It is

than

the illusion of a

perfectly logical to

view through

window and

hole cut through the wall our printing paper

represents.

This concept of a picture being a view through a

important
often does

when you have more

it

happen

that there are

other on the page, yet

events happening

two images

how seldom do

They may make sense together

window

is

especially

than one picture to accommodate.

in

that

they relate to each other visually!

meaning or

as illustrations of related

to the subject; but do they look

moment: Imagine that a carpenter

Let's call them "windows":

has

How

have to run next to each

come

to cut

it?

Think about

two holes

it

for a

in that far wall.

The view from those windows has

we

a unity

a logical

connection that

expect.

What makes

the

two views compatible

scale of the things seen "out there."

seems

to continue

why

this

or,

more

that scale

is

accurately, the

in

balance, the view

from one window to the other.

W^
That's

size

is

When

macro/micro cow

of disparate sizes feels

wrong and

is

unrealistic.

The unnatural juxtaposition

disturbing.

^i^
The

illusion of a

continued view applies whenever

images of similar

size placed in close proximity

't

we have two

or

more

on the page.

h
1

Readers look

at

our page twice, the

decide whether to give

it

more time and

first

time

in

glancing fashion, to

attention, to find out

promises to be interesting. The second time,

whether

it

when they have been hooked

by what they saw, they actually pay closer attention

reading, studying,

and absorbing.

What succeeded
pictures,

if

in

the headlines

bringing the readers in? Most probably

managed

to explain their significance.

it

was the

And even

those pictures were relatively small, they could have seemed important
acting as a huge image as a group,

if

they were

made

to blend together in

if

scale.

Only

at

second viewing does each individual image gain

at first

viewing they

where

1+1=3.

all

worked together

its

point-

to create this synergetic result

Unrelated scale: These two photos

don't "work" with each other,

because the people

size so

much

in

them vary in
seem

that the pictures

related to each other only in content

and overall shape and

size.

Equalized scale: By cropping and

enlarging the photo at far right, the

two images have been brought into

balance. They now appear to be two
views of the same event.

Cropforcontinuity of the horizon

Continuity of scale
pictures,

related

if

is

in

the

you see them

one

relationship

is

is

neighboring pictures

first

fundamental relationship between neighboring

as views

from windows. The second and intimately

the horizontal relationship between adjacent images. This basic

so seldom regarded that

it

might be an interesting exercise to

look through any publication for two adjoining landscape views.

through the horizon of the left-hand picture, then

draw

Draw

a line

a line through the

101

One hundred to one they don't align!

nobody thought much about it, because they

horizon of the right-hand picture.

Do

they?

Why

not? Because

were busy

sizing

happened

to

pictures.

and cropping the pictures to

fit

arbitrary spaces that

be contiguous without thinl<ing of the relationship between the

So the nonrelationship you get looks

That's the result of tunnel vision, seeing each

like this:

image

as a separate entity.

By widening that tunnel to include more than one image

expand the
vertical

NASA

By cropping to make the horizon

flow from one image into the
neighboring one, a more expansive
overall

view

is

created.

e//ect of the pictures.

It

is

much

like

at a time,

coming out

canyon onto the broad plains of the moon (which

pictures

happen

to have

been taken).

is

you can

of a constricted

where these


Edit pictures so

one image becomes dominant

There are very few situations where you have several pictures, each of which

When

has equal value to the story, the reader, or the publication.

quite clear
really

is

in

its

reason for being published

to you which image supports or

effectively. That
isn't all that

is

in

Remember that we

if

with small images

you want

will likely

most

become obvious

clearly

and

to

it

to

in

if

will carry
it

do

if it

probably marvelous

is

in

the business of publishing

the major burden of intriguing

that job,

it

highly effective to

is

you have them. Why? For two reasons.

make something

you have to contrast

are

it

as art!

the reader into the story. To help

First,

it

that idea

terms of photography,

and not photography

it

then

embodies

That important picture then

support

becomes

the picture to use big. The bigger, the better. Even

marvelous

terms of meaning.
stories

it

your mind precisely what the underlying message of the story

something

big look remarkably big to the reader,

tiny

that way,

it

suddenly becomes

overwhelming. Second, the big picture arouses the potential reader's

curiosity.

That curiosity can be

at least partially

resolved by

more

visual

images. They work faster than long-winded verbal explanations, and they

themselves can

start fresh directions of curiosity that

force the reader to

delve ever more deeply into the hard work of reading the
especially true

though not
sounds a

if

We

all!

text.

This

is

the captions have given additional useful information

little bit

must always keep the reader hungry

manipulative, so be

it.

We

for

more.

If

that

are fighting for attention,

and

the end justifies the means.

Help

pictorial scenes

by cunning page arrangements

A sequence
that

it

of ideas or thoughts can be placed

becomes

maze

on the page

in

for the reader to puzzle through. Or,

simple and forthright by alignment, overlapping, growth

it

such a way
can be

in scale,

made

and

numbering. Sequences, of course, are the most elementary examples of

thematic subject flowing through pictures. Other perhaps

no

less valid relationships

that consist of
to break

more than

up the

just

Uis S

type.

s e<^oeM,^:

obvious but

in all stories

a hunk of text with a couple of shots thrown

1
1

less

ought to be made equally evident

in

Cluster small, spotty pictures to give them greater visibility

Peppering pages with insignificant odds and ends

much

less attention-getting

groups make editorial sense, that

How? Dozens

less

is

impressive and

than pulling them together into groups

if

such

is.

them on

of techniques: Place

simple shade of gray, texture, or better

background of a

a unifying

symbolic image that unifies

still,

them by sense as well. Or install them in a box container of some sort.

Or butt them close together. Or deploy them within an encompassing grid.
Or fix them in a graphic net. Or give them repetitive shapes that make them
links in a

connecting chain. Or best of

juxtapose them so that one

all,

image's meaning flows out of one into the other.

Or

what

be as many solutions as there are problems. Devising the

on the

specifics of the situation,

and that

is

what makes

else?

ideal

There must

one depends

this profession so

rewarding and so interesting.

te^

iyi

Link images to create a cumulative impact

Often a story cannot be told

image might

be.

Two

or

in

more

merely one image

are

needed

sequences over time, relationships

contrasting of subjects, and so on.

in
If

however excellent

do the job. This applies

space, development of ideas,
to

you have them, use them, but be sure

you know why you are using them. Be certain of the

want to make and then handle the pictures

are indubitably made.

simply because

it is

And be

in

all

editorial points

of the pictures than

it

is

the mental gymnastics of deciding which one to throw out.

the task of editing, which applies just as

and everything else

we

print,

is

to edit

much

to

you

way that those points

more than the minimum

such a

sure you aren't using

easier to use

that

to

to
In

to pictures as

be courageous

in

it

go through
other words,

does to words

using the blue

pencil and the wastebasket, in order to leave only those sparkling nuggets in

the pan (to mix a few metaphors for the fun of

it). The principle is simple:

You don't improve the reader's understanding of a person's character by
showing more than one dumb picture of that person. If, however, you have

several views that can

add another dimension

person, then the situation

is

one picture embodies those

to our understanding of that

changed. Then you have to ask yourself: Which

characteristics that

need

to

be brought out, or

are they

the

all

we hone it down a bit by showing only three

two extremes and one neutral one in the middle? Such

Important, or do

six available,

analytical thinking applies to

of

any group of pictures you may have, obviously

not only to people pictures.

How to expose the sense of the story

It Is

pictures

in

often possible to turn an uninspired or uninspiring picture into a sharp

communication

tool for

what

is

it

stand

in

if

you are trying

way

the

you have two prerequisites: clear understanding of

coupled with the courage to allow nothing to

to say,

of your saying

it.

As mentioned on page 93, and strongly

when one has good

when one is faced
with the difficulty of illustrating or expressing a message that demands visual
aid, yet the raw material available cannot stand on its own because of lack of
repeated here: This

not the treatment of choice

is

photos to work with.

It

is

the treatment of desperation,

excellence. In other words,

predicament. This

observed over years

in a

publication

editorial gold,

forcefully,
(to

in

the business. Only

you've been

if

follows that to

It

85%

represents

potentially "exciting."

is

uninspiring, and,

depressing.

it

not to sound cynical.

is

you have

at

it

for

of the typical editor's

It is

some 15%

The

normal

simple statement of fact

rest

of the material included

pedestrian, workaday, and

is

any length of time,

do some alchemy and

tends to be

it

turn your lead into

to use a lot of imagination, see clearly, decide

and carry through deliberately. What follows

use a pejorative term) that are not gimmicks

is

when used

list

palatable term. Let us think of

them

of

gimmicks

correctly

the end justifies the means. There, they turn into techniques

where

much more

that way.

Clearly, the editorial interpretations of

any of them depends on the

which

specifics of the situation, the particular subject matter, the context in

it

be seen, and so

will

forth.

So use these techniques with care and

circumspection, and don't use them too

when

much

or too often;

do use them

the idea or the product would be poorer without them.

Publish pictures of pictures

Normally, the image

What

is

and of

forgotten

itself:

and mutilate.

is

in

the photograph

is

what gets reproduced on the page.

the simple fact that the original photo was an object

a piece of paper, a thing to hold in the

Why

not reproduce

it

hand and

the price of one: You reproduce the image (the picture)

special flavor of being seen as

something more than

By one or more of the following

at

it

the

column

pattern.

You

and you

just that

give

image.

it

How?

tricks.

an angle on the page. That way

Tilt

in

tear, spindle,

as that object? That way, you get two for

it

immediately ceases to belong to

indicate this to the printer by drawing a rectangle

on the page where the picture

is

intended to go.

105

Emphasize nonbelongingness by making

appear to "float" above the

it

surface of the paper by casting a shadow. There are several

accomplish

this.

The

easiest

is

make an

to

paper and draw the shadow

line in black ink. For

make

If

overlays, see

page 84.

you

prefer,

ways to

overlay: Take a piece of tracing

more

on how

details

you can manufacture those

to
lines

many rub-off or stick-on tapelike products available at any

come in a variety of widths, and all you do is chop off
a piece and make it adhere to the overlay paper. A little trickier, although
much more interesting to look at, is to make the shadow a bit fuzzy and
transparent
not pitch black. That is much more realistic. You accomplish
out of any of the
art

supply shop. They

this

with a soft pencil on an overlay. The technique takes practice, and

the end product also has to be reproduced as a halftone and stripped to

the picture

itself.

Frame the image. Most pictures have

actual image.

It is

would notice

it

a sliver of white

hard to reproduce that

sliver of

printed on white paper. Instead,

that sliver by printing a thin line or rule

edge framing the

whiteness, for

one creates the

do

it

illusion of

around what would be that frame,

and the reader perceives our intentions. The printer can scribe
the negative for you, or you can

nobody

this line

on

on the mechanical, or on

for yourself

an overlay on that mechanical.

Mutilate the paper of which the photo

some way,

tear off an edge.

hand-drawn
perhaps

art that

in this

If

you have

is

it

illusion

made. Turn

a corner over, curl

it

in

Again, by combining the photo with

describes your idea.

kind of venture

pen pusher, because the

first

How?

is

It is

best

drawn

in

black ink

and

wiser to get the help of a professional

is

dependent on good draftsmanship. But

to explain the idea of

what you want done to your draftsperson.

these diagrams are not detailed enough, see Graphic Idea Notebook, also

by

this author.

Combine

several pictures by an informal arrangement of overlaps to

them appear

as

though they had

fallen

make

onto the page. This obviously

requires a carefully crafted mechanical that both instructs the printer as to

which picture goes where and to what

art (outline of

size,

and also gives the requisite

the "frames" and "shadows") that

is

line

an essential ingredient

of the illusion.

Add

naturalistic

symbols

desired illusion to

to the pictures that

work more

might help

in

getting your

colorfully or strikingly. Paper clips,

photo

corners, a piece of an envelope out of which the pictures have fallen, the

stub of a pencil

you name

it.

They can

all

be incorporated into the setup,

either as individual elements to be stripped in or as integral elements of the

overlays.

Get the

printer's advice

on technique, but don't allow yourself to

be discouraged or talked out of the

conservative. Sad experience has

idea. (By

made them

and

large, printers

that way.)

tend to be


Run the

pictures with the photographic paraphernalia surrounding

them

35mm slide sleeves, and so

you manufacture that? There are so many variables that

film sprocket holes, sheet film frames, notches,

forth.

How do

professional advice should be sought here.

Bring attention to the important part of the image

This goes

beyond merely cropping

the edges). Here

wanted
you

going

we

(that's like losing

excess weight around

are talking of major surgery: carving

one can

as far as

in fact,

isn't

means
and do not show the

photo you deem useful

print only that part of the

away what

silhouetting. That simply

How? There

rest.

In

the

are two basic methods, neither of which is difficult.

method you instruct the printer as to what you want done

first

by drawing

a keyline or outline

on an overlay over the photo.

the halftone

All

dots on the inside of the line are to print. All those on the outside of the line

How

are to be removed.

the printer accomplishes this

your

line,

which must be drawn

in

something you need

is

not concern yourself with. All you need to worry about

is

the accuracy of

a clean, thin, ink line and must be

accurately keyed to the photo. Furthermore, you must also worry about not

marring the surface of the original photograph with

The emulsion

tracing over the surface.

and marks

easily,

ruts left

photograph

of a

and any such marks can appear

in

is

by pencils

very soft material

the reproduction as

highlights or shadows.

The second method

the printer.

you want

You have

to print

to

is

make

a mask. This

does part of the work for

to use a piece of material that will protect the area

and allow the unprotected area to be burned away

(overexposed) by the printer's halftone-making camera. The material

regularly available

in

sheets or

rolls

yes,

it

is

expensive

at art

is

supply

amber or red cut-and-peel film. (The amber color is easier

You place it over the original and carefully draw the outline
of your desired image with a cutting blade. You then peel away the amber
film from the area you do not want, and that's all there is to it. As always,
shops. You ask for
to see through.)

key the overlay to the original with targets or X-marks.

What

Anything that
right

silo or
is known as a silhouette halftone
more expensive than the plain halftone.
used
halftone is inevitably more expensive. But

has just been described

silho for short. Obviously,

isn't

the

effect

There

is

is

a plain

cheap

a third

it is

at

the price.

method you should never

original picture with a pair of scissors.

when you

are

combining

use.

You never

cut out the

The only time you ever do

pictures, such as a

group of

mug

shots

you overlap shoulders. But even then you would get duplicate
that,

and

if

let

you are

at all

that

in

is

which

prints to

do

circumspect! For normal silhouettes, work on overlays

the printer accomplish your results for you.

Another technique

for

drawing attention

to a specific feature in an

make the important area appear crisper, lighter, darker, or

somehow more clearly defined than its surroundings. If you are describing a
cog in a machine, you have to show both the cog (which is what the story is
image

is

to

about) and the machine (which

is

the context of the cog). But

it is

hard to

find a
in

cog

in a

maciiine. Therefore, you have to create

some

sort of contrast

order to draw attention to your important cog.

Make

the surroundings paler or darker. This can be achieved

in

several ways,

the easiest of which are:

To give the

photo retoucher

original to a

who

with lighter or darker paint, leaving the cog as

expensive proposition, but essential

the background

is

if

that

is.

cog

is

sprays the background

This
a

is

obviously a

fairly

complicated object or

if

tricky to handle.

To make an outline or

for silhouetting. Then,

you

mask on an

overlay, just as in the preparation

instruct the printer to ghost or lighten

up by

overexposing, or conversely, darken the area you want to disappear a

bit.

You can control the degree of ghosting or darkening by expressing it in

percentages. One hundred percent is deemed to be "as is" in the original.
Ninety percent of original

10%, and so

is

10%

Use different kinds of screens

The

ghosted, or

made

paler by a factor of

on.

for the

cog and the surrounding machinery.

finer the halftone screen, the better the detail.

On

very good paper you

can print comfortably using a 150-line screen (that means there are 150 dots
to every inch in both directions).

On

newsprint stock, you usually use a

much

coarser screen: 65 lines per inch, or even 55. By using the 150-line screen for
the cog and the 55-line screen for the machine, you can contrast textures.

Use

color.

Run one

of the

elements

and white. Or add an overprinting

in color,

tint

the other

in

contrasting black

over the surroundings and

let

the cog

appear crisp black and white, or any number of other such combinations.
Clearly, this

is

more complicated

to accomplish technically than

to think through, but

any of the others.

All

it is

no more

you need

is

difficult

that simple

guideline to instruct the printer's platemaker as to which part of the picture

is

to

be treated which way.

Add

line art to the picture that

pointing to
it,

and so

it,

circles encircling

forth. All of these

emphasizes the cog

art that

keyed to the original photo. The

if

or stripped

question

if

arrows ^^-^^

fists [[t2fp

highlighting

in a store,

be

has to be glued on an overlay and

then dropped out from the

lines are

you want them to appear white against the

in

it,

can be done as drawings or bought

they rub-off, stick-on, or clip

halftone,

in

asterisks referring to

it,

you want them to appear

in

picture, or surprinted

black against the picture.

You

must determine which you prefer by studying the darkness of the picture
area

in

which the

work

line

obviously dropping out

you must surprint

line

work

the best.
line

in

In

it.

white.

If

If

in

be seen.

will

white

the area

will

is

the backdrop

any case, whenever

it

If

make

the background
the line

work

is

very pale,

invisible; therefore,

very dark, obviously you must drop out the

is

is

medium, you

medium

gray,

flip a
it

is

coin and

hope

for

wise to make your

work bolder, using thicker lines or larger symbols, so that whatever you
will be more likely to be seen against that neutral background.

do use

o
Do things with

the edges of the pictures

Fuzz them out so that they are vignetted

all.

so there are no

Fade the picture away into the white paper as though

into a fog. This has to

be done by

a retoucher using

it

definite

edges

at

were disappearing

sprayed-on paint.

Make rounded
for

you

if

do

or other unusually shaped corners. The printer can

you specify the

radius. (A quarter-inch

smaller tends to be insignificant, and going

about

is

much

right.

this

Anything

bigger tends to

make

it

look horsey.)

Surround the picture with

a ruled line. This

magazines to make them look

different.

a favorite

is

It is,

mannerism

of

some

however, particularly useful

publications printed on newsprint stock where the edges of photographs

tend to disappear, especially

when

they

show

light areas

Defining the edge with a line makes the product appear

such as the sky.

much

crisper.

in

Frame the picture with an outline of the object through which the view
seen, such as a keyhole, porthole,

window,

surrounding symbolism of the shape

as line

art.

The shape

Shape the picture

itself

will

mirror, or the like.

probably have to be stripped

must, of course, be indicated on an overlay.

into geometric shapes, such as circles, triangles,

rhomboids, trapezoids, or anything

else. Indicate

it

is

The

on an overlay.

in

Manipulate the image

for

symbolic purposes

Analyze what the thrust of the story

more

illustration into

Show

vibration or

literal

about

it.

and how you can turn the ordinary

is

of an expression of concept. For instance:

up-and-down motion,

picture of a pothole

a road with a tiny invisible spot

what the potholes do

on

it

to the driver:

is

as in this

example. Don't

not very inspiring, nor

bumps

and cut
that

it

you

Show danger,

up

in slivers,

try to

be

a picture of

(labeled "pothole"). Instead, illustrate

Bump-a-da-bump! Take

the photo (never destroy the original, you'll be sure to need

time!)

is

a duplicate of
it

some other

then repaste them out of alignment. Result

feel in the pit of

your stomach.

shattering explosion, as here. See the standard skyline picture

as a fragile object

made

of glass,

and then appear

simplest possible ruse: Paint the outline of shards

then reverse them or drop them out

in

to shatter
in

ink

it.

How? The

on an overlay and

white from the background picture.

'y^^i
Show

threat, fear, or

menace by running the photo

the light and the dark throws our perception out of

upsetting, and startling,

and

it

as a negative. Reversing
kilter.

It is

spooky,

can be a very strong statement. Just inform

the printer that you want this image run as a negative and that, yes, you

know what vou

are doing.

To show the What

What, add

line

as well as the

How when

all

you have

is

a picture of the

drawings growing out of the image. Such extension drawings

can expand the original image into a broader understanding of the context
of the picture.

The photo

is

the focal point of a larger image encompassing

the entire subject matter. The drawing

as the

is

done on an overlay the same

size

photograph, and the two are keyed to each other so that the two

separate pieces of film (halftone and

accurately without a gap between

line) are

them

then stripped together

to spoil the illusion.

To show the makeup of

parts

complex

and describe each of those

object, split the

more complex cropping and

represents a

image

into

component

its

parts in a separate caption. This merely

sizing

problem and

calls for

accurate instructions to the printer.

To create an

movement
is

illusion of

in

motion,

the picture at

all,

tilt

or

the horizon, even

when you need

to

when

there

isn't

the sort of situation where a photocopy sized to the printed size

essential:

halftone.

You can

actually

chop

it

up the way you want to see the

dry run for such trickery

is

usually a

good

any

emphasize speed. This

is

final

safety measure.

Use

partial silhouetting to

When

emphasize action

you look outside your window, you

the wall that

is

Now
it

is

But

us

As

in

imagine that you are looking out

when

that

and

it

it is

so far

from the view by

may be storming out

at a horrid

away

that

seven-headed hydra waddles

It is

It

there,

here.

not terrifying, because

unpleasant:

feel protected

between you and the outside.

but you are comfycozy

getting bigger. Yet

we

it

seven-headed dragon,
appears

closer,

it is

tiny.

little

more

have that protective wall between

it.

comes

closer, the flimsiness of

factor in our feeling of safety

our protecting wall becomes a major

and involvement. Will

Will the dragon break the glass and shove

bite us?

one

of

its

it

hold?

slobbering heads

in to

The

wall

illusions of

is

outline, the

in walls,

we

window is the photo. Photos are

window has a rectangular

but so long as that

we

view appears "out there" and

"in here" (and

distinction

the publication's page; the

windows

are uninvolved spectators

can take the dragon or leave

between "out there" and

that rectangular outline

"in here"

it,

is

as

we

wish). But

we

are

that

by the insertion of an element the object "out

we are immediately forced pay
of

there" into the inner space "in here"

attention;

when

blurred by the breaking of

no longer

in

to

control, the

dragon

is.

Partially silhouetting a

"M
picture, having an active

the reader's attention.

element poke out

How do

prepare a complete silhouette:

of the picture that

you want

to

it

it?

In

it,

beyond

compelling

that rectangle.

out of the masking overlay material.

It

the original photo, and the printer then reduces

for printing.

is

trick to gain

precisely the

appear as the rectangular halftone and

includes the parts that poke out

also cut

of

same way you

by drawing an overlay that shows the edges

you do

Of course, you can

must be done the

it

size of

to the required size

Combine words

with pictures so
Place the

name

1+1=3

of various elements

needing identification around the

outside of the picture, instead of putting them

wants to read and that

is

in a

long caption that nobody

invariably hard to decipher.

the words to the actual element

in

Then lead arrows from

the picture. This turns a photo of a

probably uninteresting object into a visual diagram

in itself

much more

fascinating to study.

As

far as

those words themselves are concerned, they must be physically

attached to an overlay on the original so that you can coordinate them with
the arrows. That requires you to attach the original photograph to a piece of
illustration

board large enough to accommodate the space that

for the words.

likely to

be a monster. (But don't worry, you can buy

If

the original

standard size, and 30" x 40"

excessive.)

is

is

will

be

an 8" x 10" print, then that board

needed

it

also available, although that

The words themselves can be

is

20" x 30" as a

typeset, cut out

is

perhaps a

little

and glued on,

or handwritten.

Whichever you choose, remember

will

have to be taken into account. So

if

that the reduction

from the original

your original comes

down

to half

the original size (focus 50.0), your lettering will need to be twice the size of

what you want

it

to be.

for legibility. That then

Most

likely,

you

will

want

a type size of

about 9 point

means you must have your words set at 18 point

in the final version. The equivalent

so that they will reduce to 9 point

proportions must be used for handwriting.

117

As

far as the

arrow

lines are

concerned, those are drawn or attached to

the overlay also. They should not be too thin, or they will disappear
halftone

which defeats the purpose

of the exercise.

If

on white paper surrounding the halftone, obviously they

black. But

if

the arrows appear on the picture

you

itself,

will

not be white while others are black.

start

communicates

clearly.

having more fun

If

no reason

is

money

It is

in

that

well spent

you have another color

but remember

dropped out from the black

in

white or

depends on the darkness of the areas

picture through which the lines pass. There

that

need to be

have to instruct

will

the platemaker as to whether you want the lines to drop out

surprint in black. That decision

if

make

the

in

some should
you get a

available, then

to specify that the rules

order to

must

result

you can
be

all

white background for

a clean

the color to print on. Otherwise your precious color

the

in

they appear printed

may

not be visible over

the black ink of the picture.

Should the arrows have arrowheads or dots

be plain

lines?

Your personal aesthetics and

here. Dots look technical.

lines are
It is

the end, or should they

active,

sense

come

into play

dynamic atmosphere.

Plain

simple and elegant.

perfectly possible to

inserted by stripping

descriptive

in

all

make up

the photo with just the arrow lines

from an overlay on the

words appear

having to get
easier to

Arrows add an

at

common

in

type on the page

that outside typesetting

make on

a small scale.

and

However,

if

original,

itself.

accommodated, perhaps this is the wisest

Another technique is to place the words

and to have the

way you avoid

huge overlay. But

there

way

That

is

lots of

errors are

wording

to

be

to handle the problem.

in relation

to the object inside

^^

BYJOVE!
Howdiditgethere?

the picture, rather than

The geometry

of the

in

page

relation to the outside rectangle of the picture.

is

usually

made up

of rectangular elements

working with each other by alignment, stacking, centering, and so on. To get
extra mileage from pictures
this

norm and

knit the

where

it

makes sense, why not break away from

words with the picture more intimately? Drop them

out of the picture, surprint them, lead

the surrounding spaces. Anything

and meaning of the photo and the

handled so that

all

an overlay
stripping

if It

editorial idea,

into

grows out of the sense

and

is

workable,

it is

if it is

graphically

advisable to obtain a photocopy of

the intended size, have the words set

in

in

them from the pictured object out

acceptable

the words are truly legible.

To be sure the idea

the picture

is

in

type, adhere

them

to

the desired position, and give instructions to the printer as to

in in

black or dropping out

You need just a modicum ofo \ff^^

white.

in

^ to make cliches sparkle

n'estcepas?

Inescapable
technicalities

about
pictures

Must

all

originals be black-and-white prints?

Can you use color

Or 35mm transparencies ? Or
What about Polaroid''"'*^ shots?

prints?

(color transparencies)?

bigger chromes

perfectly possible to reproduce any of these in black

It is

may

although quality and cost

affect

and white,

your decision. The best results and the

cheapest processing, however, are to be expected from plain black-and-white

prints (normally 8" x 10" or 5" x 7").

The glossy

finish of the

emulsion allows

reproduction of the subject matter with the greatest precision and crispness.

Other

finishes,

such as matte,

you may be forced

to use

studio portraits to use as

silk,

sepia tone, and the like are available, and

them when Important Personages supply you with

mug shots. They are less likely to give you as good

a result as the plain old black-and-white glossy.

Contact sheets
The

roll

of

35mm

black-and-white film

is

developed and then usually cut

and assembled for printing same size

onto an 8" x 10" sheet of paper. This gives the photographer and editor the
into strips of six or seven exposures

entire "shoot," allowing

them

to

choose which shots should be blown up

possible use. Enlargements are usually

contact sheet

is

on the negative

made

an extra cost, of course, but

for future use.

It is

also

to 8" x 10" or 5" x 7".

it is

useful as a catalog of

much cheaper

for

The
what

is

than enlarging the

entire batch.

To discern

details in such tiny images,

it

is

necessary to study the

pictures through a magnifying glass or loupe, available in various degrees of

quality at

camera or

Mark the

pictures

art

supply stores. 8X magnification

you want with

contact sheet, and send

it

is

a grease pencil or felt-tip

most common.
marker on the

together with the negatives back to the lab for

You can indicate cropping by outlining the area of each picture

you want enlarged and printed. In your instructions to the photo lab,

processing.
that

refer to each picture by number, for example, "Contact Sheet No.

Frame Y," since each contact sheet and picture is numbered.

X,

Prints in color

They are

good

as

to reproduce

they have a smooth, glossy

from as black-and-white

finish.

prints, as

The cameraman shooting them

long as
for

may opt

to use filters, and the new platemaking machines are also

equipped with processing variations that accept color originals. But if those

halftones

originals are printed

on textured paper, fuzziness

in

the reproduction

is

practically unavoidable.
It is

possible to print black-and-white prints from color negatives

correct paper

work with

is

used.

Check with your photo

a professional

lab. Incidentally,

it is

if

the

wiser to

photo lab than the cheaper mass-production or

drugstore-type photo services. The labs give individual attention, can

improve the quality of the

will

prints

by handwork, and

most importantly

help you with practical advice.

When

reproduced, instant photos

results, unless the originals

in

color

have been very

seem

to lead to

mushy

skillfully shot.

Transparencies
Transparencies of whatever size must
prints; the prints
faithful

then

become

first

be converted to black-and-white

the "art" that

is

reproduced. The most

reproduction of color to black and white requires making an

internegative from which the black-and-white print

internegs cost money, and

final

is

then taken. Naturally,

however well they may be made, they remove the

product a step further away from the original; quality, crispness, and

detail

cannot help but

suffer.

Such second-step black-and-white prints

are,

however, better to reproduce from than color prints made from color
transparencies (unless you pay for custom printing, which

horrendously

is

expensive).
All

the above applies only to reproducing photos

in

black and white.

For full-color ("process color") or two-color ("matched color")

reproduction, you need good, crisp transparencies of whatever size, or

you can use reflection copy (such

as a painting) as originals.

Pictures already printed elsewhere

Often you may only have an existing halftone as original copy. The safest way
unless you
to handle this is to reuse it at exactly the same focus (same size

choose to chop

off

an edge here or there, of course). That

way you

are

It is bound to
it were
get a bit cruder, but that will seldom be noticeable; the dark areas will
probably turn muddy and highlights become less sparkling, but you can live

line art, dot for dot.

reproducing the original as though

with that.

If

you

find that

it

is

unavoidable to reduce the original,

ask the printer or platemaker whether

rescreened

it

is

wise to

possible to have the item

some magic with angled screens and what-not that you

know the technicalities of). It ought to give surprisingly good

(that's

don't need to
results.

it is

disaster

is

liable to

happen only

if

you have

to enlarge the original,

because when you do that the dots grow, and the results look as coarse as
newspaper photos. This may well be an interesting trick when you are
looking for trickery, but as a good reproduction of a photo
to

be desired.

it

leaves

much

How can you tell

that the picture

the right

is

way

Transparencies can easily be printed flopped

Furthermore,

when you have

which

is

and which

100%

infallible!

By

common

Does
If

front

lettering

to right by mistake.

left

the transparency

itself,

Check the

in

Buttons help:

part their hair

women do
in

tell

book spines read backward in the picture?

signs happen to be in Arabic.
pocket on his right? Then it's wrong. If he's

Most men

put yourself

often hard to

which are not

unless the

the man's jacket breast

right;

is

street signs or

only wearing a T-shirt, then you are

over

it

back. Here are a few pointers

is

sense
on

so, flop left to right

Is

'round?

it

on the

left.

over

right

trouble.

left,

for

some

Men

part in his hair.

button clothes

peculiar reason.

left

You have

to

the subject's place to figure that one out.

Steering wheels on cars are on the

are mostly driven

left

(except

in

Great

Britain),

on the right-hand side of the road (except

in

and they

scenes

of accidents).

There must be other obvious

signs, but let's get technical.

By emulsion
The negative gives you two

clues. First, the shiny side should

the dull, emulsion side should be toward the paper,

if

you are seeing the

and the numbers

in

way, you'll be able to read the trademark

film the right

the margins of the film material

show these markings

will also

legibly,

available to check your prints against.

you can

if

for color

first
If

in

away from you. Dullness

at a slight

is

angle to the

on the edges of the color

different combinations of layers of emulsion.

side with the contours should face

By notches

it

you turn the transparency

clearly see contourlike ridges

They are caused by the

edge.

The same principle applies

emulsion on

dull side with the

often hard to identify, but

The

Your contact sheet

you're working with color slides, the shiny side of the slide should be

toward you, the

light,

itself.

assuming you have a contact sheet

and white.

prints as for black

If

be toward you,

away from you. Second,

areas.

The

away from you.

sheet film

thing to check for

you can read

The second thing

to

it,

is

whether there

is

then you are looking

check

any kind of wording on the

at

the right

it

way around.

for are the notches. Sheet film (anything 4" x 5"

and up) has actual notches cut from the top left-hand corner. They are there
for practical reasons: to help the

camera

photographer

insert the film into the

correctly, to help the lab technician print

it

correctly in the dark,

and

to distinguish

one type

themselves.

doesn't matter whether the piece of film has been used as a

It

vertical or a horizontal.

of film from another by the patterning of the notches

You must

the top on the left-hand side.

picture,

and

it

will

If

turn

it

around

until

the notches appear at

you cannot achieve that

work. Alas, you cannot depend on

duplicate transparencies are often

made emulsion

goal, flop the

this

100%, because

side to emulsion side to

achieve optimal quality

dupe.

How

can you

chance of being

vital

hell

with

it").

remember about flopped

point to

of production

You can only guess and hope. You have a 50/50

is pretty good odds, especially if you say the

which

right,

magic words ("To

and so the notches end up on the wrong side of the

tell?

when

are printed

painter

in

pictures

comes

at

the stage

the printer submits proofs of the pages prior to printing.

These are called blues when they are printed

brown

(there

is

a color called

in

blue or Vandykes

vandyke brown

Van Dyck) or brownlines, or by various other

when

after the

they

Dutch

used names.

locally

It is

very easy for the page assembler (the stripper or compositor) to flop the
negative by accident and strip

it

in

flopped

left

pocket turns out to be on the right side, which

to right. Then,
is

"Flop

Why and how do you

(It

left

also

to

crop pictures?

Cropping means working out how

original so that

it

will

fit

to alter the existing proportions of an

into a space of a different proportion

page, probably smaller than the original.

question of "scaling," which

original

is

we

will

(How

to get

it

cover shortly.) So, for instance,

rectangular and you have a square hole to

order to produce the requisite square shape.

In practice,

the original

however,
ever.

on the printed

to the right size

fill,

you

determine which part or parts of the original rectangle you

it.

a man's

which means Wop left

means turn upside down, but never mind, you will also write
right" in words alongside, and it will be understood.)

(old-fashioned term for "picture") with this sign /q)

to right.

if

wrong, mark the cut

how do you do

it?

Well, you

if

is

your

have to

will sacrifice in

In principle, that's all

do not

You mark on the edges where you wish

4/i"

will

there

is

physically cut

it

to

up

to be cropped.

using a blue grease pencil (made of wax, but everybody calls

pencil).

rubs off easily by wiping with a tissue dipped

It

thinner.

If

the picture
If it is

red,

hunk

it

of the grease pencil falls off

probably not show

will

it

will certainly

be

in

a grease

and gets stuck to the face of

the reproduction

in

it

rubber-cement
the pencil

if

because red, under the kind of

visible,

blue.

is

light

used for making halftone reproductions, turns black. Ordinary pencil

doesn't write on the shiny emulsion of the print.

pen makes

ball-point

indentations, and the ink cannot be removed. Other inks tend to

permanently,

in

photographs.

If

wrong

the

places.

smudge

Avoid writing on the back of the

you do, you run the danger of embossing the writing

into

the emulsion from behind.

If

the photo has no white border on which to

make

the marks, glue

it

paper with double-faced sticky tape and make the marks

to a piece of blank

on the paper. A few more

on

technicalities

this

minor aspect of how to

inform the platemaker are discussed on page 127.

To help you determine how and where

is

very impressive looking.

on which they
pictures

all

to the

is

you can buy

to crop,

a device that

has two L-shaped templates attached to a bar

slide so that they

The device

correct.

It

can be fastened

in

the position you find

particularly useful for reproportioning a

same shape. You can

also

group of

make your own device by

cutting

the two templates out of illustration board. By placing these Ls on top of

move them

each other, you can

in

any direction and to any

size, as far as

the

Then you can determine which part of the

photograph you wish to have reproduced and make your marks only in the
margin of the photograph according to where the L has been placed.
length of the arms will allow.

How do you

you want them

scale pictures to the size

Scaling

is

sometimes

to be?

sizing for obvious reasons.

also called

figuring out the dimensions of an original print to

make

it fit

It is

simply

into a usually

smaller space on the page. Normally, only one dimension of that space

known

(the width,

because

columns). So the question

how

high will

it

cropping any of

be,
it?

we

is:

If

you know that

a picture

needs to be 3" wide,

assuming you use the original the way

There are

is

tend to conform pictures to the width of type

six

it is

without

techniques that can be used.

By arithmetic
Let's

assume you have an 8"

How do

you

find the height?

x 10" print that

The formula

original width

desired width

3" x 10"

30"

=
is

slow,

into an area 3" wide.

desired height

X,

This

fit

simple:

3"

10"
cross multiply: 8" x X

you must

original height

8"

is

cumbersome, and daunting

3.75"
to the nonmathematically inclined.

Yes, the

same thing can be done on

a calculator, but the necessity to turn

fractions of inches into decimals for the calculation

makes

fractions again

it

even more

measuring metrically, the struggle

another way out:
as typography

is

those anomalies

We can

do

all

difficult. In

will

be

less difficult.

units of

page assemblers

measurement together,

coordinate with picas very cleanly.

everything

when

all

is

done on the computerized

our old-fashioned

against one of
work with picas,

in

inches and

of the fact that inches

No doubt

this will

grids

is

in picas,

have to marry the

(the film strippers)

in spite

our

we come up

the publishing business: The typesetters

dislike picas. Yet the

all

But for now, there

whereas the photo people (processors, platemakers) work

two

into

when we do

our measurements and calculations

measured. Unfortunately, here

in

and then back

the future,

all

on cathode

picas, points, inches,

do not

be resolved when
ray tubes,

and

and even centimeters

will

be turned into units or bytes or what-not. Although these systems are being
introduced
to our

in

large operations,

humble

level of

it

will

be some time before they

trickle

down

endeavor.

By geometry
If

you take your

original

and trace

you can then work out how

process of draftsmanship.

it

First,

of the rectangle to the other,

You then have

like this:

Z.^^

OV|CT.lA.<i-l

to

will

its

rectangular shape on a sheet of paper,

enlarge or diminish by a very simple

you need

and extend

to
it

draw

a diagonal

from one corner

out into the space beyond.

extend one of the width

lines of the original

diagram,

^^

1^

Si

You then measure the desired dimension that you know (probably one that
corresponds to your column width). Once you have defined that point, you
can draw a line at right angles from it, to meet the diagonal. That will give
you the vertical dimension of your new rectangle.

This

and
It is

it

is

fairly

time consuming; you have to be an accurate draftsperson,

when you have a great many pictures to handle.

remember, however, when you have to manipulate an

isn't really useful

a useful trick to

image or two

in

some way.

By a proportioning grid
This

is

a useful tool purchasable at art supply dealers.

You

position the

corner of the photograph under the riveted corner of the machine; rotate
the movable arm to the corner diagonally opposite

enlargement of that proportion can be read

and the reduction or

anywhere the diagonal arm

and horizontal. These instructions sound dauntingly

intersects the vertical

complicated, but are

off

in fact child's play.

By a proportioning device
This

is

also an instrument available at art supply shops.

L-shaped transparent

plastic angles attached to

diagonal rod; one end

fastening gimmick.

is

The purpose of

well as scaling simultaneously.

accompany the machine. The

that

it is

to use,

It

consists of

It

is

this

device

easy,

is

and

to determine cropping as

once you read the instructions

great advantage of

a very impressive object lying

two

each other by a free-floating

a pivoting device, the other has a sliding

its

on the desk.

complicated looks
It is

also fast

that
is

and easy

however.

By a proportioning wheel
Often called an engraver's

scale,

it

comes

in

two shapes: the

straight version,

reminiscent of an engineer's slide rule, or the same thing bent around into a
circle.

The slide-rule-shaped gadgets are somewhat

are the cheapest as well as the

because they are

flat, light,

diameter, the easier

it

is

archaic.

most widely used and most

compact, cheap, and

efficient.

to read off the various scales,

The

circular

ones

easily obtainable,

The

larger the

and the more accurate

the result will be.

The two

circles are

marked

off in inches.

The inner one represents the

original sizes; the outer one, the desired future sizes.

You

turn the inner circle

around

until

the original dimension aligns with the desired dimension. Then

shown in proportion so that you can read off

words it sounds complicated; in reality, given
three minutes of practice, it is easy. The great advantage of the circular
proportional scale is that it also has a window cut into it where you can read
all

other dimensions will be

whatever you need. Again,

in

the enlargement or reduction percentage. So

"focus" with no extra action. Example:

opposite the

circle

100. But

if

"

it

it automatically gives you the

you place the 1" mark on the inner

mark on the outer wheel, the percentage will show

1" mark on the inner scale against the 2" mark on the

you put the

outer scale, the percentage

blowing

If

up

show 200 (which

will

to twice the original size). That's

is

all

correct

there

to

is

after

you are

all

it.

By using a calculator
If

you can follow formulas with trigonometric functions and press magic

buttons, you can

somehow succeed

know how

that,

to

do

helping to balance the budget, or

comet

How do you

the very least forecasting

at

on the upcoming page, but

instruct the

cameraman who

instructions

had better be

and time
in

If

you

when

the next

Earth.

you to know the shape,

interesting for

picture

or

the needed answers.

cameraman about what you want?

inform the
It is

going to collide with

is

in eliciting

however, you are a National Asset and ought to be

for remakes.

some

it

size,

and configuration of the

does you no good unless you can

be making the halftone

clear, concise,

and

legible, or

film.

it

And those
money

will cost

The cameraman or platemaker (working

at

one

of three different methods.

By attaching a tag to the picture giving a focus value. These focuses

are expressed as a percentage that the

machine

that exposes the film.

cameraman

transfers

onto the

Those percentages correspond

to the percent

enlargement or reduction of the original that you desire: 100%

"SS" on the original;

size, labeled as

200%

the printer

cases as subcontractor to the printer) expects you to give those

instructions in
1

will

50%

twice the size of the original or "twice up";

is

Correct: three-quarters of the original.

talk "focus."

If

no cropping

is

to

If

is

the

same

equals half the size of the original;

75%

is

what?

you want to appear knowledgeable,

be done,

all

the

cameraman needs

is

the

desired focus and your result will be shrunk or swollen to the right

percentage. But

where
2.

to

do

if

you want

to crop, then

you have

to

show

the

cameraman

so.

By marking the required dimensions on the margins of the photo

using blue grease pencil. (For

more on

this,

see page 124.)

One

further

caveat should be added to what you find there. Never draw instructions on
overlays over the photo using pencil or ball-point pen. The emulsion will be

furrowed by such hard instruments, and the ridges

will

show up

in

the

reproduction as thin shadow lines or highlights.

3.

By giving the cameraman a photocopy of the original made to the

desired size and cropped to the desired shape. Such images are then


duplicated

by the platemaker. This

in film

because

ideal

it is

it

What will

when

the picture look like

It

is

is

cameraman

sure that the

it

is

disappear and

will

hold

Look

at

become

illegible

some
when it

through a reducing

it

experience, whether the image

is

made

smaller, or

own. There are several methods of finding

its

method, but

works

it

in a

follow instructions.

will

reduced?

hard to know, without having had

will

the most expensive method, but

enables you to work out the result you want precisely.

And you can be reasonably

glass. This

is

whether

it

out.

obviously not a very accurate

rough kind of way, and a reducing glass costs

about what a good magnifying glass does.

Project

in a projector.

it

variety of

machines are

available,

design and capacities that affect the size of original

art a

all

of varying

machine's

copyboard can accommodate and the degree or reduction or enlargement

possible on it. Of course, if you would use such a projector only seldom, the
investment

Have

lucy (as

in a

made on

a reduction

originals

down

it

is

generally called)

may

Many machines can reduce

98%, 74%, and 65% on some

a photocopier.

to a set of standard focuses:

machines; 95%, 75%, 62%, 50%, and

45% on

you imagine the

final

ought

good reproductions

a photostatic

come

New

what

of your pictures, so details

may be

lost

exercise.

copy made. Photostat

is

the

name

process using inexpensive materials, and the result

stats,

pretty close to

to look like. Naturally, electrostatic copiers don't

which defeats the purpose of the

Have

You can combine

others.

focuses, ordering a reduction of a reduction, and

give you very

not be amortized.

is

for a negative/positive

called a "stat" for short.

materials and processes have been invented that are slowly replacing

but the

name

lingers on.

Depending on the kind

of paper used, the

photostat can be shot as a halftone or as a continuous tone, to your desired

size.

You then crop

it

according to your wishes.

according to the paper size used)

One

shot (usually priced

you back several

will set

dollars;

if

you

have several originals that can be shot to the same focus, gang them up
to

fit

in

one

problem:

If

larger shot. That

some

way you

get

originals are very dark

more

for

your money. The only

and others are very

pale, the

operator won't be able to adjust the exposure to improve on the originals

but will need to shoot at an average.

Unless you supply Veloxes (defined on page

the printer will need to
ask him to shoot

cheap

make

them ahead

a halftone

30) with the mechanicals,

of time and send you proofs (salt proofs

prints that tend to disappear in time, or

similar) for

anyway, so you could gamble and

warren

prints,

your assessment and possible remake to a different

are you'll not

need

to reorder.

which are
size.

Chances

what

is

a halftone?
A photographic

shows a gradation of tones ranging from white

print

to black

media
same way. It must be turned into a printing plate whose results appear
similar, but whose technology takes the limitations of the printing process
into account. The limitation? That you can only print straight, solid black
in a

continuous blending. This,

alas,

cannot be reproduced

in

printed

the

ink,

and any "graying down" of that ink must be achieved by trickery.

By rephotographing the original photo through a mesh or screen, the

original continuous tones of the

The dots appear

irregularity

tiny, less ink

image are broken

is

appears white

it

or

as white as the

are big, the result looks dark gray.

result
If

is,

paper

Where

you use heavy,

If

will allow.

all

there

is

to

printing technology

itself)

paper

shiny, "coated" stock, the surface

affects the choice of screen that

more widely spaced. Coated

a little bit fuzzy, so the

is

(as well as the

appropriate.

dots need to be
fibers, so

its

they are smaller the

if

dots will retain their precision. Screens are specified

coarsest, 150

is

is

hard,

is

stock resists absorption of ink into

each dot remains precise and clearly defined; even

is

the dots

it.

to print on, the surface of the

Absorbent paper makes each dot

inch: 65

Where

and nonabsorbent. The kind of paper you are using

reflective,

the dots are

the dots touch each other, the

of course, black. That's practically

you are using newsprint

absorbent.

one

Where

more paper shines through between

pale or light gray. Where there are no

transferred to the paper,

the dots, and the result appears as a

dots,

into a pattern of tiny dots.

regular pattern, but within that regularity,

in a

possible: variation in the size of the dots.

is

in

probably the finest you are

number

of lines per

likely to use.

Newspapers use about an 85-line screen. Normal magazines

usually use

120- or 133-line screens. The finer the screen, obviously, the closer to the
original the result looks.

The

printer will

tell

you which screen should be

used for your particular combination of stock, printing processes, ink type,
pressrun, and so forth.

know about

That decision

is

out of your hands, but

you ought to

it.

You should
communications

also
in

know

that the shorthand for "halftone" in

the trade

is

"HT." You can also write

it

all

as "1/2 T."

Who makes halftones?

The

printer's

cameraman

or the reproduction service

or you,

if

you are

a do-it-yourselfer.

The

printer almost always has a platemaker

plates. In offset, the actual plate that

negative. That negative of a halftone

on

is

made by

make the printing

made from a

staff to

does the printing

is

the platemaker to the size

and cropping specified by the editor or designer. That negative is then

stripped in on the page, along with negatives that have been made of type

and

all

other elements supplied by the editor on the mechanical.

Many

however, prefer making up the pages as paper paste-ups so they can

control the entire process. In such cases, what you need instead of the
negative film is a halftone positive print. Where does that print come from?

editors,

129


The

printer can

make

from the negative, or you can bypass

a contact print

the printer altogether and order a Velox from a reproduction house. Velox

the

name

of the

option, but the results are brighter

get

what you pay for.

You can also order

Velox. This, too,

is

although somewhat

must be made

flatter in

to the size

It is

PMT (photomechanical

Kodak product

is

more expensive than the next

and more contrasting. As always, you

Kodak paper used.

that

is

transfer) instead of a

and considerably cheaper,

faster

appearance. Obviously,

you require

for printing.

all

halftone prints

You can save money

by ganging up several shots and having them made into PMTs together
if

they are

all

to the

same

focus, of course,

similar in their tonal values.

exposure a

good

if

little

The operator

and

if

of the

they are more or less

PMT machine

to create darker or lighter results, but that

your ganged materia! varies

all

over the

lot,

can vary

won't do you any

because

can only be

it

shot on an average setting.

Usually, the Velox or
It

PMT

is

from the supplier uncropped.

shot to the correct focus, but you receive

In

other words, the entire original

reproduced, leaving the actual cropping up to the person

be making the paste-up. This simply means that you

who

is

is

going to

have to work

will

extremely carefully to trim the excess parts of the picture accurately, cleanly,

and

straight. For that,

you

will

need

a steel-edged ruler,

single-edged razor

blade or cutting knife, and a good set-up to mark right angles accurately.
is a hidden problem with doing it yourself: It takes time.
You can make screened prints in your own darkroom by placing the

There

halftone screen over the paper that you will be exposing.

enough of your own technique to have such

don't need generalized instructions here.

What are photomechanical

The

plain halftone reproduces the original

processes

which are usually

demand oval-shaped

used, but they

do

you are confident

circular,

dots.

photograph by turning

it

drama or

what you need.

It is

If

into an

although some quality printing

not ordained that only dots be

yield the optimal reproduction of the original, so

detail, dots are

the sake of

If

however, you certainly

variations?

array of dots,

want

a set-up,

you are willing

startling special graphic effect,

to give

then any

different screens exist that will yield spectacular results

up

if

number

Here are

you

detail for

of

few

Clearly, these will cost

more money

but

get visibility, the investment will pay off

if

in

they are used spectacularly to

enlivening the product. Whatever

you do, make the most of what you are doing by running

it

large

enough

to be discernible.

What

is

a linecut?
This

is

material that

is

black or white with no middle tones, like type or

pen-and-ink drawings, none of which require halftone screens to reproduce

them. The great advantage of

line

outline like photographs do, so

informality,

Street scene in Seville-

drawn

in

dry brush and ink technique by

Emil Weiss.

The Statue

of Liberty through nine

different screens: left to right:

horizontal line, coarse mezzotint,

steel engraving, linen, fine grai
circle
coarse grain, fine mezzotint, ci
line, steel etching.

Carl

Moreus.

Courtesy of

and

air to

the page.

it

work on the page

lets in a little

is

that

it

has no hard

contrasting openness,

what

is

a line conversion?
If

you take

as

though

that

is

said to

photograph (which has continuous tone

a
it

were

happen

line art, terrible things

darker gray than about

be 0%) congeals

50%

(black

is

in

it)

and reproduce

it

to the picture: Everything

said to

be

100% and white

into solid black. Everything that

is

is

50%

lighter than

disappears, drops out, turns white. Your details disappear. All sorts of

blotches and textures appear, and the results can be tremendously startling

and

exciting.

Clearly, there are

its
it

many

variations

on

this

technique, here described

in

most elementary process. Discuss your idea with the supplier, be

crudest,

reproduction house, photo

make your choice based on

capabilities.

lab, or printer,

a show-and-tell

and ask to see samples. Then

example of the

supplier's

Don't forget the capacity of your office copier to transform

continuous tone into unexpected

generations of copies;

in

line art, especially

other words,

you copy

if

if

you make several

copy of

copy

even

unto the fourth generation.

Normal halftone (133

What are

line screen)

line

electrostatic copier conversion

conversion

screens and shading

tints?
can be added to line

They are patterns of dots or

lines that

paper of the page, to give

the appearance of gray tinting. The degree of

darkness

is

defined

pure white. As
lines

in

in

it

percentages,

100%

halftone screens, there

art,

or the white

being solid black and

is

0%

being

the equivalent designation of

per inch, the coarser screens being suitable for reproduction on

cheaper stock. The decorative quality of the dot structure may well be
useful,

however, to embellish artwork by

tonalities, so a coarse screen

need

not be equated with a "cheap" result.

screens can be added

in

It

depends on

i^^vv

li

ii

L.bcu.

..^

two ways:

By the printer or compositor. The instructions are simple. On an overlay you

draw the outline of the shape you wish to have appear tinted, using either
black or red ink. This keyline

"not to be printed."

If

red ink will be understood by the printer as

in

you use black

clearly as "Guideline only.

Do

ink,

you had better mark the keyline

not print" or you will find your gray area

neatly outlined with a black border. In either case you

kind of screen
"Strip in

is

20%

screen, 110-line").

Many people

still

call

equivalent process used

these things Bendays after the inventor of an

in letterpress printing,

By the do-it-yourself editor or designer.

because

all

must specify what

to be stripped into the area thus outlined (for example,

now

nearly obsolescent.

Far greater latitude

sorts of screen patterns are available at art

material to be attached to artwork or a paste-up.

is

The material comes

adhesive sheet form, which needs cutting out and burnishing

artwork, or

it

comes

by rubbing with a

in

rub-off form, which

pen and

is

is

dubbed

and

art,

much

it

photograph, halftone,

to be desired, but "art"

department headings)

that repeat

it

and so on.

is

line art in

Its

merits as "art"

remains. Even logos (such as

from issue to issue or page to page are

called standing art.

*See Patricia Barnes Mintz, Dictionary of Graphic Arts Terms (Ne\
Reinhold, 1981).

the

transferred to the artwork

editorial terminology,* anything that

be

ink, technical illustrations, cartoons,

leave

in

down onto

tool.

printing, publishing,

not typographic

may

in

possible here

supply stores as

York:

Van Nostrand

ustrations

and

their

substitutes:

where to

One

of those conventional

that there

is

wisdoms

are accepted without question

tliat

thinking assumes the product will be dull and remain unread

find them,

how to
use them

is

something inherently wrong with a page of plain type. Such

if it

isn't

gussied up and broken up with pictures, headlines, interruptions of various

kinds,

and flamboyant excesses of

Well, that

necessarily so.

isn't

writing of the text.

If

the text

is

smoothly with points following

sorts.

all

depends on the subject matter and the

It

important and well expressed, flowing

in logical

sequence, then visual enrichments

are counterproductive because they call attention to themselves at the

expense of the

story.

Furthermore,

is

it

likely that

your specialized, in-house,

intimate-circulation publication has an audience to

whom

the subject matter

doesn't need to be sold with exaggerated effects. They already care and

need

to

know; they are already

interested,

and therefore they don't need to

be "caught." They do need to be kept interested so

the next issue

but

that

is

slightly different

they'll

look forward to

from beguiling them the

first

time around. Here the crucial factors of usefulness and accessibility of the
information

come

into play.

Once you've

established that, you've created

loyal readership.

On

the other hand,

material

it

is

undoubtedly true that the greater the variety of

on the page, the more hooks there are

readers into paying attention. Each small item

persuade them to stop skimming and

is

to pull casual or uninterested

another opportunity to

start reading.

Such potential readers

peck at the pages, apparently at random, looking for juicy gobbets here and
there.

Some

tabloid presentations are specifically tailored to such an

approach, breaking up stories into tiny subcomponents, each with

its

separate headline, picture, caption, box, sidebar, arrows, angled overlaps,

shadows, and every possible unexpected combination of visual/verbal

material intended to amaze,

and intrigue

titillate,

enviable success. You can find racks

full

and they do

it

with

near any supermarket checkout

counter.

At which extreme does the ideal

lie:

the dignified sophisticated

publication that melds subtle visual effects with restrained typography, or

the brash, spotty, but indisputably exciting one that entertains between short
attention spans?

The

ideal, alas,

doesn't

exist.

It

all

depends on the

subject,

audience, and purpose of the publication, and ultimately on the hunch of

is also no such thing as "good" or "best," there is only
Does the publication succeed? Does it come off? Even that is

the editor. There

effective.

something one can seldom be sure about, but

experiment with

it

and, maybe, help

it

fun to l<eep trying to

it is

along.

The material
It

in this chapter is assembled with that purpose in mind.

and explains the basic options at the editor's disposal. The question

lists

of their appropriateness

is left

completely unanswered except for these

three comments:

the visual ingredients are poor, the temptation

If

situation with fancy

A worthy

judgment

nowhere

own

on

its

own and

to save the

will

only cheapen

grow from the

If

it.

clever editorial

that uses the right embellishment in the appropriate place

else.

and

such embellishment grows organically out of the stories'

subject matter, the likelihood

3.

cosmetics

Elegance, dignitx', and perceived value

2.

is

typography and so-called design. Resist that temptation.

story can stand

that

is

The purpose of publications

is

it

will

make

editorial sense.

to disseminate information,

and

anything interposed between the message and the reader that disturbs the
clarity

and speed of communication should be questioned, no matter how

may be. Your decision may well be to keep it

but you must know what you are doing and, more importantly,
why you are doing Only then can you weigh the cost/benefit ratio and
come to a cogent decision.
amusing, original, or clever
in

fine!

it

it.

Custom-made

art vs. existing art

If only you had the money and could
some of those famous photographers
much depth and meaning to material in
artists whose skills meld thoughts and images

Budget. That's the operative word.

afford to have photographs taken by

whose evocative work

gives so

national magazines, or those

into an irresistible transmission of ideas, or those imaginative illustrators

who

can take complex technical facts and transmogrify them into accessible,

who

expository artwork, or those sagacious cartoonists

of the matter

and expose

its

essence

those skilled typographic designers

in a

who

few

deft,

row

turn a

compelling charts, graphs, or easy-to-use tables

us do.

Most

of us have to rely

embellishments, and our

own

on

don't. Very

few of

existing artwork, easily applied graphic

imagination. That

is

why

there

in this

is

just this short

book.

you have the good fortune of using such custom-made material, be

sure that you use

sure,

of dry statistics into

but you

paragraph on the subject of commissioned artwork

If

penetrate to the heart

symbolic strokes, or

it

with

flair

to get the

most mileage out of

however, that you aren't bamboozled by

its

it.

Be doubly

visual excellence.

You, as

editor/designer, are the final arbiter of the sense and the content of the

and however good the art may be, if it is off the point, it is bad
You must either change the art and force it to conform to the editorial

publication,
art.

point, or
art.

you must amend the

Only when they work

in

editorial point to

have

it

correspond to the

tandem can you derive the best possible

communication value from them.

Sources for photography: expensive, cheap, free

Anything you could possibly want a picture of has been photographed

somewhere, sometime

but where

to

is it

be found? There are huge

collections of stock photographs and illustrations, both general

specialized.

Many

them are

of

listed in

and

Magazine Industry Market Place under

Many more, including international and government

sources, can be found listed in the new World Photography Sources, both
distributed by R. R. Bowker Company. The many agencies and departments
"Stock Photo Agencies."

of the United States

government have extensive collections

available at nominal expense (although not for implied

product or service). Check Pictorial Resources

by Shirley
prints

in

the Washington, D.C., Area

Green, available from the Library of Congress. The

R.

and photographs division has an enormous

make

Individual photographers

of information

is

In

They are

professionals and

listing of

the unlikeliest of places,

in

own

addition, an invaluable clearinghouse

Rohn Engh's computerized

semi-professionals working

Wl 54020; telephone

library's

collection.

their stock available as well.

the books mentioned above.

listed in

of material

endorsement of

Osceola,

itself in

(715) 248-3800.

Then there are the various associations whose promotion departments

exist to

The

real

problem

it's

in

finding pictures

a picture,

a bit late to

offices of service

awesome.

list is

When you need

By then,

don't forget the public relations departments

companies and the public information

establishments. The

time.

And

provide material.

of the big

do the

isn't their availability,

you need

it

it is

your

now. No, not now, yesterday.

on

research, call for a batch of pictures

approval, and get angry at the mails for not delivering any faster. The secret
is

not at the picture end of things, but rather at the editing end:

until the

starting

copy

is

finished, retyped, edited,

on the chore of figuring out how

while you are writing the

right

Old engravings

in

first draft,

and okayed by the

to illustrate

do your

it

all.

do not wait

CEO

before

Think pictures

research, and call your sources

then and there.

the public

domain

Before photography and halftone reproduction

became

ustrations had to be engraved by hand: cut from

etched from metal. The pictures were

made

to

appear

through shading that was created by cross-hatching

work, and

we

we

all

or scratched or

as natural as possible

yet they were

linecuts, in spite of the variety of techniques used. That

advantage for us because

available,

wood

is

all

most fortunate

can easily reproduce those illustrations as line

can even reduce or enlarge them without spoiling them.

It is

unwise to attempt that with pictures that are halftones because the dots

become too tiny and disappear, or worse, combine into large blocks
make the image look muddy. Or, if you enlarge them, the dots become

either
that

gross and overscaled.

To reproduce from

existing material,

you either cut up the

original

(which

is

bad idea) or you have

becomes "art."
The ease of reproduction

is

PMT

reproduction made, which then

coupled with the happy

to the prevailing copyright law, generally

likely to

be

in

the public

you use anything).*

If it is

the book as a whole

safer to

domain

is

one

of the gold

ridiculously
all

reproduced

to

do the

for

fact that

according

anything older than 75 years

is

advisable, however, to verify before

in a

museum

book, such as a

copyrighted so you can't

depend on others

borrow these publications

are

(it's

steal

anything from

culling of materials for

your swipe

files.

The Dover

catalog,
it.

It is

you and to

Pictorial

Archives

mines of excellently reproduced collections of old cuts

low prices (you can't beat $7.50

sorts, for instance).

for 1,419

There are others, of course. Check with the

art

supply

shop, bookstore, and library.

Different terms of copyright duration apply for works created after 1978. There, copyright

endures

for the life of the

author plus 50 years.

at

drawings of animals of

Clip

art: its

uses and dangers

If

old-fashioned woodcuts and steel engravings are

an equivalent mass of more contemporary artwork

book

services.

stylistically
is

There are many that offer ready-made

inappropriate,

available from clip

any

illustrations in

style

imaginable, organized by subject and category, that probably include

anything you can possibly need or think

stores as well as by mail. Fresh material
all

available at art supply

constantly being added, and they

supply you with catalogs for the asking. Three leaders

Volk

Art,

Peoria,
IL

They are

of.

is

IL

in this field are:

Dynamic Graphics, Box 1901,

61656; Graphic Products, 3601 Edison Place, Rolling Meadows,

Box 72L,

Pleasantville, NJ 08232;

60008.

One

problem

potential

the likelihood that you will see the art you are

is

somewhere

using being used

else (and

if

you are the

sort of

who

person

amused by seeing someone else wear the

same dress as you have on at a party, then you are in trouble). What to do?
Don't run the art exactly the way you cut it out of the book, but disguise it in
some way. Combine parts of one drawing with another. That's easy to do,
and all you need are scissors and some glue. Or add tints or background to

would be embarrassed

camouflage the

Transfer art and the easy

rather than

original.

It is

not at

all difficult,

way to become an

The manufacturers
symbols of

many

of

is

it

fun to

try.

"illustrator"

of acetate lettering also

sorts,

all

and

which are

produce a vast array of graphic

pictorial. Especially useful for

graph symbols and pictograms, they can also be combined easily into
custom-tailored solutions for your particular needs. With the most limited
skill,

you can produce remarkable

make good

editorial sense.

And

results,

if

the ideas underlying the graphics

that's the key, isn't

enough, ideas often grow out of the graphics

believe yourself to be thoroughly unimaginative

difficult to
start

dream up graphic

ideas from scratch

and

who knows what

impressive.

art at

It

makes sense

H
.r"'

"

"^

even

if

you

area and find

it

and who doesn't? You can

handwriting that

give

may be

lurking just

is

modest and the payoff can be

it

a try.

arm

effect to see handwritten annotations in the

and what an attention

'

at least to

the end of your

What an unexpected
^I^^T^

in this

brilliance

under that quiet surface? The investment

Well, interestingly

your creative juices flowing by playing around with such readily

available materials,

Handwritten notes:

it?

front of you,

in

isn't

getter! Especially

too formal

in

if

they are run

character so that

it

in

margin

blue ink and

in a

appears genuine.

The whole

trick

else's private

The

down on
run

in a

art

is

to

make

the reader believe that they are privy to

someone

commentaries.

is

prepared as a simple overlay

the mechanical; then

second

color.

it

is

after the type has

stripped into the plate or

been put
left

alone to

You don't have

language

is

body

to restrict this trick to verbal annotations. Just as

tongue

from regular speech, so there are

distinct

all

sorts of

scribbled symbolisms that communicate: underscores or overscores;

emphasis

lines alongside the text; brackets;

arrows leading from one element

to another; formulas in the margins; exclamation points or question marks;

arrows leading into the

a deliberate fingerprint or

Rubber stamps and the danger

Here

two may

blots.

And

"^

some eyebrows.

raise

of being funny

a graphic material

is

check marks; deletion marks; even

text;

whose

texture and informality give

it

a special

immediacy. You can have anything made into a rubber stamp, be

effect of

it

verbal or pictorial, or you can buy ready-made stamps at stationery stores.

You can

also find pictorial ones in those gift shops that smell of incense.

Those that are not sickeningly sentimental are meant to be funny or

outrageous, as are those you can send away for to such sources as the Visual
Lunacy Society, Box 308, Great

Falls,

VA

22066.

Specia!
- Money-Savlng

*^. Rates

'>Aiv,^

That brings up the question of humor: what

even sparklingly witty may not

cute, or

reader.

must confess

to having

had

my own

me

embittered

the kind of reception that leaves

let

alone

my

listeners' stupidity!

have much to do with such a

The context

disaster.

may be just
how you say

say or

it,

scene.

in a

When

we

as sharp, yet the act will

but also

strike

in

you

chords

as funny,
in

which the wit

expect

bomb

is

comedian
it.

seen

Someone

out.

It's

who

is

the

humor

is

shifted

because

laid

it is

it

onto the person

bare by

its

in

a story about the

the

In

is

way you want

through with

it,

then:
it

to,

It is

own

is

safe

where

views and experiences and

a far

more vulnerable

situation for

very difficult to be funny and have

so proceed with caution.

If

it

come

off

you do intend to go

then be sure to set the situation up so

cannot be misunderstood.

it

are not personally

often a subjective insight of the person

that reflects his or her

sum

we

irony, wit, or cynicism. In the context

intimately affects the views of readers

both sides.

else's

not just what you

are and where you are saying it that

where humor is expected, it is normally

happening to "them" and

not expected, such wit

inserts

may

away

gets

third-person format where we, the onlookers, are outside the

for us to laugh,

humor

down by

the world's obtuseness,

at

traveling salesman or onto the characters in the cartoon drawing,

threatened or

the

funnies struck

who you

matters. Furthermore, in contexts

packaged

brilliant

professional

with what he or she says or does because

delivery

may

strike responsive

its

intended humor

f^^B
139

Rules and

how to

use them to advantage

Any

typesetter or printer using any kind of machinery has the capacity to

provide lines as part of the typesetting process. Those lines can be vertical
or horizontal (although horizontally set rules are easier to accomplish on

most equipment), and they can be

are the most

commonly

They can be

set to

(usually 43 picas).

virtually of

maximum

any width up to the

They are

also available as tapes

either in rub-off or cut-out-and-adhere form.

slides,

any

u'idth.

These "weights"

available.

although the most

common

the equipment allows

and on acetate sheets,

They can be known

term for them

is

rules. Plain

as border

ones are

called plain rules, reasonably enough.

Double-lined ones are parallel rules

multiple ones, multiple rules

\

gray ones, shaded or tone rules

dashed ones, coupon

rules

fancy ones, fancy rules iyLaMi}y5y{gy8LgMlgi5g^^

double

lines,

one

fatter

Dotted rules can be

than the other, oxford rules sa

made by

setting periods as

which case they are called leader

though they were type,

Many rules come with ready-made box-corners rounded

^"""^
^^^"""^^^^
in some way
Tapered

Due

in

rules

or embellished

rules are these things

to their availability

and cheapness,

rules are a potential aid in

making up

pages for a number of reasons.

1.

Rules are marvelously useful

in

organizing the geometry of your

space by defining areas within that space. They define the edges of things,
contain things, enclose things.
2.

Rules separate disparate

components

of the page from each other,

and good fences make good neighbors.

3.

isolate

4.

Rules can give emphasis or individuality to whatever

from

its

that they

Rules have the invaluable capacity to add color by contrast.

Imagine a page of gray type with a

rule next to bold black type.
life

it is

surroundings.

and sparkle.

fat

black rule on

The combinations are

it,

or a delicate hairline

limitless,

and they give

Rules can be used to underscore or overscore individual words or

5.

phrases to give them emphasis.

Rules are decorative elements

6.

hunk

space. Often, a

of

empty space

if

used

conjunction with white

in

deliberately

edged with

as interesting looking a counterpoint to the text as a picture,

away from the

well pull the reader's attention

text.

Rules can be used as a patterning element for the page or series of

7.

pages, or even an entire issue, which

for the product that stays in the

flavor of

its

turn creates a subliminal character

in

background, yet gives the whole package a

own. Think how ordinary Time magazine would appear without

geometrical patterning of the hairline rules on the pages, or The

its

be

a rule can

which might

New

Yorker's wiggly lines used as rules alongside the text.

The use of

rules

or better

said, the

overuse of rules

on the vagaries of fashion. At times the use

of rules

is

can be blamed

anathema, and then

swing to the opposite extreme and you can't see the type for the

tastes

"furniture." But the functional capacity of rules to help both editor and

reader

when

Boxes: what's

in

them
A

why

unaffected by fashion. That's

is

they can and should be used

they can be helpful, despite current trends

for

in taste.

you?

great deal,

if

you don't

your thinking to the usual scrawny outline

limit

surrounding the block of text

in

handled. Too often, the people

boxes can, indeed, be

the unimaginative

who

just a crutch.

are antibox

Too

way

that they are usually

on principle are

nonfunctional cliches; but they can be extremely useful

why

right:

often they are superficial,

if

you understand

they are being used.

1.

To separate one

2.

To make

from the

part of a story

rest, to

quarantine

it

away.

down

at

foot of the page, setting the type smaller, and deliberately bypassing

it.

3.

To make

a part of the story less

a part of the story

important by playing

more important by

it

placing

it

the

near the top

of the page, setting the type bigger, using active or exciting language,

and

adding attention-getting graphic embellishment.

4.

To make the

overall

page look

less

gray by breaking

it

up

into

smaller units.
5.
it

up

To make the

story look less daunting

into smaller-looking, self-contained

6.

To break out

would be

statistical

stumbling block

in

and

faster to read

by breaking

components.

or other self-contained sidebar matter that

the

smooth reading

of the

main body of

the story.
7.

To increase the readership of

a story

by giving the editor the

opportunity for yet another headline with which to intrigue readers (often

readers read the short sidebar

tackling the

first,

main body of the

How can

because

it is

boxes be used more effectively?

question through.

and entice them

short)

into

article.

How do we

worth thinking that

It is

separate things from each other

the

in

real,

nonprinted, three-dimensional world?

1.

You imprison the object

If

you are

like?

inside a fenced area

flying in an airplane looking

thin line; yet

we know

keep the cow penned up.

thickness

is

down, what does

In print, a

box made of

the equivalent of a fence or wall seen from the

You make the object hard

Putting

it

on

air

wouldn't

whatever

'

to reach

a level higher or lower than

as well as implies a

it

a single line of

Fence seen from above

2.

that fence look

the line must have height, or else

its

surroundings separates

change of emphasis. An

illusion of a

it,

change can be

created on the surface of the page by creating a false second plane with

shadows. Even without

3.

legs, this table

top appears to be "floating" above

the floor because of the

shadow

From

good binoculars)

that airplane (with

it

casts

it

would look

You make th e object impossible t o reach by hiding

is a shoebox in real life

Here

it

e^Kg

like this

n a container.

>

This

is

what the shoebox looks

This

is

shape that lends

itself

like

to

from the airplane

two further

illusions:

by leaving out

the walls that define the "inside," you create the illusion of a low pedestal

on which an object has been placed

^

Outside walls shown

By leaving out the outside walls and showing only the inner ones, you

seem

to

have carved a niche

in

the surrounding surface of the wall (the

page) into which you insert the object

-^~-~~-

gli)

Inside walls

shown

4.

You make the object special by a symbolic setting. A jewel seems so

much more valuable when laid gently in the middle of a velvet cushion than
if tossed on the kitchen countertop

Translate that velvet cushion into

have?

block of

tint

gray, textured or

5.

You make

some

flat

extra special by framing

it

printed terms, and what

do you

screen of black so

sort: in color, in a

looks like

it

smooth

it

a nd

hanging

it

on the wall

for

everyone to admire.

-r

Each of these yields a different sort of box. Next time you are faced with

some material and putting it in a box, remember these

may well be a clue as to how you should handle it
Any such logical, functional, graphic symbolism will not only
enhance the page and your product (by making it more interesting to look
breaking out

differences, for they

graphically.

at),

but

it

improve the communication value of that product by

will

utilizing

symbolism to help to explain the thrust of the material.*

They are very easy

sorts of

do

is

to

make. At any good

art

supply store you can buy

ready-made sheets of different box frames printed on

cut

them

a trick to help

out, trim

make

them

to size,

and attach them

to your layout. Here's

the corners accurate: use graph paper printed

nonreproducing blue ink

to ensure accuracy.

all

you

acetate. All

in light

Overlap the acetate rules

at

the

corners of the box. With a razor blade or sharp X-Acto knife and a 45
triangle, cut

You'll

be

through both layers simultaneously, and remove the excess.

left

with clean, precisely aligned corners. Take great care

in

your

burnishing not to displace any of your butting joints. Are there any tips to

make curved
For

corners easier to accomplish?

much more on

wish there were!

boxes, see Graphic Idea Notebook, by Jan V. White,

p.

103 and following.

Here

Multiple rules

Double

is

group of boxes

just to start

your imagination working.

Fancycorners

(scotch) rules

Turned inward

Identification in corner

Flatness

emphasized

llusion of

dimension

^^r^^gj
J '\J~{ something

Part of

Negative space

else

Nonpictorial odds and ends as illustrations

made

Visual accents

page. Large
text has

initials,

been

add sparkle and color to the

on acetate sheets of type, can be inserted if the

of typographic elements

available

set to allow

room

for

them. Measure the

letter's

width on

the acetate sheet and specify the intended indention so that you can

accommodate

it

on the mechanical. Breakouts or callouts

quotations set off

in larger

type, embellished

in

those provocative

some way, and dropped

into


the text

makeup

interrupt the

Anything that interrupts

Color variation
printed

in

one area

in

of the

page and

act as verbal illustrations.

a pattern attracts attention to itself.

type,

whether you

red ink and the rest

in

actualK' have part of the text

black, or

whether you use darker type

of the text and lighter type for another, can give

especially

if

the color differentiation reflects differences

questions and answers. The difference

in

in

for

to a presentation,

life

meaning, such as

color of type can be visualized as

the different voices speaking to each other.

Headlines and subheads can be placed

the text and to each other so that they

unexpected relationships to

in

become

expressive of their inner

meaning or create an unusual pattern. Both will do some of the work that a
traditional pictorial image might be expected to do, but they will do it in a
more roundabout fashion.

You can set text in shapes whose outline is pictorial, or you can use a
whose character is such that it immediately communicates the

typeface

mood

or context that

Specific

words

ou wish

to create.

embody a thought can become the focal element on

much larger than their surroundings to become the

that

a page and can be set

functional accent you need

at little cost

other than the courage to do

it.

You can make your own artwork by using symbolic materials evocative
in hand, such as money: make rubbings of coins

of the subject matter

through a piece of tracing paper, or use photostatic reproductions, other

than

life size,

of bits of printed currency. Small objects of any kind that

such
are a-dime-apiece images

can make xerographic prints of

name

it

publication.

They can be reduced

surprise value

quite impossible to

It is

is

in size,

lies in their full size,

designer's disposal.
in

as keys

and

pencils, flowers,

you

you

that are easily reproducible in the

It is

far

list all

if

of course, but their dramatic

you have the space

the

means

for

them.

the artful editor's and

at

wiser for you to establish a good ideas swipe

which to secrete tear sheets of astute devices

that

an essential catalog for finding details, because

you come

we

tend to

file

across. That file

remember

ideas

in a vague sort of way, yet when we actually need them, we can't quite
remember what it was that made that idea so marvelously effective. If you
know where to find them, you can overcome such infuriating frustrations.

Besides, the very act of establishing such a

come

across material worthy of

remembering

is

file

and adding

to

it

as

you

a self-education process

which your awareness of visual/verbal technique grows and improves

so

much

so that your

begin inventing your

own
own

creativity

and confidence encourage you

solutions without needing to

seen elsewhere. At that point, you'll only need that

muse
*For

is

away on

much more on

R. R.

file

to

depend on those

when your own

vacation.*
this sub)ect,

Bowker, 1982i,

p.

see Editing by Design, by Jan V. White

167 and following.

(New York:

by

Making
mechanicals:
a crash

There are two basic approaches to preparing editorial material for printing.

Which

of

them

is

to

be followed depends on the

size

and complexity of

your publication, the sophistication of the available equipment, and the

/^/^l

^r^

printing processes to be used.

If

for the
^

is

complicated product printed

is

followed that

will

in

color

in

large quantities,

allow you to respond to the need

and cost, using the capability of the technology at hand.

The assembly of the various elements that go into making up pages is part

for speed, efficiency,

uninitiated
r^ /i
CXI l\^

yours

sequence of steps

of the printer's service

tremendous

variety of

(in

the stripping department). Nowadays, there

ways

is

to supply that material to the printer: All sorts

^ marvelous new devices are being invented, debugged, and coming

on-line,

up

to

and including computer-assisted full-page makeup with

full-color capabilities, concentrated in individual terminals at each editor's

disinclined

desk. Such marvels of the electronic era are already with us and will,
inevitably,

replacing

grow

it

you are involved

are likely to
of

in use.

with better,

They

will displace

faster,

large-scale

in this

our current working arrangement,

more productive techniques. But

communicate with the

for

now,

if

end of publication-making, the way you

printer or

page maker

is

by means

dummies.

Dummies can
showing every

vary

line of

in

type

appearance and
in

place and

all

from detailed paste-ups

finish

the pictures as correctly sized

and cropped photostatic reproductions pasted

in

position,

all

the

way

to

keyline diagrams that merely indicate rectangular outlines of each element,

coded

to the material to

be inserted. The choice depends on the

preference of both editors and printers, as well as on what the contract

for.
in

There

are,

however, two characteristics that

all

calls

dummies must have

common.
The

first is

accuracy: The stripping department ought not to have to

make up your mind for you, nor ought it to be put in the position of having
to interpret poorly worded instructions. Chances are that such interpretations
will

be wrong, and fixing them

The second

is

printer with everything

is

later will cost

all-inclusiveness:

needed

to

There

make up

is

time and money.

no excuse
page

amateurish, and submitting pages with holes

make you

feel delightfully

in

for not supplying the

in its entirety.

Forgetting

them marked "TK"* may

"hold-the-presses" journalistic, but

is

probably

self-indulgent.

*TK is short for TO KUM, deliberately misspelled so

words by mistake, and indicates that fresh material

that printer
is

to

come

knows not

to print those

at a later date.


If

yours

is

more modest product,

one color, with comfortable

number of pages, then a far

basically

lead time for production and a reasonable

simpler procedure

followed. That procedure

is

the subject of this chapter.

is

Taking the fear out of mechanicals and where to get advice

Mechanicals are assemblies of the type and

the other visual elements to

ail

appear on the page, and they are presented to the printer to work from.

They consist

facing pages assembled

of spreads

them

intend

appear

to

in

such as type, page numbers, ruled

and so on, onto sheets of

stiff

either glue in a Velox (see page

and

then

will

printing plates will then be

When

30) or,

if

Wherever

are to go and

the mechanical

strip

good idea of the

pictures occur,

how

you

big they should be.

as line art,

them together

made from those

is

you

work

the printer will be making the

photograph your mechanical

will

pictures as halftones,

the line

drawings, charts, tabular matter,

lines, line

where they

halftones for you, indicate

all

paper. (Yes, you must have a

layout before you start the gluing process!)

The platemaker

to look precisely as

the printed piece. You glue

and your

as negatives.

The

negatives.

perfect and all-inclusive,

it is

be

said to

camera-ready. Mechanicals or boards are also sometimes called keylines

from the term used to describe the outlines of halftones to be stripped

Mechanicals also contain written instructions to the printer

margin or on an overlay, and should be complete and perfect

so that

all

the printer need do

is

what he

is

supposed

in

in

every detail

to do: the printing.

Your most important source of information, advice, and help,

your

ally,

is

the printer.

relationship of cooperation and trust

is

as well as

essential

for comfortable production as well as finding the

most cost-effective

solutions to your particular set of problems. So

is

in at

it

in.

the

wise to bring the printer

the earliest possible stage, for he will be able to answer important

questions that will affect your

be asked:

How does

own working

techniques. Basic things need to

the printer prefer camera-ready copy to be presented?

Should halftones be keyed to areas defined by outlines on the layout, or

should you paste

How

in

black areas into which the halftones will be stripped?

does he prefer to schedule the work flow, on an as ready or when can

basis (piecemeal as

you can get

it

to him) or as a

complete job?

How

should

mechanicals and artwork be marked for efficient and convenient handling?

When

does he prefer to have the material delivered and what are the

optimal schedules (and

how much

flexibility

job as economical as possible? There's a

But you only

know what

this chapter's

worth of

to discuss with

technicalities.

the printer for the time being,

printer

The

tools

is

is

built into

more

like that to

him

after

you have rooted through

determine.

So suspend the detailed worries about

remembering only the

your friend, someone you

them) to make the

lot

will

want

principle that the

to involve in the final decisions.

and materials you cannot work without

If

you must do

it

yourself,

you must prepare yourself

for the physical aspects

of the work: the mental (planning, coordinating, scheduling, designing) part

of the job

is

complicated enough without your having to struggle with the

So invest the necessary treasure

mechanics

as well.

need. They

will help.

No, that

in

the tools you will

an understatement: They won't just help

is

without them, you cannot do the work.

First

and foremost, you must have quiet space

work

to

in,

uncluttered surface to work on. Assembling bits of paper from

keeping
just the

it

all

organized and

and an
over,

all

being able to see what you are doing (not

clear,

page you are working on, but the other pages of the same

issue),

and

keeping track of the glue and the pencils and the triangles can't be done on
top of a
broad,
2'6" X

mound

empty

6',

of accumulated stuff.

needs

with a tackboard on the wall behind

ample, comfortable
is

It

SPACE.

light.

Whether

that table

to the

of sitting or stand-up height

made

you to walk around more

broader, looser field of action that,

one position tends

same width, and

it

is

a matter of personal preference. Standing allows

easily, fostering a

freer layout. Sitting in

details at the

Clear, uncluttered,

space. Ideally, you should have a full-sized table, at least

in turn,

to concentrate

encourages

your vision on the

expense of the broader picture. An easel-type desk,

for artists to

sit at, is

not ideal because you need to

specifically

accommodate

three separate functions with your table top: storage as well as drawing and
pasting.

An angled top

that isn't tacked

down

allows only two, the drawing and pasting. Anything

which

slides off,

is

irritating.

The

ideal

arrangement

is

You need a
separate side table on which to do the gluing and keep your coffee cup and
ashtray. (If anything can spill on the mechanicals, it will.) And lastly, you
must have easy access to a sink to wash your hands in. Nothing nothing
is as important as cleanliness in making mechanicals. Every little spot,
smudge, particle of soot, broken pencil tip, and foul fingerprint will pick up
and dirt is even more
in the reproduction process. You strive for perfection
shameful on mechanicals than it is in the laundry, in spite of what detergent

to

have a drafting board placed

at

an angle atop a

flat

desk.

commercials may want you

list

of essential tools

Drawing board, big enough but not bigger than necessary

your paper

to believe!

accommodate

T-square; the most essential tool to ensure that your product will be

square and true. You can buy

drawing board.

It is

it

separately or as a sliding bar attached to the

easier to use

reminds you of the need to use

to

size.

if it is

attached, and just by being there

it

it.

30/60 triangle with the vertical side

tall

enough

to span the height of

your page.

Steel ruler 24" long,

marked

in

inches and picas.

Scissors with blades at least 8" long, called editor's shears.

X-acto knife with

lots of

#11 blades. Always use sharp blades, replacing

tips have broken off. If you prefer, you can use

ones that are blunt or whose

single-edged razor blades.

Cutting base. This

grid lines imprinted

is

on

pieces of paper a joy,

it

a sheet of gray or green plastic

it.

Made

of a

new

material that

also protects your desk top.

about Vs" thick with

makes

cutting small


Mechanical pens (tubular points) of two or three widths, with the
appropriate India ink dispenser to

fill

them

with.

Hard pencil (2H or harder), or a lead holder

into

which leads are

inserted.

Nonrepro-blue pencil or fine ball-point pen.

Rubber cement

for gluing, a dispenser with a brush for applying

of thinner or solvent to thin

might prefer a larger

and more

it

and

with,

a pick-up to

investment that

initial

will

flexible use later: a waxer. Large table-top

you need only invest

in a

hand-held model.

melts specially formulated paraffin

It

wax and

remove

make

work with

you are

until

down

in that

it,

a can

with. But

you

waxers are available, but

has a heating element that

allows

it

to

and evenly onto the paper. The advantage of the wax

easier to

it

for cheaper, easier,

is

be rolled smoothly
that

it

is

cleaner and

allows for moving the pieces of paper around

it

with their placement and burnish them

finally satisfied

permanently.
type gauge divided into a series of point size measurements

commonly showing

6-point, 7-point, 8-point, 9-point, 10-point, 11-point,

and 12-point measurements.

Burnisher for burnishing

down waxed

type, rub-off lettering, etc.

Enlarging wheel or other device for scaling pictures.

list

of essential materials

Paper on which to make mechanicals. Any smooth white stock

acceptable, although
handling.

If

it is

wise to use a

fairly

the final mechanical will require lines to be drawn on

the surface must be hard and smooth to allow that to be

danger of

lines

it,

then

done without

spreading or picking up surface fuzz. Lightweight illustration

board with a smooth or hot-pressed surface

is

specifically

made

for

purpose.

this

If

issue,

of

is

heavy stock for ease of

your publication

will

have the printer run

have the same column format from issue to

off a stack of

dummy sheets showing

columns and the trim edges of the pages

That

will facilitate

for type

An

the outlines

nonreproducing blue

and photos without your having to measure and draw the

every time. Nonrepro blue

process

in

when

ink.

your work by giving you accurate positioning guidelines

is

a color that

not picked up

is

in

lines

the photographic

the mechanicals are turned into film.

alternate technique at your disposal

is

based on using a

light table.

The paper you paste down on must be translucent; then you take a sheet
acetate on which your grid has been drawn and place the paper over it.
The

light

from the

light table shines

requisite guidelines. Obviously,

of

through from below and gives you the

you don't use the drawing board

in this

case, but you have to solve the problem of accurate squaring up without a

T-square by using the acetate

n
It is

grid.

Blocking film, an adhesive plastic material that

transparent so you can

work with

it

photographs black. You cut out pieces of

of the halftones that the stripper or

comes

accurately, but
it

in rolls

it is

to indicate the size

makeup man

or sheets.

dark red, so

it

and position

will strip in at the printer's.

149

n
n

Acetate and/or heavy tracing paper. You

will

Cut-and-peel film, a material that comes

need

in rolls

this for

making

overlays.

or sheets for making

overlays (see page 157) to indicate silhouetting of photos, dropping out,

and so on.

Tapes of various kinds: drafting tape

for attaching

paper to the drawing

board; white paper tape for attaching paper to paper; and matte transparent
tape.

all

Register marks or targets. These are placed

on the

original paste-up

overlays to ensure the printer strips the elements together

in

and

correct

position. Some film-based mechanical-making systems substitute pin holes

for keying

The need

elements together, but normal paper mechanicals use the

and true stick-on targets or rub-off X-marks.

tried

keep clean

to

Cleanliness has already been mentioned as far as your hands are concerned.
It

cannot be stressed too strongly that your tools must also be kept

immaculate. The glue you use cannot help but transfer onto the triangle and
T-square, so

when

wash them

made

they are

of the triangle
dirt disasters

and

is

regularly.

Be very careful with ink

lines, especially

with a soft-tip pen. That ink leaves residue on the edge

will

smudge on your

the type

itself. If

paper. The second major source of

your type has been

set

by photocomposition

and your proofs are photographic printouts, then you have no problem.
But with

all

other systems, watch out: Type proofed on a proofing press will

have ink that must dry thoroughly before

simple, but

who

cold-type proofs, including those

safe to touch (which

it is

ever has time for anything

made by

in real life?).

sounds

Strike-on or

typewriters using carbon ribbon,

You must either handle them with great

care or protect them from smudging by spraying them with a light coat of

are nearly as dangerous to touch.

clear acrylic (matte finish) spray.

Working

in

When

it

has hardened, you can relax a

miniature
Before cutting galleys and starting the rough

lUblU

bit.

'W

nmnlnmnfnllnfnninlninnr

what you intend

to do.

should go where as
fillers

You

down below;

You probably have

far as the

pictorial

dummy,

a pretty

sketch out on paper

good idea

of

which story

pages are concerned (important ones on top,

ones sandwiched between textual ones,

also probably use a planning sheet to sketch out each issue

etc.).

anyway

if

your product has more than eight pages.*

nmmmm

mmmm
mmmm
mmmn

Now comes the time to crystallize those scribbles and vague ideas into
some more precise form. For that purpose, you should have your dummy
sheet reduced to miniature size and run off
copies, so you can waste

them

if

in

necessary; a

a stack of several

good workable

hundred

size

is

eight

pages (four spreads) on an 8y2" x 11" piece of paper turned sideways.

is an SVa" x 11" piece of paper witli rectangles representing each of the

32 pages that are to be printed. Each rectangle is just large enough for you to be able to

*A planning sheet
scribble the

name

of the story

in

it.

That

is

enough

small

enough

can then

Making

a rough

you

to force

When you

to prevent

you from getting

lost in detail, yet large

to think in realistic proportions.

have sketched out your space allocations

start to

in

miniature, you

take the next step.

dummy
Before you do a

final

that everything will

you

will

mechanical,

fit

be using to make your

too often

in

is

it

order to keep

it

final

do a rough to make sure

The camera-ready material

advisable to

the u'ay you intend

it

to.

mechanicals ought not to be handled

in pristine

condition. So you experiment with

photocopies. At this stage, you must determine several elements.

Proper spacing. The paste-up stage

is not the time to be deciding what

You should know beforehand what your standard spacing
between the elements is supposed to be. The dummy allows you to check
whether it is going to work according to Hoyle.

looks best.

drawn

Position of rules. Ink lines should be

first,

glued onto the page, because ink doesn't take on the

rubber cement or wax. Unless great care

is

all

is

taken

in

removed, you should put down your ink

carefully

The rough

clear, clean surface.

dummy

before anything else

the gluing and

rules

on

is

over

slick surface

excess

all

a perfectly

allows you to plan the placement of

the major elements on the page, including rules, so you can then copy

them onto the mechanical.

Handling pictures and captions. Make up your mind about
will be,

where they

between them and

be placed,

will

their surroundings,

Handling the space

headline

is

how much

is

how
be

to

big they

left

and so on.

The space within which the

the display areas.

in

space there

placed should be standardized. There

is

a comfortable, optimal

proportion that should be worked out and, once determined, carefully

repeated. Unfortunately, this doesn't always happen because
take the easy

way

out:

around the headline

loose. That

area (those

to take

letting the

up the slack

it

a bit too tight, or

catchy headline
writing)

what you should doctor

all

tend to

to

fit

is

in

much too
the display

what ought to take

by cutting or adding

Compromising on proper spacing around the headline destroys

the overall look of the product

and the rough dummy allows you

out what needs to be done before you

Practical tips

be

tail

is

we

place the text on the page and allow the space

wag the dog: The

words you spent so much effort in
is

pride of place. The text

a few lines.

We

start

the

to find

final.

on making mechanicals
It

isn't all that difficult.

measure

carefully,

you know

all

that already.

to give yourself

This

is

You have

to

precisely, place

work

What you may

enough time

to

do

cleanly, cut accurately,

draw

elements on the page consistently

it

not recognize, though,

but

the need

properly.

absolutely crucial to your success.

process and cut corners and squeeze

is

it

in as

You cannot hurry

a hand-crafted

a last-minute rush and

hope

to

151

have

it

come

out perfect, the

yet skilled at doing

stage

way you want

to be. Especially

it

Unfortunately, since the mechanical

it!

the production of the printed piece before printing,

in

you are not

if

the

is

its

last

major

schedule gets

squeezed between the immovable publication date and the inevitable delays
in

work

until

that have

preceded the

midnight, exhausted,

final

assembly. So you rush

when your minor motor

the compromises ("nobody will notice"),

no wonder you dread the mechanical

coffee

spill

it

through, work

You accept

skills suffer.
in

your nervous haste

stage. Self-discipline, adhering to

the schedule before you get to this segment of the job,

is

the secret to

bringing the monster under control.

In

the

of tips that follows, the assumption has

list

mechanicals you are preparing are for use

been made that the

lithography, which

in offset

most commonly used method of printing short-run publications.

is

the

Clearly,

preparation of material for in-house reproduction processes must be done

according to the requirements of the reproduction machinery available there.

To save wax, chop

Xb" of the type

itself.

off excess

paper around your proof. Trim

Whenever you wax,

sheet of scrap paper before applying the

to within

it

place your proof on a clean, fresh

wax

to prevent

it

from getting onto

the face of your proof or picture. You can use rubber-cement thinner as a

remove such wax

solvent to
If

spots.

you must remove pieces of paper

warm them

first

pressure of the burnishing that makes the

down, but the heat generated by the

have been glued on with wax,

that

with the heat of your hands. Incidentally,

Small pieces of paper tend to

friction of

fall off,

rubber cement or wax. Anchor them

it

isn't

wax adhere when you

the
glue paper

rubbing that does the

trick.

whether you attach them with

down

with matte transparent tape.

Extend ruled lines beyond where they should end.

When you draw

a line

beginning and end fatten up because you are moving the pen

in ink, its

across the surface of the paper

be, the slower your

the result. That

is

make your

lines

scraping

off

it

camera won't

more

slowly.

The more accurate you

approach toward the end of the

why

line

try to

and the blobbier

corners of a box are usually such a disaster. Instead,

longer on purpose, then get

with a razor blade or covering

rid of
it

the excess length by

up with white tape. The

tell.

Place register marks inside the page trim so they don't get lost

in stripping.

become
clear (transparent) areas on the film when the platemaker photographs them
as a negative. The halftone is then stripped into the space. That is why the
The windows made

of red blocking film or plain black paper

outline must be absolutely accurate, aligning carefully with the columns of

type.

Some

platemakers prefer to have the rectangle indicated by an outline

(keyline) along

which they then cut to make a hole

in

the film.

Each photo should be coded by page number and by position on that

page. That

alongside

is
it

why each

space for a picture should have a written note

that says, "Strip in Halftone

Copy A,"

B," etc. Obviously, the original pictures should

or "Strip

in

Halftone

Copy

be coordinated with the same

coding system and bear a notation (such as "Page

Copy

on the tab

B")

Check

that

vertically sliding bar

loosen up and throw

all

page number,

to use specially prepared wet

and

You can use

vertical

it

or "Page

3,

on your drawing board. They can

dummy

etc.)

sheet (delineating columns, page

onto a sheet of clear acetate. You'll have

media acetate

as an overlay

that will accept India ink

on the mechanical

to

check your horizontal

alignment for accuracy.

The mechanical
a proof of
for

Copy A,"

your accurate construction askew.

the lines printed on your

trim, position of

lines.

3,

focus.

periodically the tightness of your T-square screws or the roller

nnechanism of the

Copy

shows the

some

is

for

all

making changes. So

avoid making changes

and purposes the

intents

read, proofread,

in

final

may

copy. You

get

ought not to be considered an opportunity

sort, but that

page,

after

i.e.,

double-check the mechanical and

page proofs have arrived from

the printer.

Protect every mechanical against

This

is

damage and

dirt

by putting on a

flap.

simply an overlay of translucent tracing paper on which you can write

instructions to the printer.

from damage,
and, worst of

dirt, stain,
all,

Its

very existence helps to protect the mechanical

and rubbing

fingerprints.

off of small bits of

A hidden advantage

place the boss ought to be allowed to

make

It is

notes. Incidentally,

never write on the flap with a ball-point pen.

soft surface of the

paper stuck on

of the flap:

it

it,

the only

you should

makes indentations

in

the

mechanical beneath that can show up as shadows. Instead,

use a soft pencil. Mechanicals produced by professional mechanical

artists

are always double-flapped: once with a transparent sheet, as described, and

then with a second layer of brown

kraft or equivalent strong stock that acts

as a protective cover.

Identify each mechanical by

name,

include boxes for the appropriate

is

issue,

initials.

page number, and date, and

The best place

for such information

the lower right-hand corner. You can then code your halftones with the

same numbering system and

to identify

its

label

each picture with an "A," "B," "C,"

position on the page.

etc.,

How to
use
color
effectively
Color can add richness, beauty, excitement, decorativeness, and personality

(and stay within budget)

to the product.

can add

It

and diagrams.

clarity to charts

images of objects (because the

believability to the

rather than a black-and-white abstraction). But

it

real

It

can add

world

more

costs

in

is

to

color

produce a

publication with color because of the technology, the extra steps, the
original materials,

and the printing techniques involved. Therefore,

used with great care

in

Color, however, must never be seen as a trick to

better. All color can

do

is

to

make

therefore, essential to avoid using

richer, or

because there

competition

The
color

is

clarifies

is

doing

it.

is

money

Instead,

it

that
it

in

if it

the story,

if it

make

bad product more

just in

bad product

colorful.

the budget for

it,

It is,

or because the

has to be used right.

is

extraordinarily simple:

helps to get the message across to the reader,

improves communication value, and, yes,

the product as an object (so long as that enrichment doesn't get

of the product's

must be

order to make the product look

definition of tightness in this context

used right

it

order to get the biggest effect from the investment.

main purpose, which

You can narrow down segments

is

if it

in

if it

enriches

the

way

journalism).

of that definition to reasons such as

these.

It is

logical to use color as

background

tint to

help organize small

elements into big ones.

It

makes sense

to use color as a decorative

element to improve the look

of the overall product in large areas, such as over a

whole section or

sequence of pages.
It is

obviously useful to utilize color to emphasize specific, small-size

elements, to which you wish to attract attention.

Color

the

same spread.

Color can also be

is

legitimately used to separate

otherwise unlike

justifiably

To follow up
For

in

used to create continuity

much more

some thought on
is

set of things

from another on

in

a series of

units.

detail

specific situations, please see Editing

colored paper

one

color

in

about the editorial use of color

in

by Design, page 226 and following.

logos, see

discussed on page 165.

page 24

in this

book; the subject of

Does the purpose

for

which color

Indeed,

performs

used affect the choice of color?

is

does. There are four fundamentally different functions that color

it

in a

publication, and each

demands

a different

understanding and

approach.
1.

Color as background

tint.

color quiet, pale, and restrained, so

be background,

to

If it is

subservient to the material printed on

doesn't

it

subliminal consciousness that the area

it

must be

Therefore, you need to

it.

is

demand more

make

the

than the

subtly different from

its

surroundings.
2.

Color as decoration. Here, color

more powerful,

therefore be

However,

ought to be controlled

it

part of the foreground,

is

and more deliberately

stronger,

sufficiently to

keep

it

and can

visible.

within the bounds

of character appropriate to the publication.

3.

Color as articulator of

detail.

By definition, details are small.

therefore appropriate to pick a hue that

4.

Color as a tool for emphasis. This

the color printed on

and white paper

is

it.

Black

Red

light.

is

where most care must be taken,

the strongest contrast because black

ink

however bright

its

that of black ink.

you want to achieve emphasis

If

distinction against

colorful

to

and dark

be seen

in

decreased

to give

things:

you

color so the

is

dark

may be is much less

white paper is much weaker than

dark and therefore

you have to do one of two

is

is

It is

bright, cheerful, attractive.

unexpected reason: the lack of contrast between paper and

for a rather

What

is

it

(i.e.,

strong

visibility),

choose either colors that are both

that essential contrast, or enlarge the area

amount

of color used

compensates

for the

level of contrast.

the difference between process color and second colors

Four-color process
colors.

The

is

the technique used to print pictures

original picture

is

into four hues: yellow, red, blue,

natural

is

made

when superimposed one on top

of the

and

into a halftone printing plate that,

other, result in

in full,

photographically or electronically separated

black. Each of those colors

an illusion of the natural colors. Thus, printing presses must

have four separate

rollers,

each bearing the requisite ink for printing those

four colors. The four ink colors are standardized, and by themselves are not

very beautiful hues. The red (magenta)

rather crude; the blue (called cyan)
isn't

is

is

an aggressive pink; the yellow

a greenish sky-blue;

is

and the black

even a good black, but a pale, wan kind of black.

Second colors are much more interesting: they can be any color you
want because they are matched. There are standard hues (often demanded
by advertisers and called AAAA Colors, and they look bright and crude).

And
to

there

is

the broad range of printing ink recipes that can be specified

produce the colors

books

(a

in

the

PMS

or Pantone Matching System color swatch

widely available and easily followed means of communication

available at the art supply

shop or from the

printer).

You can even get the

match the color of your eyes, though supplying

printer to

a swatch

might

be somewhat painful!

Two-color presses are smaller, simpler, and therefore

expensive to

less

run than process color presses, since they need merely two cylinders to carry
the inks instead of four. But, as

it.

If

you are using

the simple difference between

in all printing,

process color and matched color

quite as simple as

isn't

a process color press,

we have

described

you cannot also use matched

colors (unless that press has a fifth cylinder or unit on which such an

added expense). So you face the problem

do if one signature or form of the publication is run on process
equipment and the rest is run on two-color equipment, yet you simply have
to have the same matched color throughout because all your charts have a
extra ink can be run, obviously at

of

what

special

to

background

color.

is

It

come

possible to

pretty close to any

"second"

color by superimposing tints of the process colors one on top of the other.
For instance, you can specify the exact process color equivalents for a large

proportion of the

disadvantage

is

PMS Second Color

palette from a guidebook.

add the cost of the artwork, the making of the

charges.

want,

if

In a nutshell,

and the stripping

film,

then: four-color process can give you any color you

you are prepared

much more

to pay for

cheaply, but there

it.

Second color can do the same thing

another difference too. Four-color

is

process can give you any color you want anywhere you want
the

same page. Second

possible variation

color

is

it,

even on

one

restricted to that single color of ink. (The

to use tints in a

is

The

be rather expensive when you

that screens of color tend to

of black. There are always those

second color

two colors

that

combination with

in

you can mix together

tints
in

the form of tints to give you exciting, subtle combinations.)

To save money,

possible to use the four-color-process inks as

it is

though they were simple second colors

by themselves rather than

just

superimposed proportions or screens. The red

whether used
and pink
black, in

used

it

always remain

which case

solid, but

it

it

unless you superimpose

turns to a darker pink.

becomes

invisible

in

most unsatisfactory hue,

(100%) or screened down to a percentage. Pink

solid

will

is

The yellow

it

looks,

it

on

is

a useful color

a screen of

when screened down. The

blue

is

an

excellent color that can also be enriched by a light screen of black.

Unfortunately, used pure, these three hues are rather unattractive, and you

don't get

much

praise for using them, because every publication uses

them

and so they are commonplace.

To get more

for

to split the fountain

your money

length and transfers

it

second

color,

it

may

well be possible
its

entire

to the four-, or eight-, or 16-page sheets of paper as

they pass through the press.

that

in

the roller picks up ink from a trough along

you can have green

ink

It is

possible to put a

dam

in that

trough so

on one side of the barrier and purple on the

other. As a result, half the pages (those in the green rows) can have green;

the other half, purple. The paper size, as well as butting bleeds

may be troublesome

restrictions; but the printer

may

well

in color,

know

of a

few

other tricks available for your use. Solicit his help and be aware of the
the pages

fall

on the form, because you don't want

opposite a green one

if

you can avoid

it.

to have a purple

way

page

what colors

should you use?

Hue

Every color has three characteristics: hue, value, and chroma.

kind of color

it

redness, blueness, greenness). Value

is (its

darkness or lightness that

Chroma

very light to black).

We tend
remember

it

has
is

because

we

even more important than

like

light,

legible.

you

To help you

ideal.

is

manufacturers' sample swatch books

color.

show

Enough
hue.

it

white and have

many

it

be

ink

black surprint and white drop-out

on

it,

and you look

the color

at

noticeable, and thus worth the effort and expense.

a brilliant color with strong

brown, dark enough

noticeable unless
is

it

to

is

chroma, and

is all

that

is

be nearly black, then

run

What

depends on the context, surroundings, and

sea of white space, then a tiny dot

The principle

in

too

If it is

it.

order to check the relationships.

in

to achieve visibility

If it is

if it is

use?

make

to

has.

Others accompany the swatch book with an acetate overlay

under the overlay

you need

value:

is its

visualize colors,

that has the black-and-white type imprinted

How much color should you

it

hue, but you must

surprinted on

is

not be able to drop the type out

will

The midrange

from each

its

hue

its

dark, you will not be able to read the type that

too

the

the degree of brightness or dullness that

to pick out a color

that

is

the degree of

is

equivalent on a gray scale going from

(its

in a large

simple, though:

if

will

be seen

tint

worth doing,

is

in a

a dull

If it is

colorfulness

swath or as a

it's

if it

necessary.

its

hardly

over the whole page.

it's

worth doing with

gusto.

Flat color or spot color

Color can be used solid or as

screen or

tint.

probably carrying the information,

as an overlay related to

is

usually run

It is

with a black subject, such as a drawing or table.

If

so,

in

combination

then the black plate,

the key plate, and the color

is

prepared

it.

The overlay can be made of paper (tracing paper that can be seen
through and drawn upon easily in ink to make keyline outlines) or
cut-and-peel amber or red film (see page 50). The overlay must also carry
the specifications for color and screen percentages, if any. The procedure for
1

making mechanicals when you use colors superimposed on top of each

is identical, whether you will be using process colors or matched
inks: you just make as many overlays as you have colors.

other

The difference between

pictures with color tint

Covering

a plain

and duotones

black-and-white halftone with a

tint of

color

is

a simple

and

cheap variant on the expected black-and-white photograph. Unfortunately,

it dulls down the picture because the color fills in and darkens the photo's
highlights, robbing

them

of the contrast that creates a sparkling image.

If

157

the color you use

light

is

dark color, however,

percentage of the

A duotone
photo, but
run

enough, then you can get away with

it.

wise to make

to a

paler by screening

it

solid. Unfortunately, that

made from

is

fill

in

tends to rob

it

it

of

black-and-white original just

its

If it is

low

colorfulness.

like

the tinted

the duotone, two halftone plates are made, one of which

black and the other surprinted over

in

don't

in

it is

and

in color.

it

a very interesting third color

is

is

That way, the highlights

achieved overall. By

overexposing or underexposing one or the other of the

plates, the

proportions of the two colors can be manipulated so that the resulting

image can be made to be more or

less colorful: brighter or duller,

brown and black

or blacker (assuming you start out with a

The duotone
tint

considerably

is

on top, but much

less

more expensive than the

expensive than

It Is

colors

to print a

Furthermore,

pretend

make

possible to

or

is

it

is

it

in

in color.

using the duotone principle in three

two colors atop a screen of a third color.

triotones

duotone

photograph and

also possible to take a black-and-white

a colorful subject

halftone with the

four-color process, and, of

full

course, you don't need to have an original

browner

ink).

and separate

it

though

as

it

were

full-color

And there is such a thing as

made of two black plates (one

process, resulting in the richest printed effect.

double-dot printing, where the duotone

perhaps a
a

little

There

grayish) that,
is

when combined,

Running type

in

brownish, a

brown

a color that

bluish, or

little

give a velvety richness to the pictures.

nothing esoteric about these techniques;

(Warning: Avoid printing halftones

you happen to be using

like

is

slightly tinted black that prints a little

in color;
is

all

you need

is

money.

they look washed out unless

appropriate to the subject matter,

that symbolizes age.)

color
You should do

this

words,

is

if

there

only

if

enough

the color

contrast

is

strong enough to be legible

the darkness of the color. Furthermore,

and weight

a type size

bolder. That

out type

in

is

the

that will give

same

it is

also wise to set the

for the

principle you

reduced

other

in

need

to

legibility of

words

in

make it bigger and

remember when you drop

ample area

for ink:

white from a background. By making

compensate

between the whiteness of the paper and

it

bigger and bolder you

reversed type.

How color separations are made

Turning original

art into plates for

process color printing

specialized technique. There are three

1.

common

is

a highly

ways.

Conventional separations. The original artwork, photograph, or

transparency

exposures

in

is

placed

in a

process color camera, which makes four separate

the four subtractive primary colors: magenta (often called

"process red"), cyan (often called "process blue"), yellow, and black. These
negatives are continuous-tone

(i.e.,

not screened) negatives and can be

modified to some degree to correct or change the colors.

When

they are

ready, they are converted to screened negatives or positives from which

the plates are made.

Direct-screen separations. This

2.

is

a faster

technique that skips the

conversion step from continuous-tone negatives to screened negatives, thus

making color correction more

difficult.

Other than

process

that, the

is

similar to the conventional separation process in that the four halftone

negatives are used to

make

which proofs are made.

a proof, or are

When

the film

is

converted into positives from

corrected,

it

is

used for exposing

the actual printing plate.

Color-scanner separations. The scanner

3.

machine

in

which the

original transparency

light-sensing stylus travels over

it;

is

is

an automated electronic

placed on a

drum and

by means of a computer

procedure,

the least expensive.

it is

of the equipment,

the

Proofs to check

what

skill

however

quality

Its

(for instance,

activates

it

another stylus that exposes the screened film separations. Since

it is

a very fast

depends on the sophistication

with or without laser?), as well as

of the machine's operator.

you'll

be getting

Three methods of proofing are commonly employed:

1.

Color keys. This 3-M system

is

the most economical.

It

consists of

one upon the other; each has been

chemically treated with a light-sensitized pigment (such as the four process
colors) and is then exposed and developed like any photographic material,
yielding a color image on translucent plastic. Placing one sheet atop the
sheets of acetate superimposed

next gives you a

good

what the printed

idea of

effect

is

four sheets are superimposed, however, a grayish cast

layers of the acetate itself

and

is

bound

likely to be.

is

When

created by the

to alter the accuracy of the color.

Accuracy, therefore, cannot be expected from color keys, but they are a

most useful guide, especially

2.

Cromalins.

for

Made from

checking stripping of

tints in colors.

positive film, the cromalin consists of a

sheet of paper to which a thin sheet of photosensitive film has been applied

whose image becomes visible when a powder of the appropriate color is

spread on it. A second exposure is made for the second color, a third for
the next and so on, until the full series has been built up. The sandwich is
then topped off by a protective layer of

plastic.

It is

an accurate preview of

the final product. (Watch out for the jargon: you have a set of separations

"cromed,"
the

i.e.,

made

into cromalins. Don't confuse the verb

noun chrome, which describes

3.

Press proofs.

press proof

which have been printed

Obviously
inks,

it

is

in a

expensive, and

is

that will finally

on

it is

a small proofing press.

printed

may be

be used. Furthermore, greater care

individualized run than on the fast run. So the result

perhaps not worth the expense.

slide.)

not completely reliable since the press, the

and possibly even the paper on which

from those

35mm

an actual printed version of the plates.

small quantity
is

"cromed" with

a transparency larger than a

may be

is

different

taken on an

misleading, and

Progressive proofs
Process color printing

done

is

in a

standard sequence:

yellow

first,

on the sheet, followed by magenta, and then cyan, and the black
as the top layer.

color,

If

the press has a

cylinder carrying a special matched

fifth

would probably go down

it

placed

is

prints last

although

last,

aspect of the sequence

this

could vary. Progressive proofs or progs are paper proofs printed as press
proofs showing each individual color by

combinations
get

in a

sequence

as well as

itself,

a stack of sheets that are stapled together

is

the various

all

matches the printing sequence. What you

that

and

that look very impressive

indeed, which you examine, nodding sagely and hoping for the best. The

purpose of progs, of course,

made. The bottom sheet

the next

one over

then yellow

blue;

yellow

black;

yellow
yellow

+
+

is

red

red

black;

red

blue

black,

wistfully

black;

yellow

blue

i.e.,

is

the

first

that

need

to

be

color to go down),

then blue;

red;

+ blue;
+ black;
+ black; red + blue +

yellow

blue;

red

on the corrections

to decide

then yellow

black;

You may often

is

yellow (since that

red,

is

it

red

blue

the final image

wonder what

on

is

would be

it

black;

top.

like to

have the

courage to use only three of the four colors, because the red/yellow/black

combination

often so

is

much more

of your original photograph. But

Proofs

show

fun than the realistic full-color rendition

you shrug

off that

temptation.

color bars along the bottom edge of the paper. These are

standardized according to specifications set up by the Magazine Publishers

Association and are references to the quality of the printing process

terms of the amounts of

in

and densities that are being produced.

ink, trapping,

How to correct color proofs

The character
depends on
different
for

to

which depends on

of a transparency,

light shining

through

cannot possibly be duplicated by a printed version whose impression

film,

it,

its

light

being reflected off a sheet of paper. They are two quite

mediums. You must, therefore, take

examine the printed

own

characteristics.

result

terms what they ought to do

Y & K*")? Of course

not!

on

Do you
You

(for instance, "

them

tell

this into

tell

that matters.

effect that you, as editor,

Is

it

with respect

the technicians

+ 15 blue-5 mag,

as clearly

and precisely

your reactions to the colors as interpretations of the

on your readers

account, compensate

own, and analyze

its

attempt to

story.

It

is

in

o.k.

technical

on

as possible

the effect

the effect created by the reproduction the

wish to have created?

If

not, then say so.

If

the

object looks too green, write on the proof "Too green" and draw an arrow
to the outline of the area that offends you.

and
to

dull, write

"Too

dull,

make more

If

the whole picture looks

contrasting."

flat

you think there ought

be more sparkle, say "Emphasize highlights." Instructions such as these

are qualitative criticisms that will be interpreted

technician.
It is

is

You

tell

how

produce

can you be sure they

shorthand for

in

technical terms by the

them what you need done from your point

their expertise that will

But
*K

If

blac/c to distinguish

it

it

will

of view.

for you.

do

it?

from blue.

If

you have the time and

money, you can order

especially

second

your supplier

If

That

set of proofs.

and hope that the printed

instructions will be followed

done, however,

rarely

is

You assume

a respected house.

is

that your

result

(which

will

somewhat different from the proof anyway) will be what you

be. What happens in practice, of course, is that by the time the

inevitably be

hope

to

it

piece

printed you have forgotten the minutiae that irritated you about the

is

You see the piece

proofs.

complete object unto

minuscule carpings

in its

the

itself,

and those

entirety from a totally different angle

way

the reader will see

somehow seem

to matter

much

it

less

as a

than they did before.

Squinting through a 4" x 5" transparency into a 60-watt light bulb will

make

the colors look very different from the

same image looked

at against

the bright blue sky. The industry has set up standards for viewing originals

and printed versions

and supplier. So

if

in

order to prevent misunderstanding between client

you use

a great deal of color,

it is

wise to invest

box that has the controlled standardized lighting sources

light

transparencies, and set up a space that

How to get more color for less

correctly

lit

for

viewing proofs.

common

focus. This

means simply that

were

subjects are color-separated simultaneously as though they

large overall piece, plus a

made). The limitations:

reflection copy,

premium

a single

for every unit of

one

for

similar density of color.

You

which the entire piece

originals have to be either transparencies or

all

because you can't mix them

be to the same focus

single
can't

in

probably ruin both extremes.

one batch;

camera action; and

mix

pale,

Lastly,

all

all

originals

must have

must

overexposed pictures with dark,

underexposed ones because the camera needs

will

several

reducing the unit cost (although, obviously, you have to pay for a very

unit,

is

in a

viewing

investment

By ganging up or

is

for

to

be

you must

set for a

clearly

median

that

your material

fit

maximum size that the supplier's equipment can produce in one

both in maximum film size and in maximum copyboard size (the holder

into the

shot,
in

which the

originals are inserted for processing).

Duping

2.

to size.

If

your originals are not

reduced to the same

all

focus and thus cannot be ganged up, you can have duplicate transparencies

made

to the correct size that

before

it is

separation than to
3.

you need.

It is

cheaper to copy

separated (duplicating or "duping"

Page positioning.

as well have the

it)

and gang

it

photograph

up

for the

have individual separations made.

If

you are going to be duping anything, you might

dupes composed so

that they are

mounted on

acetate

exactly as they will appear in print and are turned into separations that way.

That dramatically reduces the stripping charges: every time you have a color
picture, the printer

must

strip four individual pieces of film

(one each for

the red, yellow, blue, and black elements), and each strip costs a given price.
If

you have,

charges. But

say, four pictures

if

on the page, you

will

you page-position them, you pay

be paying for 16

strip

for only four stripping

charges. The duping lab or prep house needs an accurate mechanical to

indicate

which photo goes where and

at

what focus and cropping.

What

Paper has physical characteristics that affect the recipient's psychological

reaction. Heavy, dull-coated, expensive-looking material

you need
to

know

carrying matter of greater value than newsprint might.

on newsprint

away

are filed

is

likely to

for future reference.

Yet information

heavy or

more

Your choice

is

is

is

printed

very few newspapers

Annual reports are something else again!

far

more valuable than the

is

importantly, the feel of the stock

a direct

the paper

printed.

light? Stiff or

Crinkly or flabby?

interpreted as

the annual report. The perceived value

in

on which the materia!

Is it

life

newspaper may well be

in that

pap usually found

result of the looks and,

about
paper

have a very short shelf

is

Whatever

Handmade

floppy? Rough or smooth

or machine

made?

in

texture?

Slick or pulp?

probably going to have to be based on several

criteria:

appropriateness to the product and to the audience you are reaching;

what

is

compatible with your printer's presses; what

designer suggests; and

money. Paper

what

costs have risen so

much

that they

have absorbed a large

proportion of the production budget, and you

may

on second

crucial in

However, the stock you use

best.

what your

available;

is

probably going to sway your decision most

is

is

reader of the value of your product, and that's

need

well

why you

to

compromise

persuading your
should invest more

paper than you might otherwise think.

in

With

want

that as a philosophy,

paper?

in

knowledge, where
to a point.

how do you go about

a dauntingly complicated

It is

common

specifying

what you

and specialized area of

sense and observation can only serve you up

There are technicalities you must know about

in

order to

make

confident decisions. Your printer will probably be your prime source of

information and advice, and

likely that you'll

it is

has available or recommends. That materia!

he

is

The

using by

its

printer buys

size (sheet or rolls)

it

in

bulk, keeps

it

supply

it

it

If

resells

it

to the

customer

stock,

at

you can

you can buy it independently and

You might even save some money that way,

may

far

outweigh such savings.

paper manufacturers promote their products actively with printed

samples, free

dummies made

promotional materials of
gladly

and

you want special

for you, or

to the printer yourself.

but the aggravation and need for expertise

All

be using whatever stock he

coordinated to the presses

and appropriateness or "runability."

in stock,

a markup, as part of the printing service.

ask the printer to order

is

come

all

to discuss your

to

your specification on request, and

sorts, as well as sales representatives

who will

needs and suggest solutions. Find them

in

the

Yellow Pages under "Paper Distributors."

But before you

start,

you had better bone up on

few fundamentals to

understand what paper dealers are talking about.

How big

is

a piece of paper?
It

depends

printing

is

and

that's the

done on sheets

problem.
that are

(except photocopying, which

is

In

paper everything depends! Most

much

larger than the final

page

done on the standard 8y2" x 11"

size

sheets;

3V2" X 14" and 8^

2'"

your finished page

may

x 17"

be available). However,

also

the trim size,

size,

is

8V2" x 11".

is

It

assume

us

let

likely that

will

it

that

be

run on a sheet of paper that measures 11" x 17" and thus will yield a four-page
signature, printing

two pages

(to

to each side.

A 16-page

an eight-page signature.

sheet of 17" x 22" paper yields

signature

fits

onto a 23" x 35" sheet

see typical impositions, see page 96). Printing four pages on each side

at a

time

time

is

called "four up"; eight at a time

is

In fact,

the paper

comes

yet a

around the edges to be trimmed

and

is

called "eight up"; 16 at a

brilliant!

bigger, allowing a sliver of paper

little

after the sheet has

been printed and folded

ready to be bound. The economics of printing and the cost of paper

is

you work within the standardized

dictate that

you should consider always printing

have to take waste into account

in

in

size system.

That

why
why you

also

is

multiples of four pages and

planning your impositions.

But the plot thickens: Paper sizes, even the standard ones, vary

according to the grade of paper.

Bond paper, used

and business forms, comes

for letters

in

a standard

17" X 22" size.

Book paper,

offset paper

and coated paper, each

their particular printing purposes,

Newsprint comes

come

in

specifically

made

for

standard 25" x 38" sheets.

sheets that measure 24" x 36".

in

Text paper, used for booklets and brochures that warrant color and

comes

texture,

25" x 38" size.

in a

Cover stock, often coordinated with

made

to a

much

You need

text

paper

in

color and texture but

heavier weight, measures 20" x 26" as a standard size.

to

know

the kind of paper and thus the standard size of the

sheet before discussing:

Basis weight
Briefly defined,

it

the weight

is

of that particular grade.

about

a stack of

pounds

in

you have

If

500 sheets of

text

of a

a "basis

ream (500 sheets)

the size

in

80 text," you are actually talking

paper that would weigh 80

lbs.,

each

sheet measuring 25" x 38". That same paper can also be referred to as
"80-lb. text." So

and

far, this is

list

not

difficult.

What

is

frustrating

paper manufacturers don't

availability tables,

500 sheets, but

everything

in

talk in

is

that in price

terms of a ream of

multiples of 1000 sheets, or two reams, or one

160 M.
that same 80-lb. text has to be seen in the tables as 25" x 38"
To complicate your life somewhat further, the basic sizes mentioned
here are only reference numbers used for defining basis weight. The paper can

"M." So

actually

be purchased

are also

all

Lest

in all sorts

sorts of different basis

you should think

of other sizes, and, needless to say, there

weights

made

in

that the complexities of

the various paper grades.

paper nomenclature and

cataloging have been fully explained, be of good cheer

they have

not.

Should you be talking about business paper, the kind you type or write on, a

whole different system

substance weight

is

used. Instead of basis weight, you talk about

measurement

of a

ream (500 sheets) of paper measuring

17" X 22" from which ledger, bond, manifold, and mimeograph papers are
cut.

So

in this area,

your symbols are "Sub-16," "Sub-20," or "Sub-24."

163

Weight
piece

have

go

in

lighter.

flimsier,

an important consideration

at the

you are mailing

number

dummy

of pages in

of the
it

and

may well have to retrench a little and

necessarily make your product feel cheaper or

post office. You

may

But that

if

wise to ask the paper supplier to make a

It is

the stock you expect to use with the right

weighed

it

may be

of stock

your publication.

not

because you have to consider the next attribute of paper, which

is:

Bulking and thickness

This

is

measure of the thickness of

caliper in the trade)

know

that figure.

in

paper (referred to as

a single sheet of

thousandths of an inch, or mils. You don't need to

What you do need

to realize,

however,

is

that

it

is

perfectly

possible for one piece of paper to measure fatter or thinner than another, yet

both weigh the same. Thickness depends on the degree of squeezing that
the paper underwent

have

a piece of

in

the manufacturing process. So

paper that weighs

is

it

reasonable to

yet feels thicker than another. For a

less,

publication that consists of just a few pages, a thicker-feeling sheet will add

bulk and apparent weight.

In

papers used for manufacturing books, bulk

of the thickness of a single sheet, but rather

in

is

not measured

terms

in

terms of number of pages

per inch (ppi).

The whole archaic measuring system

we now have

into the complexity

course.

The period

of transition

is

that has evolved over the centuries

perforce, be converted to metric in

will,

due

time to contemplate with trepidation.

Show-through and opacity

If

you can see the printing from one side through the other side of the

paper, you have show-through. Clearly, the thickness of the paper has

something to do with
likely to have.

But

it

this:

may

The thicker

down on show-through even

in a

the less show-through you are

very thin sheet.

has a low basis weight and high bulk

paper, but the fibers

may be

through to the other

side.

this

is,

the paper. Adding mineral

in

You have

it

not necessarily be thickness alone, because opacity

can be affected by chemicals

may

can cut

fillers

And having

a sheet that

give you a thick-feeling piece of

so loosely packed that the ink gets sucked

to see printed samples to

problem. The question that

show-through are you willing to

really
live

make an

intelligent

concerns you

is

this:

judgment on

How much

with? The less the paper costs, the

greater the likelihood of show-through.

Brightness
Brightness
will

is

an important quality

in

paper because

appear. The brighter the piece of paper, the

you can expect to have

in

it

more

affects the

way

your black-and-white photos. Fluorescent

brighteners can be added to the paper to create startling effects. But

don't have

many

the brightness

is

pictures

sparkle and contrast

photos, or

if

if

you

they are not important to your publication,

not a quality you should need to pay a

premium

price for.

Shininess
Shininess

up the

usually achieved by coating the paper with chemicals that close

is

The surface can appear

surface.

shininess

any degree of

dull or glossy, or

between. But whatever that degree of shininess may be, the

in

coated printing surface has been

made

to

have better ink "hold-out" or

resistance to absorption than uncoated stocks have.

To reproduce halftones

better. Screens

Why do you

need

it?

have better definition and better

density on coated paper than you could expect on uncoated paper. That

why you

much

can use

finer screens

on coated paper

up

is

to 150-line or

On the other hand, the shinier the paper is, the more difficult
becomes to read the text because of the mirror effect caused by highlights
on that paper. Readers see a greater value in "slick" publications than they
do in "pulps," so you have that aspect of value judgment to consider in
even 200-line.
it

your decision making.

Finishes
These

affect the

smoothness of paper and are the

result of the

manufacturing

process. As the sheet of paper passes through the various rollers

papermaking machine, the number and texture of those

Uncoated book papers may be produced

final surface.

in

the

rollers affects the

the following

in

degrees of smoothness: antique (the roughest), eggshell, vellum, English

finish,

machine

finish (the smoothest).* Further

smoothness can be produced

by coating. Textures can also be embossed on the sheet by passing

machine

yet another

produces patterns such as

that

linen,

it

through

tweed, pebble,

and more.

Wove paper
lines within

it.

has a uniformly smooth surface. Laid paper has parallel

Offset papers have been coated with sizing to

surface less porous and prevent the water

in

make

the

the ink from seeping into the

fibers of the paper.

Colored stock
We are

used to white paper.

black ink

is

It

yields the best results as far as contrast with

concerned. Whether

recent tests have

shown

this

is

in fact

the ideal

that that very contrast

may be

is

arguable:

Some

detrimental to

readership and that a gentler contrast, such as you get by printing black on
light grey,

might be much

be helpful

in

An

better. (Lessening the contrast has

unlimited palette of colors

Antique paper

is

been found

to

helping dyslexic children read.)

is

available from various paper

one whose surface has been neither polished

(also called

calendered) nor

coated. Eggshell finishes give uncoated paper a nonglossy, soft effect and are frequently
used for antique papers. Vellum finishes on paper result in smooth, somewhat waxlike feel
and some translucency. A smooth paper that has been calendered but not glossed is called
English finish, while machine finish signifies paper that has been smoothed by passing
through several rolls of the calendering machine. These and other paper terms may be
found in The Bookman's Glossary, Sixth Edition, edited by Jean Peters (New York: Bowker,
Franck (New York:
1983), and Dictionary of Publishing by David Brownstone and
I.

Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1982).

manufacturers.

Is it

why

wise to use colored stock? Yes,

and wisely, and

carefully

not

appropriate to the product

if it is

if it is

used

hand. Problems

at

to look out for:

on colored stock usually makes them appear

Printing halftones

1.

muddy and

we

dingy. That's because the highlights (which

expect to appear

"white") cannot be any lighter than the color of the paper on which they
are printed. Color, however,

blueness,

is

a question not merely of the

blueness), as well as the value (the darkness or lightness,

in

hue (redness,

but also of the chroma (the intensity of that redness or

etc.)

black and white to grayness).

If

i.e.,

the equivalent

your colored paper has a dark value, the

highlights cannot help but appear dark, dull, and lifeless.

Printing

2.

in

colored ink atop colored stock

as a trick to get attention or to give

But

playing with

it is

at

is

potentially very exciting

your publication

terms of

legibility

its

own

and reader

before committing yourself to a plunge of

test run

look

fire in

special character.

fatigue. Invest in a

this nature.

By

all

means,

the promotion material put out by the paper companies. They

make you

delight the eye with such things, and

wistful for their

freedom and

excitement, their quality and originality. But be aware of the fact that on

those promotion pieces, the tricks depend on the most subtle uses of various
kinds of inks
rotation

transparent and opaque running colors

(i.e.,

know about

what gets printed on top

these

tricks.

notes printed on the

3.

future,

unexpected

in detail in

the technical

page of those promotion pieces.

The color you choose ought

will

remain

in

stock for the foreseeable

is it

to

become one

is,

of course, that the

more

special your color

to remain in stock for a long time.

selling widely,

companies keep

of your recognition

the logo, the typography, and the shape of the piece

like

The paradox

less likely

fairly

They are always spelled out

Be sure that the particular color

symbols, just

from

in

and so on. You had better

and that your next issue won't have to be printed on a different

material.

overall.

last

of what)

and

is

it

in stock.

Its

is,

the

specialness prevents

it

obviously the wide sellers that the paper

Therefore, you are most likely to wind up with a

ordinary-looking color because of

its

dependable

availability.

Newsprint
Anything that

printed on newsprint gains an aura of newsworthiness from

is

the expectation that newsprint has built up

tradition. This built-in

in

the recipient over a long

advantage balances the negative perception of the

cheapness and, therefore, the lack of permanent value of the piece that

is

printed on newsprint. That built-in newsiness needs to be supported and

paralleled,

however, by the styling of the

characteristic

written, the

is

to

way

rest of the

product

if its

positive

be turned to your advantage. Thus, the way the copy

the headlines are handled, the

and chosen, the way the cut

way

is

the pictures are placed

lines (captions) are written

all

should add up

to a well-thought-through package appropriate to the physical material.

A new,

heavier version of newsprint

color well, and

its

ground wood stock

perceived value
(a

is

is

gaining wide acceptance.

It

runs

greater than that of the regular light

slang term for newsprint).

Envelopes
In
If

the planning of any publication,

that includes mailing, then

it

is

it is

wise to take distribution into account.

merely

envelope with the contents so that they

style.

Chances are

common
fit

sense to coordinate the

physically, as well as in terms of

it

Cheapest, of course, are the ready-made envelopes that

standard
The most

common

envelope

sizes:

papers

sizes. Large-size

the brown

Remember

same
bond paper.

that standard-size envelopes are available in the

color and texture of paper that you are using inside, be

text or

come

in all sorts of

envelopes for bulky or heavy mailing use

stuff also generally available in

kraft

white or gray.

that envelopes also have a variety of features: the type of

on the short or the long dimension; a

seam placements on the back of the envelope; with or without
adhesive, button, string, clasp; with or without windows; and so on. Your

flap (square or pointed); the flap

variety of

# 93Va"x87e"
#10 V/b"x9V2"
#11-^1/2" xioys"

printer can supply

you with a chart showing the range of materials,

and finishes available to choose from

envelopes.

in

the ready-made and

sizes,

custom-made

what you
absolutely
The way the piece

III

^T

be printed and bound

will

the copy, what you can do with

product, what to expect

know

it,

how

far

affects the

way you prepare

you can go to embellish the

terms of quality of reproduction

in

and the degree of excellence

in

your pictures,

of the overall product that will reflect

on you

and your organization. The choice of reproduction technique depends on

a

about

number

of interrelated factors:

The

1.

print run

(how many copies you

will

need) and the frequency

of publishing.

printing,

2.

The

3.

The kind of

availability of printing suppliers in

commercial

folding,

machinery

binding.

vicinity.

printing).

The

4.

your

service they can supply (quick reproduction or full-scale

availability of in-house

in

equipment (photocopying or mimeo

the basement or on your desk top).

5.

The existence

6.

The scheduling of your production (whether you need rush

of printing contracts,

if

any.
service

while you wait, or whether you are so well organized you can spare a few

3nCl

days

finishing

can be a nuisance, but

at

the end).

7.

The need

whose

cost

8.

the

for color (passing

it

is

through the press once for each color

cheaper than printing on

The distance from the

office to the printer (the further

more difficult it becomes to make those

9. Money, of course. Money isn't just a

itself,

but

in

a multicolor press,

balanced by the simplicity and speed of production).

is

away you

factor in the cost of the printing

other aspects of the production process

the comparative cost

of the paper appropriate to the machinery to be used; the cost of your

time devoted to running

professionals;

Here
can be

is

made

and so
list

it

yourself, as

it

compared

to buying the service

own
from

forth.
in printing. No specific recommendations
many requirements, and individual situations

of the basic options

since there are so

have to be taken into account

Stenciling

are,

inevitable last-minute changes).

in

any decision.

yourself
The most primitive reproduction method
is

the

spirit

duplicator

reminiscent of school examinations.

two sheets

for runs of

up to about 100 copies

that rather smelly, smeary purple-inked product so

of paper; the

image

is

It is

dye carbon transfer process using

transferred onto the master from the back

of the top sheet, which, like carbon paper, bears a coating of dye carbon.
In turn,

the printed copies pick up an image of that dye

passed over the master

in

when

they are

the press. Naturally, the master gets weaker and

paler and the type fuzzier as the run progresses.

Mimeographing
This

also a direct-stencil

is

method

of reproduction,

that used to have to be "cut" by the editor.

The

which

stencil

porous material coated with a waxy substance that

is

is

utilizes a stencil

made

of a thin,

punctured by typewriter

when

keys or any other sharp instrument. Ink passes through such breaks
stencil

placed on a press between the ink

is

and paper

roll

Although the term "mimeograph" was the name of

become the
whose machinery
it

has

for

moving

the

be printed on.

to

machine,

a specific

generic term for this kind of reproduction, no matter

and "escalator"

actually used (like "frigidaire" for icebox

is

There are a number of manufacturers actively

staircase).

improving, promoting,

selling,

and servicing such equipment.

The image that a mimeographed publication has on the recipient is that

homemade, comparatively inexpensive product. Thus, it can have all the
advantages of intimate, in-group personalization. The image mimeographed
of a

publications produce
stencils,

problems

the

in

mind

of the editor

is

one

of struggles with

making corrections, and time-consuming

in

That used to be the case, but

it

is

by no means so any more,

frustration.

now

that

made at comparatively low cost from copy

same way as for offset or photocopying. This enables

electronic stencils can be

prepared exactly the

you to use display type, drawings, and even photographs (screened

rather coarse-looking 85-line screen, but better than nothing).

advantage of
costs less to

mimeo

buy or

cheaper stock

is

moderate expense. The machinery

is its

lease,

and the paper you use needs

make good sense

you can

to get a

also control

it

equipment

machine

yourself.

for

doing

is
it

It

(It

comes

also

not difficult to use,

yourself,

Such control has

convenience, cheapness, and precision.

simple, so

is

built-in

it

could

advantages:

also has disadvantages: messiness,

the need for periodic maintenance, lots of space devoted only to

when

it

in a

because that way

time required for upkeep, preparation, running, and washing

the problems that arise

it

to be porous, so

technically the correct kind to be using.

variety of pale colors.) Since the

to a

great

its

off, as

use,

well as

refuses to perform halfway through the run.

Photocopying and xerography

Electrostatic printing or xerography

dry ink

powder

to

fall

depends on

electric charges to organize

on blank paper where marks on the

original

sensed by the equipment. The ink particles hurtle into position

filings

heat.

responding to

magnet and

The new machinery can

print

paper are

like iron

are permanently fused onto the paper by

on both sides of the paper on

a variety of

sheet sizes up to 11" x 17", produce up to 150 copies a minute, and separate,

same pass. Needless to say, the per-copy cost

more economical than offset, however, if the
number of copies needed is small but good quality is required.
One disadvantage of photocopying: It can only be done in black.
Therefore, to make a more colorful product, you must either use colored
collate,
is

and even staple

higher than mimeo;

it

in

the

is

stock or have your logo preprinted

your text

In

in

color (on colored stock

!)

and imprint

a subsequent operation.

169

Letterpress
The method used by Gutenberg, who invented movable type,
use, although the

Letterpress

is

some

in

also called relief printing because the parts that are to print

stand out above the nonprinting background; the ink

those

is still

technology has been considerably improved since 1437!

bumps and

is,

in

turn, transferred to the

made under considerable pressure,

That is why exact duplicates, called

paper

applied by rollers to

is

an impression that

in

damaging the

often

is

original metal pieces.

electroplates or electros, are

made.

Halftones are etched on photo-sensitive copper sheets with acid and then

attached to

wooden

the type. The type

blocks that are assembled on the stone together with

is

cast into line lengths

made

of lead (actually a specially formulated alloy)

on the linotype

machine,

(line of type!)

after

each

line

of text has been assembled as a sequence of individual letter molds.

Page makeup

is

copied from the layout, or

prepared from proofs of the type and the cuts

trays called galleys

when

"galley" for a long

column of raw

comes

it

dummy,

that the editors have

word

the old

(that's

The type, by the way,

halftones, or illustrations of any kind).

is

for

stored on long

machine; hence, the word

off the linotype

type.

Offset
Offset lithography, photo-offset, litho, sheet-fed offset,
variations

on the basic technology of planography,

done from

flat

surface.

The

on which

principle

it

water don't mix. The surface of the printing plate

in
is

is

web

offset

are

all

which the printing

based

is

simple: Oil and

is

chemically treated

in

such a way that the areas that print attract ink and repel water, whereas the
areas that
It is

do not

print attract

called lithography

developed

it

around 1796

water and repel

ink.

stone printing because Aloys Senefelder

as a

method

of printing from slabs of limestone,

on which he drew with greasy pencil and which he then covered with

The greasy

parts

were unaffected, but the

Paper pressed onto the stone picked up the

that

adhered to the greasy

ink,

but not from the parts that were merely wet with water.

The reason why

it is

parts.

acid.

clear parts later repelled the ink

called offset

is

quite logical. Although fine artists

continue using the old method of lithography for their special purposes,

no longer

print

from slabs of limestone

plates are

made

of metal or plastic and

on the

press; then the ink

plate onto a

is

transferred

in

commercial

wrapped around

the ink onto the sheet of paper passing beneath

Sheet-fed offset describes a process

sheets of paper.

paper

is

Web offset

cylinders or rollers

set off, or offset

smooth rubber blanket on a second

in

roller,

from the printing

which,

which the press

is

cut into signature-sized sheets after the printing has

Plates or masters are

made

of

aluminum,

plastic,

short runs of perhaps five thousand copies that

not be finer than 100

lines.

in turn, prints

it.

fed precut

defines a press fed with paper from

detail in the halftones, usually

we

printing. Instead,

rolls;

the

been done.

or treated paper. For

do not require too much

fine

paper plates are used. Halftone screens should

This kind of offset printing

is

produced by the

fast-print shops,

whether chain or individually owned, that

storefront premises

maximum

to a

occupy

restricted

of 11" x 17" paper size and have a limited stock of papers to

choose from. The quality they produce can

equipment

typically

shopping centers. Such shops are probably

in

as well as the

remarkably good for the

Commercial

skill

vary,

depending on the

of the people involved, but

it

is

usually

price.

printers are expected to deliver far better quality: finer

halftones with better detail using up to 150-line screens; an unlimited

variety of paper stock; far wider variety of folding capabilities; larger sheet
sizes (17" X 22" or

8-page forms

at the

normal SVi" x 11" page

size, or

23" X 35" or 16-page forms). The availability of such paper sizes

press time

is

much more

is

means shorter time on press to run off a job, and

major cost factor in printing. Commercial printers also provide

advantageous because

it

accurate registration, better color work, and certainly better

stripping and make-ready (preparation of the press for running the job just

They

so).

will

supply you with a

list

customs that

of trade

printer's, as well as the customer's, obligations

spell

out the

and expectations.

Gravure
It

is

unlikely that you will be using either letterpress or gravure, but

mentioned here
works

in

for the sake of

the opposite

it

is

completeness. Gravure or intaglio printing

way from

letterpress. Instead of the printing areas

being raised above the nonprinting background, they are cut or incised into
the printing plate by engraving or by etching with acid. These hollows, then,
are filled with ink (the rest of the plate being cleaned off with a doctor
blade).

The paper

to

be printed on

then forced onto the plate under great

is

pressure, and the paper sucks the ink out of the plate.

Rotogravure means that the press uses cylinders to which the plates are
attached; sheet-fed gravure

is

much slower

paper moves through the press one sheet

flatbed process

at a

of reproduction can be achieved. Rotogravure

time
is

faster,

tell

quality

and many national

magazines and newspaper color supplements are produced

Can you

where the

and the highest

in this

manner.

the difference between offset, letterpress, and gravure?

Easily:

Examine

ink lies flat

a single letter

and smooth

all

under a linen

over,

it is

offset.

tester or
If

there

is

8x-power

the edges, resulting from the metal being forced into the paper,
letterpress.

Why
friends

need

If

tell

If

the

it is

it is

gravure.

the difference? To impress your

and confound your enemies. But watch out! There are traps that

to be avoided.

electronically

such

the edges of the letter are zigzag, then

should you want to be able to

loupe.

a flare of ink around

letters

Some new

and builds each

typesetting machinery produces letters

letter

up from

tiny dots.

can resemble gravure under the enlarging

more than you can

The

overall outline of

glass, so

don't bet

afford to lose.

171


what happens

after printing?
If

your publication

nothing
it.

But

is

printed on a single piece of paper distributed

the rest of this chapter will interest you, and you

in

that publication

if

mind the

last series

is

more complex, then

a bit

it is

may

flat,

then

as well skip

essential to bear in

They can cause

of steps following the actual printing.

problems and annoying delays unless they are understood and taken
into account.

The

printer

your best source of advice and information because

is

folding, collating, binding,

and finishing usually come under

whether the actual work

subcontracted to a bindery or not. As

is

aspects of the print production process,

it

is

other

in all

wise to collect samples of

done and use them

printed pieces that you think are well

his contract

for reference

when

discussing your needs with your suppliers. The trouble with such samples
that they are probably beautiful, flamboyant,

quality (or else

is

Paper has grain that

you wouldn't have noticed them, would you?). That's why

wise to remember White's observation of the facts of

it's

life: If

you

like

it

it,

too expensive.

affects
As paper

proper utilization

its

is

made, the

fibers of

to the direction of flow

which

in

which the pulp consists tend

through the machine. That

turn affects the utilization of the paper

to turn parallel

what creates

is

two ways.

in

grain cracks the surface

the paper

stiffer in

helps the pages to turn

it

is

and creates a rough edge. Second, the grain makes

said to

binding edge of the publication because that

more

easily

and

the

way

the piece

is

be useful

After a sheet of paper has been printed

a small sheet (of four pages) or an

into a folding

lie flat. If this is

be grain long.

How various ways of folding the sheet can

is

folding

against the

it

the direction of the grain; therefore, the grain should run

parallel with the folded or

planned,

a grain,

First,

the paper with the grain yields a smooth fold, whereas folding

it

is

and unusual pieces of high

machine

on both sides

enormous one

that buckles, creases,

booklet form. (The signature

is

made

no matter whether
64 pages)
fed
(of

and folds

it is

into a signature or

it

of multiples of four pages.)

passed on for trimming, where three guillotines

slice off

It is

then

excess paper from

the outside, head, and foot margins.

For stock that

is

too heavy or too thick to fold

easily,

scoring

is

preliminary operation to folding. Scoring creases the sheet wherever a fold

should

fall

and

is

somewhat

tricky, for

from cracking, and therefore

it

its

purpose

must be done

is

right.

press rather than on the folding

machine because

controlled. In any case, though,

it is

essential to

it

to prevent the
It is

best

paper

done on the

can be more accurately

emboss, or

raise a

bump

in,

the paper, which should be facing into the inside of the fold.

There are two basic folds possible on a machine:

parallel

and right-angle

Here are

folds.

(8

few

typical folder styles

Accordion fold

Letter fold (6 pages)

Accordion fold

(6

whose names you might

French fold

pages)

Two

pages)

(8

One

pages)

find useful.

parallel folds (8 pages)

parallel,

two right-angle

folds (16 pages)

If

a piece

is

not folded

in half,

it

is

called a short fold

These aspects of publication making

people

who

only need to

know about them

absorb the technicalities and can

as a

some

Single foldout

Half-page foldout

Full

If

horizontal booklet

there are a

number

process, whether

it

means

to an end.

shown

Once you

they can be

utilize their potential,

important. Here are a few of these simple folds

give your product

are, admittedly, rather dull for

in

uses that could

surprising effects.*

Double foldout

Accordion foldout

Small booklet stitched

Booklet with perforated lap

of signatures to be assembled in proper sequence, the

be hand done or machine produced,

is

called collating.

*For more on this see Jan V. White, Editing by Design, Second Edition (New York:
R. R.

Bowker, 1982),

p. 76.

Binding
There are seven basic methods of assembling pieces of paper.
1.

Simple folding to hold the sheets together without recourse to

mechanical means. Newspapers are a typical example.

2.

Stapling,

whether by hand or machine, which

is

a satisfactory

technique for simple publications using typewriter (or equivalent)

typesetting and local reproduction processes

(in

low-budget products). The top left-hand corner

staple

need

parallel to the left-hand

to attach

other words, low-circulation,

is

the usual position for the

edge or top edge or on the diagonal.

more than three pages,

it

If

you

might be wise to explore the

possibility of printing the piece as a four-page unit, thus avoiding

stapling altogether.
3.

Saddle stitching, which entails driving staples through the fold of the

The number of staples needed depends upon the number

more pages, the more staples. Most magazines are saddle
stitched because it is the cheapest method of holding the pages together,
and, more importantly, it allows the pages to lie flat when the piece

backbone or

spine.

of pages: the

is

opened.
4.

Side-wire stitching, which involves driving the staples through the

face of the stack of signatures Va" from the backbone. Side-wire stitching

is

used for heavy-bulk products such as National Geographic Magazine, for

instance.

Its

gutter for the staples, and

if

the stock

An extra-deep margin must be allowed

disadvantages:

is

is

it

a struggle to

at

the

keep the pages open, especially

heavy. Side-wire stitching also requires separate covers to be

attached after the signatures have been stitched together.

5.

Perfect binding,

which holds the pages together by means of glue

that remains flexible for a long time.

When

collated, the spines are scraped, leaving a

adhesive

is

adhesive to

binding

is

the signatures have been

roughened surface onto which

applied. As in side-wire stitching, a cover must be attached to the

make

the product look neatly finished. The advantage of perfect

that pages

lie flat.

Disadvantage? The pages can

The advantage of both side-wire and perfect binding

fall
is

out.

that both give a

square back to the publication. That allows for running the name, volume,

and date on the spine. Furthermore,

square back gives the product an aura

of value that saddle-stitched publications lack, so the recipient

is

likely to

pay

greater attention and keep the piece for a longer period of time, especially
if

the spine also

6.

thread. This

end

lists

the contents to facilitate reference.

Smyth sewing means sewing the signatures together by means of

is

used for edition-binding books (books

leaves, cloth covering, etc.; such

advantage of Smyth sewing

pages can indeed

lie flat in

is its

in

hard covers with

books are also called case bound). The

permanence coupled with the

spite of the thickness of the overall

The disadvantage: expense.

fact that the

volume.

Mechanical binding,

7.

in

which

through a series of holes punched

reports, notebooks,

Among

and so on,

it

plastic or wire

doohickeys are inserted

the binding edge of the piece. Used for

in

offers the

advantage that the pages

when

lie flat.

number must be made;

the need to have very deep gutter margins to accommodate the bindings;
and the difficulty of stacking a number of mechanically bound units in
disadvantages are expense,

its

a large

neat stacks.

Diecutting
Diecutting

is

an attention-catching technique that depends on

effect.

such trickery, and

had better be applied functionally

the expense

it

may prove

But you had better

its

know why you are

to make a

unexpectedness for

using
point or

Funny physical shapes are no substitute

wasteful.

for

the inner content of a story. As the poet says, "Form without substance
casts

no shadow."
Technically, diecutting

profile or

punching a hole

is

in

simply cutting the paper into an unexpected

it.

It is

done by attaching

knives (dies) to the appropriate machinery. The dies,

specially

made

shaped

of extremely

hard, sharp steel, are either straight steel rules or hollow, like cookie cutters.

Standard shapes of various kinds are available, but custom shapes can be

made
found

if

you want

in

to invest the necessary fortune. Small holes, such as those

paper for three-ring binders, are not diecut, but

drilled.

Diecutting holes acts on the reader's curiosity. The peek-a-boo or

keyhole syndrome

is

hard to

interrelationship of graphics

worked out

and not

usually think of, but

to the

page

that

resist

as

any ecdysiast

just in the left-to-right direction,

backward too: the back side

precedes

it,

The

will readily aver.

and meaning, however, must be intimately

or right to

which

is

the one

we

of the hole in relationship

left.

Diecutting the edges of paper can be used for two basically distinct

may have meaning in and of itself, such as

(a use commonly seen in greeting

purposes: to cut out a shape that

the outline of a house pictured on a page

cards that can easily be applied to brochures and publications); or to cut a

geometrical shape other than the expected rectangle with a view to

subsequent folding. Given such a

achieved

if

one

and the piece

is

side of the sheet

situation,

is

run

in

all

sorts of rich effects

one color and the other

its

can be
in

another,

then folded to expose part of each. Just take a piece of

ordinary typing paper, cut off one side at an angle and

an accordion fold

that's the

only

way

to explain

start

folding

it

into

it.

Perforating
if

a page, or part of a page,

is

to

the bindery or folding machine.

be detachable, the perforation

It

is

done by

can also be part of the diecutting

operation. Trimming the piece can be

done before or

depending on the kind of machinery being used.

after the diecutting,

Laminating
Although
effect of

unlikely you'll be using this expensive process to enrich the

it is

your cover,

is

it

worthwhile

knowing about

at least

its

existence.

Laminating consists of applying a layer of clear plastic material, such as

makes the colors sparkle and

mylar, to the outside of the cover. Lamination

gives the covers greater durability.

A
last

less

step

in

expensive version yielding a similar effect can be produced as a

the printing process by using a coat of clear varnish on the

last

pass through the press. For special effect, the varnish can be restricted to just
small areas, printing

you would

case,

on the sheet the same way

that halftones do. In that

refer to the process as spot varnishing.

Mailing and distribution

and envelopes

Self-mailers

The question

been discussed

of envelopes has already

paper (see page

67).

if

you use a stock

that

in

the chapter on

heavy enough, you may be

is

able to dispense with the envelope altogether and send the piece out as a
self-mailer.
its

The paper must be

stiff

enough

to resist scuffing

and damage, but

increased cost will surely be lower than the cost of envelopes and stuffing.

The postage

is

It

will

enough

critical

Full-paee size

probably be about the same, although that could be a point

make

to

it

worth checking with the Post Office.

appropriate to touch on self-mailing pieces here because their

success depends on understanding the folding process, assuming that the

fundamental point of paper weight

is

understood: Obviously you can't send

through the mail a flimsy, unprotected piece of paper that

by handling. But

if

the stock you are using

solved that part of the problem, and

can do to fold
Accordion fold

(fits

a No. 10 envelope)

come open.
One SVi"

it

interestingly,

x 11"

letter fold fits into a

direct

means

page by

all

is stiff

that remains

and how you

itself

is

will seal

likely to

will get

damaged

enough, then you have

is
it

to think of

so that

it

what you

doesn't

need an envelope. The regular

standard No. 10 envelope, and

of sending out a letterlike piece.

is

the simplest, most

The four-page

unit,

however,

allows for a variety of folds and self-mailers. Here are four basic shapes that

an 11" X 17" page

^T
French fold self-mailer (also
fits into a 6" x 9" envelope)

(i.e.,

two 8V2" x 11" pages) can produce.

Sealing

You can seal the piece in the following ways:

1. With a staple: cheapest, but most annoying
it

results either in torn

(if it is).

2.

After

With

all,

you can get

made

(if

the staple

to the recipient

because

removed) or torn fingernails

isn't

has a staple remover near the mailbox?

a sticky tab of

legal seal that

peel-off seal

who

paper

some

sort:

It

could be a gold seal or red

at a stationery store,

with adhesive on the back.

glued on by hand, or a

Or

it

can be sealed with a

small paper tab by machine. Cost and visual effect are the criteria on which
Accordion fold self-mailer

to base

your decision.

INDEX
AAs

(Author's Alterations)

Ad, 7" X 10"

Coding system

Art,

camera ready

Art,

standing

147

Banner

135

50

14

Bendays

174
174

saddle stitch

Smyth sewn

174

Ems

149

Board, illustration

Boards (mechanicals)

147

Boldface lead-in

72

140

Border slides
59

123

161

120

Continuous tone

Callouts

Captions

52, 55

Flop

Copy paper

45, 53

Focus

161

85,98,99,101

107, 150

70,166

Cut-off rules

11

Decks

Catch lines

72

Departments

page

Character count

153
45, 53

Character, unity of

Chroma 157,166
Chromes 120
138

172,174
15

Format, recognizable
Frontispiece

93

Galley proof

56

66

Galleys

170

Ganging up pictures

128,130,161

Ghosting photographs

70

in

173

123,170

52

Clip art

Form

123

to right

Foot of page

163

98

33,74,127

Folding

Cutlines

left

Fold, short

59

Casting off

Changes

impression

Copyfitting

Cut and peel film

Cameraman 127
Camera ready art 147

First

153

Cut (picture)

72,144

129

59

14

Cropping
25

13

Flap

Cromalin proof

164

Calligraphers

113

155

cylinder

Finiais

Flag

Cover stock
Caliper

Fifth

52

128,161

casting

Covers

126

167,176

Executive typewriter

Fillers

123

Coverlines

144

Brownline proofs

122

41

4,

focus

Counters

141

Breakouts

50

Extension drawing

157,166

Contact sheets

Copy

135

172

Engraver's scale

157

Copyboard

Body copy 57

169

48

En quad

156

Envelopes

Compositor

70

Boxes

155

Common

123

Blues (proofs)

Embellishment

Embossing

fountain

Columns

149

Blocking film

Blurb

second

value

156

Bleeds, butting

170

Em quad 50

155

120,121,122

transparencies and slides

94

Bleed

30,88,103,104

30,52

Elite

155

tint

174

stapled

161

15

its

Electrostatic printing

process

split

type on

Electroplates

separations 155, 158

174

side wire

157,158

to size

Editing

155
158

159

prints

175

Ear,

155

in

matched

mechanical
perfect

Duping

157

keys

174

folded

140

hue

174

edition

contrast

34,149

sheet

Duotones

halftones

174

Binding, case

Dummy

155

157

158

57,109

Dummies 146,151

155

160

emphasizing

133

172,174

Bindery

background

chroma

decorative

54,59

Baseline

Dropped-out type

24,108,154,168

bars

171

Double dot printing

Color, articulating

Artwork, commissioned

Ascender

Color

41,133

Doctor blade

29

3,

167,176

Distribution

153

173

Collating

35,65,66,151

Display

104

Clustering pictures

Cold type

117,118

Arrows

Bowl

56

35

Alley

66

Good

62, 70

41

ideas swipe

Grain long

172

Department slug 41

Grain, paper

Depth

Graph symbols

of field

Descender

50

74

172

Graphic design

138
8,

"Design"

135

Gravure, roto-

Designers

20

Gravure, sheet-fed

Diecutting

175

file

Grease pencil

171

124

171

83,

145

108

Grid

96

jumping the

67

Halftones

108,129
158

color

In

138

Handwriting

65, 66,

bimodal

67

centered

68

downstyle

170

56

showthrough

69

text

170

wove 165
7,

95

56

PE (printer's error)

14,25

Perfect binding

Lucy

128

Photocopying

174
169

Photomechanical variations
Magazine, magapaper, magtab,

69

hammer 68

Makeup, building-block

jump 68

167,176

68
68

Up and Down

11

Horizontal modules

Pictorial/verbal blend
Pictures

Mezzotints

Middle tones

Mug

149

Illustrations, non-pictorial

85,98,99,101

128,130,161

83,108
113

negative

opener 98
pretty or awful

169

82

shots

124

scaling of

96

Nameplate

Indents, hanging

48

Negatives

124

sizing of

Indicia

15

Newsletter

XII, 2

Planning sheets

Initials

40,144

Newsprint

163

Planography

Intaglio printing

Internegatives

Notches

171

sheet film

in

Numbered

121

103

sequences of

14
113

122

150

170

124,127,129

Platemaker

PMT 130,137

38

lists

93

100

scale

144

Imposition diagrams
38,

PPI (pages per inch)

Justified

3,31,48,62

type

Offset

Kerning

43, 48, 64

Keyline

107,133,146,147,152

15

Layout, magazine style

newspaper
Lead

st>le

170

Outline

107

Overrun

24

140

Leading

48,60,61

70
71

161

cromalin

162

bond

165

brightness

bulking

170,171

coated

22, 43

161

galley

164

159

153

press

159

165

26, 56

128

Vandykes
163

160

56

reproduction
salt

164
163

46, 47

56

page

reader's

cover stock
finishes

35

progressive

163

box

133
123

153

Letterpress

Light

Proofs, blues

Page positioning

Letterhead

Ligature

168

Proofreader's marks

book 163

Legs of type

26

Page, changes in

antique

72

26

Printout

brownline

Paper

Lead-ins, boldface

Printers

Print run

Paragraph indents

Leaders

Legends

98

picture

175

Laminating

24
24

Press pass

170

web 170
Opener

164

70, 93

Preprinting

170

sheet-fed

157

Label, address

Precede

170

plates

Key plate

10

103

ghosted

131

164

Mils

dominant
ganged up

131

Ntimeographing
board

175

23

104

clusters of

147,151

Humor 139
64

imagery

cropping of

Hue 157,166
Hyphenation allowed

138

Mask 84,107

Mechanicals

12

30, 52

Pica typewriter

Marking up copy 47

Mechanical binding

101

49

and points

Pictorial

14

130

128

Photostats

Pictograms

Measure 48

68

wall to wall

Horizon, alignment of

Makeready 171

Masthead

69

style

XII,

Picas

10

tabloid

kicker 68

Illustration

163

Logo

Mailing

running

163

163

trim size

eyebrow 68

staggered

164

substance weight

Live matter rectangle

6!

163

163,165

offset

numbered 38

Lithography

38

Hard copy printout

Headlines

147

Linotype
Lists,

Hanging indents

65

61

Linework

165

laid

newsprint

Line for line setting

Line length

Halftone screens

132

131,136

Linecut

172

grain

Line conversion

Ground wood stock 166

Cutter,

149

Light table

Cripper edge

123

warren print

128

Proportioning wheel

126

Quad, em- and en-

Space 151

50

Rag, rough

Ream

150,152

Spread

Relief printing

170

Square back

Rescreening

Reversed type

Rotogravure

57

174

Story

58

serif

100

pictures

in

Scalloped columns

Screens, shading tint

123, 146

Stripping

in

176

shapes

54,60
65

tint

Sheet film

condensed

132,133

screens

extended

93

54

13,141

Signature
Silhouette

37

Silhouetting, partial

115

Size as importance

88, 96

Slug,

48

Inkjet

30
60

94

124

department

65

line for line

83,86,107

Sizing pictures

16

55

family

leading

4,96,172

image

drop shadow

dropped out 57

122

Sideheads

in

41

loose

65

measure

48

measurement 49
reversed

57

set solid

54

size

42, 50

Slug, proof

56

strike-on

Small caps

48

stripped

29
in

145

44, 48, 55

43

contrast

Showing (specimen)

Size of

42, 48

3,29

color variation

174

Shirttail picture

Sidebars

158

Triotones

cold

35,90,140

50, 59,

60

107

Xerography

120,160

Type, boldness
65

Sewing, Smyth

Shading

145

68

Trimming 172
103

X marks

Text paper 163

Transparencies

58

White space

Windows 152
Wrapped form

Xerographic prints

158

Set tight

109

10

158

Set solid

163
57,

X-height
XII,

107

direct screen

Sequences of pictures

79

15

112

conventional

Set loose

109

Vignetting

Visual editing

48

Tombstoning

158

color scanner

10

Verbal reportage

Waist high

letters

Targets
in

175

Velox 128,130,147

57,109,129

37

Tabloid

Text

155,158

Separations, color

123

175

Varnishing, spot

Video terminals
141

85

132,133

176

Self-mailer

136

Stripper

Symbolism

108,128

Screens, photomechanical

Serifs

174

components

Swash

Screens, halftone

Sealing

174

Surprinted type

172

Scoring

157,166

Varnishing

169

Substance weight

91

8,

168

Scheduling

29

Vandyke proofs

168,169

Subheads

124

Scaling pictures

33

styles

Unit (cylinder on press)

59

Stock photos

11

30

pitch

Value, color

Stitching, side wire

Rules, cutoff

Scale

33

Stitching, saddle

140

29, 53

Typographic amendment

Stencil, electronic

152

Ruled lines

28

30

41,133

art

Stapling

Stencil

139

elite

21

174

Standing

Stem

171

25,151

Rubber stamps

135

pica

175

SS (same size)

121

83,108

Retouching

Sans

168

3,147

Register marks

26

Typewriter type

156

Spot varnishing

121,161

57

69

executive

Split fountain

Reflection copy

Rules

47

4,174

Spine

65,

Typesetters

Spirit duplicator

56

163

Rough

tight

31

Speed of communication
31, 48, 52, 62, 63, 64

right

Readout

Spacing out

Specifying type

64
64

Rag, tight

Ragged

64

surprinted

48, 60

Spacing
Rag, hyphenation allowed

57

169

145

155

Mastering Graphics: Design and production

made easy

you are responsible for editing or producing a publication for

communication, you need a handy reference
tool that anticipates your problems and offers solutions.
If

internal or external

Mastering Graphics supplies you with

need

to

know about

the information you

all

choosing the right format for your publication whether

newsletter, magazine, magtab, magapaper, or tabloid
how to make your publication's name its hallmark
using typography effectively
how to use color and still stay within budget

You don't need previous

training or background in design or

production to get the most from this basic, all encompassing
guide. Mastering Graphics uses 480 line illustrations and 80
halftones to demonstrate the elements, processes, and
terminology used in graphic design, typography, layout, and

printing processes.

This step-by-step

how to
how to

where

all

guidebook shows you

prepare mechanicals for printing

specify type
to find illustrations

and how to use them

the various uses of typewriter type

how to take better photographs and use

them more

imaginatively

From selecting design to paper, printing, and binding. Mastering

Graphics tackles such problems as
cropping and scaling halftones
choosing paper
whether heavy or light, stiff or floppy,
rough or smooth
deciding whether to print by offset, letterpress, gravure,
or xerography
binding your publication
saddle stitching, side-wire
.

stitching, or folding

designing your logo

About the Author: Jan V. White, a graduate of Cornell and

Columbia universities with degrees in architecture, has received
design awards from the Society of Publication Designers, the
American Business Press, and other associations. He has been
responsible for designing and redesigning the formats of well
over 125 U.S. and South American magazines, newsletters, and
books. Widely known as a lecturer and teacher for Folio
Magazine, Ragan Report, National Composition Association, and
numerous publishing groups, he is the author of Editing by Design
and Designing for Magazines, both Bowker publications.