Susie Posted March 25, 2009 Report Share Posted March 25, 2009 I've been asked by my kids' school to consider taking over the school newspaper next year. I would be responsible for designing the layout (among other things). But you know what? I have no idea how to design for print. I see some gorgeous looking PDFs out there, but I don't know how people make them. I would have no idea how to do it unless I were to create it in Photoshop, but I don't think there's a way to convert a PSD to a text PDF is there? I know about InDesign, but if there's a more affordable alternative, I'm all ears. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaizen Maven Posted March 25, 2009 Report Share Posted March 25, 2009 Hi Sue, I would say don't try to re-invent the wheel. I'd use Publisher. There are already alot of good themes in 2003 and even more in 2007. Also I use this site sometimes (http://www.stocklayouts.com/). They have really high end print templates that you can use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lwsimon Posted March 25, 2009 Report Share Posted March 25, 2009 There is a F/OSS product out there - Scribus. I've not used it extensively, so I can't really vouch for it, but it is defiantely worth checking out before spending cash. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSW Posted March 25, 2009 Report Share Posted March 25, 2009 Well just go to snapFiles, I like BullZip PDF Printer. Create a page in or Photoshop or HTML and then Print it. Alternatively, it is not magic, you can create PDF's by hand using the language it is based on. I just do not recall the name at the moment, would have to look at home. We tested it once at work and his hand written version was a bit smaller than mine done with word and Cute PFD Writer. I always meant to learn to write them by hand... but never got around to it, always wondered if it would give me an edge in interviews. There is a big name program for print/brochures etc., that is well respected and I think cheaper than InDesign... but the name eludes me at the moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlhaslip Posted March 25, 2009 Report Share Posted March 25, 2009 Open Office will produce PDF format with ease. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falkencreative Posted March 25, 2009 Report Share Posted March 25, 2009 The professional solution for this is either InDesign or QuarkXpress, but both are more expensive. Illustrator can be used in a pinch, but it doesn't really have any built in tools for creating multipage documents. I know Photoshop can export PDF's, but I don't believe it allows the text to be editable. I think it just exports the file as one big image. Publisher or OpenOffice may be cheaper alternatives... I don't know much about this particular program, but you may want to look at Serif PagePlus as well (http://www.serif.com/pageplus/pageplusx3/) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSW Posted March 25, 2009 Report Share Posted March 25, 2009 Ben got it... it was QuarkExpress I was thinking of as for programs. The language I was thinking of was TeX... actually MikTeX... buty seem it has moved into the realm of Tools as well. Here is the link to learn more. MikTeX.Org MiKTeX (pronounced mick-tech) is an up-to-date implementation of TeX and related programs for Windows (all current variants). TeX is a typesetting system written by Donald E. Knuth, who says that it is "intended for the creation of beautiful books - and especially for books that contain a lot of mathematics". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tpattison Posted March 25, 2009 Report Share Posted March 25, 2009 At the college where I work I use Adobe Indesign, far better than Quark and is most likely what the "gorgeous looking PDFs" were designed in. Photoshop can save as PDF and any text created using the type tools can appear as proper text in the PDF, you need to look at the PDF save options. That said, any application that has print capabilities can output to PDF if you install a "PDF printer". There are some free ones out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lwsimon Posted March 26, 2009 Report Share Posted March 26, 2009 The best free PDF printer I know of is CutePDF. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSW Posted March 26, 2009 Report Share Posted March 26, 2009 I used CuteFTP for years... then had some issues I do not recall and used BullZip at work... so when I rebuilt my Laptop I just used it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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