Primer for Using InDesign to Format Collectanea

Scope and Outcomes

This tutorial aims to show the reader such basics of Adobe InDesign and Photoshop as are necessary to format the Collectanea book's interior and exterior for publication with Amazon's Create Space.  Instructions here will include Setting up the document's specific dimensions, page elements such as image placement and page numbering, as well as the process of using Master Page templates will be immediately useful.  This tutorial was created using Adobe CS6, but it should be relevant for older versions as well.  Additionally, weblinks will be provided to important pages from Create Space.  Further learning beyond this tutorial is easily accessed through Adobe's website, Youtube, and many other resources available through a simple Google search.

About InDesign

InDesign contains many elements the user might recognize from Photoshop and Illustrator.  InDesign references content rather than embedding text and image content, which means that if you change a source file, the next time you load up InDesign, it will pull the new content.  If your layout pulls from a Microsoft Word document to populate text boxes, InDesign will paginate the text for you among its text boxes rather than adhering to the Word formatting.

Using a reference program like this is best accomplished when the user has a consistent file organization.  Please plan your folders accordingly.

Starting a New Document

Go to File>New>Document.  Hit Okay.  Create Space gives its specifications in US measurements, so to change the measurements to inches, go to Edit>Preferences>UnitsAndIncrements.  Change the vertical and horizontal measurements to inches and hit Okay.

Setting the Page size and Print Bleed

For this tutorial we are using the print size with a bleed and margins for layout purposes, then later on in this tutorial once layout is completed will be resizing the document to include the bleed portions so that they will be included in the .pdf export which we then send to Create Space.  There very well may be a way around this but such is not part of this tutorial.

Change the page size and bleed settings go to File>DocumentSetup.  Change your specifications here to Create Space's settings and hit okay.  The inside edge, that next to the spine, has no bleed. Top, Bottom, and Outside bleed usually has dimensions of .125 inches on each side.

Setting Margins

Create Space is unhappy when it detects image edges or text (this includes page numbers, your proper margins for a text page will likely be located further inside of this boundary) in between the margin distance and the page edge so please pay attention to this when considering your layout. Top, bottom, and outside margins are 0.25 inches, whereas the inside margin along the spine is determined by the page count.  Create Space uses the formula on this link.  For the Collectanea's page count it is likely to be 0.325 inches.  The more pages, the more heavily pages laid open will have to curve downwards to meet the spine.

About Pages and Master Pages

Select which page you'd like to edit by double-clicking the desired page face on the page panel to the right of the screen.  Above the page list can be found any master pages, which are templates that can be applied to any number of pages, a convenient way to apply consistent elements to a book, such as page numbers for instance.  By default all pages have the master page A applied.

Page Numbering

Sure you can manually type in your page number in every single page, but having it as an automatically updating special character in the master page saves you much effort.  Go to Type>InsertSpecialCharacters>Markers>CurrentPageNumber.

Breaking Page Elements from Master Page

Suppose your title page ought not have the page number on it, or you need to change the color of a page number on account of the background number.  Or you need to change any other element.  To desynch an element, Shift+Ctrl+Click that element.  You may now change that element, or delete it!

Resynching with Master Page

Did you change your mind about changing an element?  Or perhaps you want to apply one of your other master pages to a page?  In the pages panel, Click+drag the desired master page onto the page number below to which you wish it to be applied.

Placing Images

Go to File>Place and choose your image. Click the cursor and the image will appear with the top left corner at the cursor location. There is a limited snap feature, which helps when putting images on the bleed border

Resizing Images

There are two different borders to consider when sizing an image. One shows up with a blue outline, the other shows up with an orange outline. One indicates the actual edge of the image, and the other indicates the crop dimensions. Double-click an image to toggle back and forth between these two. A limited snap is in place when adjusting images. When resizing the image source make sure to hold the Shift button, as it constrains the image to its original heighth and width ratio.

Moving Images

An image source can be moved relative to its crop window. Click and drag the image to utilize this.

Change Document and Bleed Dimensions for Export

The default pdf export in InDesign doesn't export the bleed beyond the page dimensions.  One way around this is to change the page dimensions to the bleed dimensions before export. 

Best practices for these changes dictates that you make sure you know which file has been altered already and which hasn't.  This can be accomplished by appending information to the file name a la "Collectanea04_v015_ExportDimensions" instead of just "Collectanea4_v015".  Alternately one can commit to never keeping an unexported version of the altered dimensions, after all it is easy to redo.  InDesign files are relatively lightweight and won't bog up your storage device if you can keep track of your files.

Cover and Outside Spine

CreateSpace uses a specific formula based on page count to determine the width of the spine on your outside cover.  The easiest way to format specific dimensions in Photoshop is to make good friends with the Image>ImageSize and Image>CanvasSize menu options.  Type up the dimensions of your basic page, resolution, etc. in the Image Size panel, then modify it in the Canvas Size panel by adding to the dimensions.  Make sure you move the alignment to add dimensions to the appropriate side.  If you add an inch to an image with it in the center, it'll split that up into a half inch on each size.  This is also a convenient way to add borders to images rather than messing with image elements during the main phase of creating your image.  It's also very convenient way to place guide-lines at very specific points.  To do this turn on snap with View>Snap, then drag a guideline from the ruler on the top or left of the image window, all the way to where you want it.

Minutes 9/18/2012 Meeting

  Art Club was certainly interesting this week. We discussed the Collectnea in greater detail, settled on homecoming banner ideas, and discussed the MSU art club's Deviant Art account. A few minor things to keep in mind for next week's meeting.

•              $10 is due for the Collectanea by the 27th. Kyleigh the Treasurer will accept your money for this.
•              Bring ideas for Collectanea to the next meeting.
•              MSU Art Club has a Deviant Art account.
•              We will start creating the banner next weekend in Hutchen's basement.
•              Although this is not an official art club meeting, Steven has discussed the possibility of a Cartoon Workshop Beta. People would meet and create cartoons while munching on snacks. Steven will be putting up a poll this upcoming week on the Facebook account to pick the time for this meeting.

Exquisite Corpse Variations

Exquisite Corpse refers basically to any number of art games where the intent of the original artist is obscured but the work is continued by the next artist.  The intent of the original can be obscured to different extents.

Variant 1.
Set a Group Down (limit group sizes, 8 max?)
Give each person a piece of paper
Set a timer for an interval of anywhere between 30 seconds and 2 minutes (1 minute is ideal?)
Each person draws on the paper
when the timer is up, rotate the papers clockwise/counterclockwise.  Repeat the timer
When the papers rotate through the whole group, you are done
Each person tells a story based on what's going on in their drawing

Evaluation:  Having more control on how you want to contribute to the piece is a plus with this version.

Variant 2.  (Variant 1 but with a single large piece of paper)
Sit a group of four down, one to each side of the paper
Set a timer for an interval of anywhere between 30 seconds and 2 minutes (1 minute is ideal?)
Each person draws on their side of the paper.  At the start you may opt to decide whether or not one side is up, could be fun, could be frustrating.
when the timer is up, rotate the single paper sheet clockwise/counterclockwise.  Repeat the timer
Rotate x number of times or until the paper looks full
Each person picks out from among the images a chain that makes a story or interesting connection.

Evaluation:  You get real time on what other people are working on and this allows you to complement or counterpoint what they are working on if you choose.

Variant 3.
Sit a group down (limit group sizes to how many folds in the paper you make, probably?)
Give each person a piece of paper
 Fold your paper into sections so that you can only see one section at a time (Maybe in fourths?)
Set a timer for an interval of anywhere between 30 seconds and 2 minutes (1 minute is ideal?)
Each person draws on their section of paper
when the timer is up the artist fold the paper so that their drawing cannot be seen except for the edge.
rotate the papers clockwise/counterclockwise.  Repeat the timer
The new artist continues drawing from the lines on the last paper
When the papers rotate through the whole group, you are done
Each person tells a story based on what's going on in their drawing

Evaluation:  More truly random associations and juxtapositions arise, oh the pleasant surprises!


Variant 4.  "Picture Consequences" (Variant 3 but with a rule that it's a drawing of a person.)

Sit a group down (limit group sizes to how many folds in the paper you make, probably?)
Give each person a piece of paper
 Fold your paper into sections so that you can only see one section at a time (Maybe in fourths?)
Set a timer for an interval of anywhere between 30 seconds and 2 minutes (1 minute is ideal?)
Each person draws on their section of paper
when the timer is up the artist fold the paper so that their drawing cannot be seen except for the edge.
rotate the papers clockwise/counterclockwise.  Repeat the timer
The new artist continues drawing from the lines on the last paper
When the papers rotate through the whole group, you are done
As a last step, a player may label the drawing, still unseen, with someone's name.
Each person tells a story based on what's going on in their drawing

Evaluation:  The surprise factor is not as potent as in variant 3 but there is some coherency to what you're working on, maybe pleasant for a group that hasn't done exquisite corpse before?

Variant 5.  like the game Telephone, this is all about sequential mutation.

Sit a group down.
Cut or rip 8.5x11 pages into equal sizes, and give each person in the group the same number of papers as there are people in the group.
Have each person number their papers one through whatever number of people are in the group.
give each person an accordion strip, have them number the pages on one side left to right.
Each player is only allowed to look their own sheet and the number preceding it.
person 1 writes a sentence. rotate papers clockwise/counterclockwise.
person 2 draws to depict what's happening in the sentence.  rotate.
person 3, seeing only person 2's drawing, writes a sentence describing what's happening in the drawing.  rotate
person 4, seeing only person 3's sentence, draws to depict what's happening in the sentence.  rotate
follow the pattern.
When the end of the paper is reached, look at the whole strip and share with the group what hilarious mutations have occurred.

Evaluation:  This is probably the funniest, there's surprise and also pattern recognition when looking at the bizarre results.  What was on everybody's minds?

Primer: Office of Secretary

Introduction

Hello Secretary!  Your job is to make sure stuff gets written down in a useful manner, lest we totally forget everything.

Your Constitutionally Declared Duties (as of Brett's September draft)

Section 3.  Secretary

It shall be the duty of the Secretary to

1.  Attend all meetings and executive meetings.

2.  Record the minutes of all meetings and distribute them appropriately.

3.  Keep a file of the organization's records, both physical and digital.

4.  Maintain archives of minutes, photos, and other club information.

5.  Process information submitted by other officers into the archives and records.

6.  Ensure that documentation and required documentation is up to date.

7.  Be cognizant of university policies and services respecting the officer’s duties.

Details About Your Job

Take Minutes

Minutes are a highly condensed record of business and activities from meetings.  They include details such as dates and times discussed, specific money amounts when relevant, and future plans.  Email these out to the mailing list very soon after every meeting.

Update the Blog
The Blog archives are a resource for y'all to pass information to each other and into the future for other officers.  Entries will reflect the acquisition of knowledge and experience, as well as the history of the ups and downs of the Club and of the Executive Board of Officers.  

Entries include minutes, position primers, details and recollections of special events, useful contact information, art techniques, best practices (what works and what doesn't), collections of resources, and more.
Entries are tagged relevant to their office, function, and other related aspects.  These labels are then useful to someone looking through the archives.  A newly elected officer can find posts relevant to their position.  Officers looking for fun games to play at meetings can look through the archives to learn about what was fun and what wasn't fun.  etc.

Primer: Office of Treasurer

Introduction

Hello Treasurer!  Your job is to manage our purse and war chest, and to fundraise.

Your Constitutionally Declared Duties (as of Brett's September draft)

Section 4.  Treasurer

It shall be the duty of the Treasurer to

1.  Attend all meetings and executive meetings.

2.  Receive and pay out funds for all monetary transactions.

3.  Maintain itemized records of the club transactions.

4.  Submit audits to the membership each semester.

5.  Lead fundraising efforts.

6.  Maintain and account for the material assets and goods that the club possesses.

7.  Maintain the organization’s taxes and tax status.

8.  Be cognizant of university policies and services respecting the officer’s duties.

Details About Your Job

Conduct Transactions

Record all transactions, acquisitions, and losses in the log the day they happen.  The log has been thoughtfully constructed and provided with instructions.  The accounting log has a sheet for money transactions, dues, posessions, instructions, and sample entries.  Please read and follow the instructions.  They include the operation of the spreadsheets, details about updating and saving the document, and emailing it to the gmail account so updates are always archived and other officers can use it.  The idea of the log is that the treasurer makes updates, and then anytime a question would have been asked “Hey treasurer would you look up what’s in the account?” or “Hey treasurer, do we have any envelopes?” they can look it themselves instead.  It saves both of you time,effort, and potential confusion.

Record Dues

Record which persons have paid their dues and how much they have paid.  Solicit payments from those who haven’t paid up.  This is particularly important when determining who is eligible for receiving Collectanea prints, and before elections.

Transition

When new officers are elected, it is the treasurer’s responsibility to do the paperwork for getting the bank account switched to the new officers.

Maintain the Cash Box.

The box should not contain too much money at once, having more than necessary risks losing a lot of the club’s assets to theft or an accident.

Legal Status

Art Club as a non-profit organization has the following Tax ID number:  ---------------(it might be available in the cash box)

Research what needs done with that information.  I believe we are supposed to report our finances every year to the state, but it hasn’t been tended to in years.  This is kinda bad.

Banking

Art Club banks with Educational Community Credit Union (ECCU)

SOFAC

SOFAC (Student Organization Funding Allocation Council) distributes funds collected through student fees to student organizations.  There is a lot of demand for those funds so if you are going to apply, do so earlier rather than later during any given period.  The idea is that if an event is able to better the student body and not just your group, then you can apply for funds to make that happen.  SOFAC updates its policies regularly.

http://studentorganizations.missouristate.edu/sofac/

Basics of the Bake Sale/ Magnet Sale

Bake sales are easy and fun!

First off, a little bit of contact information for Conference Services you'll need later on in this post.

Conference Services

Plaster Student Union, Room 302

Telephone:  417-836-5653

Email:  ConferenceServices@MissouriState.edu

Hours:  Monday through Friday - 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Planning

Plan your general time frame during the month you want a bake sale.  Bring this up with the general meeting and/or the officers, and with them pick a few specific dates and times and which you prefer.  Go with these to Conference Services and reserve a table outside Siceluff or inside the union.  Specify the number of tables and chairs you need.  They’ve been known to be late in the morning of the bake sale with tables because they forgot, so if they don’t show up, badger them at the office or call them.  (When in doubt about a phone number remember that the university’s switchboard is 417.836.5000.)  When the date is reserved, send a sheet around asking people what they’ll make.  That way not everyone makes brownies and nothing but brownies.

Baking Party

Throw a baking party the night before a sale at an officer or member’s house.  It’s a good time for the members, and it encourages people to actually bake instead of saying they’ll make something and then not having social pressure to follow up on it.  You can share baking supplies easily also.  Make sure people record their ingredients, I'll bring up why in a couple paragraphs.

There are lots of things you can do while stuff is in the oven.  Bring games, art supplies, movies.  Massage party!

Setting up Your Table

Individually seal food items in ziploc or plastic.  Ingredients should be listed.  It looks professional, it’s helpful for anyone watching what they eat or with allergies, and if you do something novel with your food then it’s a good conversation starter.  If you have a lot of something and it’s not on track to sell out by the time you’re doing clean up, reduce the price.  Put the Club Banner up on the table.  Bring string and/or tape to secure it down to the front of the table, the wind can be a nuisance and blow it all over.  Make sure you have enough cash and change in the box to facilitate transactions.

Earnings

Count the cashbox before the sale.  Count it again after the sale.  This is a lot easier way to record the earnings than counting each individual transaction.  Make note of which items were popular and what time of day they were popular during, so that you can solicit for best sellers before the next sale.