Formatting products

[Melissa Litwin]

I'm not sure this is the best place for this, but I couldn't find a better one, so here goes.

My husband and I have spent quite some time developing Pathfinder compatible archetypes, feats, and spells for our own edification and practice, and are considering publishing them. We've looked at the license requirements and what it takes to actually make a business (even a side business) of this, and are confident that what we've made is unique and enjoyable content.

Here's the snag: neither of us has ever actually published anything before. We're unsure of proper formatting for printing (margins, picture space, etc). We also have some questions like: are there tools other than Adobe Acrobat that people use?

Would anyone be willing to take some time to help some newbies with this?

Thanks in advance.

Melissa Litwin

[LMPjr007]

Melissa Litwin wrote:

I'm not sure this is the best place for this, but I couldn't find a better one, so here goes.

My husband and I have spent quite some time developing Pathfinder compatible archetypes, feats, and spells for our own edification and practice, and are considering publishing them. We've looked at the license requirements and what it takes to actually make a business (even a side business) of this, and are confident that what we've made is unique and enjoyable content.

Here's the snag: neither of us has ever actually published anything before. We're unsure of proper formatting for printing (margins, picture space, etc). We also have some questions like: are there tools other than Adobe Acrobat that people use?

Would anyone be willing to take some time to help some newbies with this?

Thanks in advance.

Melissa Litwin

OK first off, what program are you using to do you layout on?

[Melissa Litwin]

LMPjr007 wrote:

OK first off, what program are you using to do you layout on?

Well, there's the problem. We haven't done any of the layout because we don't know what program(s) are out there or we might need. I did mention we are completely new at this :/.

Thanks for the help!

[LMPjr007]

Melissa Litwin wrote:

LMPjr007 wrote:

OK first off, what program are you using to do you layout on?

Well, there's the problem. We haven't done any of the layout because we don't know what program(s) are out there or we might need. I did mention we are completely new at this :/.

Thanks for the help!

Okay. You might want to start with something as simple as Microsoft Word to start with layout. Microsoft Word is a great place to start for beginners. DO NOT purchase a program like Adobe Creative Suite or Adobe InDesign. These programs are too costly and too powerful fo you at this level. You might also want to read Robin Williams' (no not that one) book, Non-Designer's Design Book, The (3rd Edition). I have found this book very helpful with understanding design. Hope this helps.

[Melissa Litwin]

LMPjr007 wrote:

Okay. You might want to start with something as simple as Microsoft Word to start with layout. Microsoft Word is a great place to start for beginners. DO NOT purchase a program like Adobe Creative Suite or Adobe InDesign. These programs are too costly and too powerful fo you at this level. You might also want to read Robin Williams' (no not that one) book, Non-Designer's Design Book, The (3rd Edition). I have found this book very helpful with understanding design. Hope this helps.

It does, thank you. I might have more questions after reading the book, but I'll start there.

[Jeremy Smith]

If you already have it, Microsoft Publisher is a decent program to do layout. It isn't as powerful as InDesign, but has more features than Microsoft Word when it comes to desktop publishing and tends to be an easier starting point than InDesign.

However, if you don't already have Publisher, then Microsoft Word is a good place to start, as Louis already said.

[hunter1828]

As Louis said, InDesign is expensive. However, if you can find a really good discount (I was able to purchase one at a 75% discount two years ago), it's certainly not a bad idea. My wife does our layout at 4 Winds Fantasy Gaming, and she loves working with it. Again, though, starting out new, only get it if you can get a really good deal on it.

[Melissa Litwin]

Thanks you two. I'll start with Microsoft Word for now, and if that doesn't seem sufficient I'll look at programs like InDesign. I've ordered The Non-Designer's Design Book, which LMPjr007 suggested, so until that arrives I'll focus more on content and less on layout.