Safe Speed Forums

Hi All,

I'm working on a series of fact sheets for PDF release. These need to be clear and very well presented with a recognisable graphic design style.

I've played around with a few things in Page Plus, but I'm far from satisfied.

Would anyone like to assist with a factsheet template design (especially) and possibly also layout work?

What software would you recommend for producing well designed PDFs?

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Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

There are a number of plug-ins for MS Word that let you create PDFs from Word documents.
PDFs are weird things to create, I don't know of any programmes that let you work with a raw PDF template and then save it out - like an MS Word doc or a Corel Draw document. I believe its a conversion process, input file output as PDF...unless someone knows different .

Thanks Rigpig.

Word it is bit inflexible - I'm imagining a multicolumn layout and Word is a real pain for that. I need a DTP front end and a PDF output translator. I do have Page Plus and it does work, but it's a bit buggy here and there.

_________________
Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

I can mail you our marketing data sheet templates (two pages) which we use to do the highest level product and service overviews, they are multi column and quite nicely presented.

However, you MUST heavily modify them beyond recognition. Otherwise I'll get fired.

Also be careful with pdf plug-in that appear to be free. I've had problems with spyware as a result of using 'free' software.

Forgive me if I'm missing something here, but I thought the whole point of pdf was that it was completely application independent. All the pdf creators I've ever used have been installed as pseudo windows printer drivers, so it is irrelevant what software was originally used to create the document.

MS Publisher is reasonably competent isn't it?

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CSCP Latin for beginners...
Ticketo ergo sum : I scam therefore I am!

The point was that collaborators would need to have the same software.

Does Publisher output to PDF? Or would we end up with a warty PDF generator bolt-on?

_________________
Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

What file format are the templates?

_________________
Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

word docs

My point was that anything will output to pdf, as long as it can drive a windows printer, as that is what the pdf generator appears to be, as far as the host software is concerned.

So generate / circulate your original files using Word / Publisher / Corel / Ventura / ACME eezeepublish or whatever, then convert them to PDF at the point of publication.

_________________
CSCP Latin for beginners...
Ticketo ergo sum : I scam therefore I am!

Come on fellas. All you need to lay the file out is MS Publisher and by the sound of it you don't want anything more complex as you would struggle.

The best thing to use is Quark Express but this is a desk top publisher that is way over your heads. MS Pub is a cut down copy that has the familiar Word/MSoft GUI.

The PDF should be produced by a full copy of Adobe Acrobat. This is a print engine that will output your portable document. You do it by clicking PRINT, then select the printer as Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat Distiller depending on the options you require for the rendered output.

If this is the standard of your publishing knowledge then you should get someone to do it for you as I sense impending disaster.

I could do it for you but you would struggle with the charge. Glad to be able to help though.

I don't think that would help - Paul would be drawn between the dilema of buying a newspaper or you for a day.

Saucer of milk for JJ...

_________________
CSCP Latin for beginners...
Ticketo ergo sum : I scam therefore I am!

Have you tried openoffice? That has multi column formats and has a button for outputting to pdfs and saves them straight to pdf rather than having the pseudo printer nonsense. It saves in any MS format and also its native xml format. Best of all it is free

I have also used a dtp package called scribus (linux & mac os X only at the moment, sorry) that is a dtp front end which will as I recall also output pdf. The front end is similar to proper dtp packages but openoffice is pretty flexible in the way you can lay out the page and flow text around objects or have wiggly boxes.

I Might be of some help. I've been studying graphic design for almost two years. Quark is a good programme to use. many do not have it, being Mac based. What is it your looking for?
If you provide the info and tell me what you want ill try to make it as aesthetically pleasing as possible. Dependant on how big the job is of course.
Let me know asap and well arrange it from there
Thanks in advance
The Graphical Chef

I've been playing around in the background with Page Plus. It generates PDFs. I've especially been looking for an overall style. Any comments on this:



Or the PDF: http://www.safespeed.org.uk/test.pdf

Note that the body text is just pasted in and isn't real content.

_________________
Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

first impressions... very good. Neat, eye-castching, and straightforward.

I like the subtle drop-shaddowe at the bottom on the text, and suggest this be carried through in your headings too.