ABE Florida

Creativity
Use teasers on the cover to draw attention to the inside of the newsletter. (i.e. table of contents or articles that begin on the front and are continued on other pages.) Also try pulling interesting quotes out of the text with shaded boxes.
Theme
Use tasteful clip art, photos or scanned images to dress-up newsletter pages. Make sure this theme is carried throughout the newsletter.

Popular software programs, used for newsletter layout and design, in- clude: Microsoft Publisher, Adobe PageMaker and QuarkXPress. A local computer store can recommend programs that are best suited for the needs of the organization. Become familiar with the organization's desktop publishing software and practice using it – the more practice employees have, the better the newsletter will look.

FONT CHOICE

Thousands of typefaces are available. Pick a few and stick with them:

Serif fonts
Many organizations use serif fonts (i.e. Times New Roman, Palatino, Garamond, Goudy and Century School book) for publications, because sans serif fonts (like Arial) are often difficult to read in small type.
Effects
Use italics and bold to help important words stand out.
Headlines
Select a display face for headlines. It isn't necessary to use another serif font – instead, complement the copy with a sans serif font such as Arial, Franklin Gothic, Futura or Helvetica.
Nameplate/Title
Devote thought to a simple design for the nameplate (the part of the newsletter that provides visual identification and communicates the newsletter's importance).
- It should be easy to recognize and it should stand out.
- The organization's nameplate can go on the top, on the side, or even in the middle of the page.

Printing

Any commercial printer can print a newsletter – but it is good to get several quotes to determine who can do the best job for the least amount of money.

PLAN AHEAD

Economical formats include:

Four 8-1/2" x 11" pages, made from an 11" x 17" sheet
OR eight 8-1/2" x 11" pages made from two 11" x 17" sheets

PAPER CHOICE

Choose a paper that can be used consistently, preferably of an off-white or pastel color. (Stay away from dark and florescent colors, as they are difficult to read).

MAILING CONSIDERATIONS

If the newsletter is a self-mailer, the bottom of the back page must have room for the address label, return address and postage. All mailings MUST meet U.S. Postal regulations – check with the local post office or have them look at the newsletter before they are printed to make sure they meet postal specifications. Also indicate in the postage area if the mailing is 1^st class or 3^rd class, and to avoid licking stamps, include a postal permit number if applicable.