First Cover + Cover Work in Progress

[soakedlontra]

Here is the first project that I have created with Scribus. It's not entirely my own creation because I followed a tutorial posted on the Scribus website. I changed few things.

Right now my major problem is how to figure out margins that work with the standard printers that are available in American stores like Office Max. Another thing that complicates things further is the fact that Americans don't use European paper sizes and the measurements are all in inches.

In the tutorial the size of the margins were in cm and I did not have to figure out the numbers. My next step is to re-design this cover and figure out those margins myself.

Good Night

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[GarryP]

Can you post a link to the tutorial please? (I'm interested in why it specifies measurements.)

On the re-design front I'd suggest - if possible - that you change the "Daily Planner 2014/2015" colour. To me it's a bit of a colour clash with the background. (And I'd be worried about how it would print.)

And I wouldn't worry about measurements if I were you. Just go with whatever looks right and don't try and be precise. Your eye will tell you what looks best, not a ruler.

Except where you have physical printer constraints that is. But if you don't know what printer will be used then you need to make each margin more than 10mm (3/8"?) for most modern printers to be reasonably sure nothing will be missed.

[soakedlontra]

Thanks Garry!

Here is the link:

http://wiki.scribus.net/canvas/Help:Manual_Quickstart

[GarryP]

Thanks.

I've had a quick look at that tutorial and I can't see why it specifies measurements, particularly as it's for absolute beginners. It would seem better to me if it started off with an in-built page size and didn't make the user worry about measurements. Custom page sizes just complicate things, especially for beginners.

It's also confusing - to me at least - when it states "This is going to be about the same as US Letter size". Why "about" the same size? Why not exactly the same size? It doesn't seem right to me somehow.

Anyway, if I remember - and I have the time - I'll look at changing it. Or maybe someone else would like to volunteer?

[soakedlontra]

Thanks.

I've had a quick look at that tutorial and I can't see why it specifies measurements, particularly as it's for absolute beginners. It would seem better to me if it started off with an in-built page size and didn't make the user worry about measurements. Custom page sizes just complicate things, especially for beginners.

It's also confusing - to me at least - when it states "This is going to be about the same as US Letter size". Why "about" the same size? Why not exactly the same size? It doesn't seem right to me somehow.

Anyway, if I remember - and I have the time - I'll look at changing it. Or maybe someone else would like to volunteer?

Adding the measurements did not bother me and the page being about the same as an American letter size well I agree with you.

I wish that there were a series of tutorials with levels of complexity added to them gradually. I had a look but I couldn't find anything else. I'll keep looking. The step from one page to multiple pages seems rather steep to me considering that if I want to bind the pages like a book  images and text have to flow in a different order from what I am used to (Word /Publisher). To simplify  things I am thinking to create a daily-planner draft using a ring binder so  I don't have to worry about this for now. 

[Nermander]

Do you have any education (even self studies) in typography, graphic design and print publishing?

If not, I'd suggest googling for a few tutorials or reading a book or two on the topics, because Scribus is not very different from other programs.


Scribus is a tool, for a task. I generally don't think it's the one who makes the tool who shall teach people to do the task. Or is it the responsibility of hammer manufacturers to teach people how to build a house?


That aside, there are plans on a wiki page with beginner tips, but all such information has to be written by someone. Voluntarily. In their spare time. So, in essence, if you want someone to teach you, you should find a way to motivate them.



If you want to bind the pages, there is no need at all to have the flow in any other order than in the final order. Shuffling the pages is done before printing, google "imposition". Scribus itself does not include any impositioning features, but that doesn't mean you can't use one on the PDF Scribus creates.

[GarryP]

Just to add a little to what Nermander said above, there are many DTP tutorials on the web - and some of them are very good - but you need to find one that caters for the type of document you want to make.

For instance, a tutorial showing how to put a newsletter together isn't going to tell you much about how to create a book; and a tutorial about making a fashion magazine isn't going to be much use to you if you're making a company report. The possible layouts and design considerations for each are very different and the design for one will look wrong if used for another purpose.

A good way of getting to know your way around software like Scribus is to try and replicate what other people have already produced and then experiment.

First, have a look at documents that have already been created - newspapers, magazines, books, etc. - that are like what you want to make.
Then sketch out - on a piece of paper - the general layout of the page(s) in one of those documents and then transfer that layout to Scribus. I.e. Create text frames where the text on the original was, the same for images etc. Don't get too bogged down in the details of being exact. What you're trying to get is the general idea.
Then add some sample text to each text frame, and random images to the image frames. At this point you don't care about the content, you're just looking at how you manipulate things in Scribus.
Then start moving things around and note how the changes you've made alter the overall look of the page.

You can then start to look at using multiple pages. Add new pages and create different layouts. Move stuff around. Change the images to other random images to see how image "shapes" change things. What you create at this stage doesn't matter because you'll probably just trash it in the end. What's important is that you are experimenting with the software.

If you make a mistake, who cares? What does it matter if you accidentally delete something or it doesn't look right? It's just random images and sample text. You can't do anything wrong or break anything because the final result is pointless anyway. You wouldn't expect to pick up a pencil for the first time with the expectation that what you draw will be shown in a gallery and it should be the same with your Scribus work.

Play around with it. Make as much mess as you like. Change fonts, column settings, image effects. Create shapes and edit them with the node editor to see what happens. Drag things over other things and see how the text flow options work. Remember what happens when you change things and try and figure out what you can do with it.

Get used to being comfortable with Scribus before you make something that is important. If you're worrying about every little detail from the start then you'll probably be put off from trying different things and the whole process will be unsatisfying.

My point - eventually! - is that you should get used to using the software on stuff that really doesn't matter before you start worrying about getting it right on the stuff that does matter. Enjoy using Scribus and your documents will get better and better over time.

P.S. In general, unless you're getting your documents professionally printed on paper that will be folded and cut to make the final output, you really don't need to know about stuff like impositioning. (And even then your printshop will probably do that for you if you ask them nicely.) Basically, don't worry about it until you know you need to think about it.

[soakedlontra]

Nermander and Garry,

Thank you very much for your replies.

When I was a student at Edinburgh College of art I studied fine art  (painting and photography) not graphic design. With time I incorporated text to my artwork freely without thinking too much about layout etc. 

I have been looking at graphic design and publishing tutorials on the net. I am planning to look at my local library to see which books are available. At the same time I have started to make sketches of my project and get the measurements right (in the past I created greeting cards whose measurements were a bit screwed up so the designer at the printing shop had to adjust them).

I do have a deadline for my project which is January 2015. I would like to take my daily-planner to Alaska. Even if it is not perfect it doesn't matter because it's just for my personal use, I am not trying to create a product to sell but , at the same time, I cannot keep experimenting endlessly because eventually I will have to settle down with a final layout and get it printed.

Good night!

[soakedlontra]

Here it is the first draft of the cover! I know it needs more work. Anyway it's a start! 

I printed the work and then edited it.

I did find a manual with another sample:http://en.flossmanuals.net/scribus-2/hands-on/

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