PAGE DESIGN

When designing your publication it may help to bear in mind the following points.


Text

Text should be black; generally speaking, only headings larger than font size 14-16 should be in colour.


Which black?

For black areas, use 100%K only; do not use ‘rich’ black. While this is sometimes encouraged for magazine production it is not suitable for newspaper printing.


Excess ink

Newspapers are not dried like glossy magazines; therefore, avoid large solid blocks of colour in order to reduce the risk of ink
rub-off. If you intend to have blank pages, then bear in mind that ink-heavy pictures on facing pages may leave an impression.


Image quality

Try to ensure that all images have a minimum resolution of 150dpi; images lifted from websites, for example, will often have a very low resolution. Do not use scanned in images unless you deliberately intend the image to look grainy.


Contrast

Photographs with a strong subject and a lighter background print better than pictures taken in dark rooms or against dark backgrounds.


Where to start

If you are completely new to newspaper design, take a look at the layout of one of the quality national dailies. They are designed for clarity and readability – and to print well.