BOOK COVER & TEXT DESIGN | FROM MANUSCRIPT TO PRINTED BOOK
http://www.dotdesign.net/
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Book Designs
A L B E R T I N E B O O K D E S I G N
BOOK COVER & TEXT DESIGN | FROM MANUSCRIPT TO PRINTED BOOK
http://www.dotdesign.net/
BOOK COVER & TEXT DESIGN | FROM MANUSCRIPT TO PRINTED BOOK
http://www.dotdesign.net/
Binding Methods
Binding Methods
When paperclips won't do
If you are printing a booklet, book, or multi-page report you need to plan how you will put together the finished product before you set up your document in your page layout program. You can choose from several binding methods, each with its own pros and cons depending on the purpose of the document, need for durability and best appearance, and cost.
For some binding methods it might simply be a matter of ensuring that the margins are wide enough to accommodate the holes for a three ring binder or spiral binding. For saddle-stitching, you may need to compensate for creep. Some bindings provide more durability, others allow your book to lay flat when open. You will also want to weigh the cost of special equipment if you want to do-it-yourself rather than using a local copy shop or printer for your binding and finishing.
On the next several pages we'll run down some of the most common ways that you can bind your books or other documents.
Ring Binding Methods
Comb, Coil, Wire Binding Methods
Thermal Binding Methods
Stitched Binding Methods
Perfect Binding Methods
Case Binding Methods
http://desktoppub.about.com/cs/finishing/a/binding.htm
When paperclips won't do
If you are printing a booklet, book, or multi-page report you need to plan how you will put together the finished product before you set up your document in your page layout program. You can choose from several binding methods, each with its own pros and cons depending on the purpose of the document, need for durability and best appearance, and cost.
For some binding methods it might simply be a matter of ensuring that the margins are wide enough to accommodate the holes for a three ring binder or spiral binding. For saddle-stitching, you may need to compensate for creep. Some bindings provide more durability, others allow your book to lay flat when open. You will also want to weigh the cost of special equipment if you want to do-it-yourself rather than using a local copy shop or printer for your binding and finishing.
On the next several pages we'll run down some of the most common ways that you can bind your books or other documents.
Ring Binding Methods
Comb, Coil, Wire Binding Methods
Thermal Binding Methods
Stitched Binding Methods
Perfect Binding Methods
Case Binding Methods
http://desktoppub.about.com/cs/finishing/a/binding.htm
How to Make a Fabric Book cover
Use this book cover to "dress up" a paperback novel or any other book. Choose fabrics that are mid- to heavyweight.
Instructions
STEP 1: Place your book on a flat surface so that the spine of the book faces to your left. Measure the width of your book (side-to-side) and multiply this number by three. Add the width of the spine to this number and then write down the total inches.
STEP 2: Measure the length of your book (top-to-bottom), add 3/4 inch to this measurement and write this number down as well.
STEP 3: Place your fabric on a flat work surface, wrong side up. Use a yardstick or ruler, fabric marking pen and dressmaker shears to measure, mark and cut out a piece of fabric that is equal to the dimensions calculated in steps 1 and 2.
STEP 4: Use a sewing machine to apply 1/4-inch, double-fold bias tape to the short edges of your fabric rectangle. Trim any excess bias tape.
STEP 5: Place the fabric, wrong side up, on your work surface. Fold in each short edge of your fabric rectangle toward the center. Each folded-over flap should be about one-half of the book width calculated in step 1. Use dressmaker pins to keep the flaps in place.
STEP 6: Place the book on top of the pinned fabric and slip the front and back covers of the book into the pockets formed in step 5. Make sure that the book will be able to close. Adjust the flaps if necessary.
STEP 7: Apply 1/4-inch, double-fold bias tape to the remaining raw edges of the fabric. Keep the flaps in place when you enclose the edges with bias tape. This will create the pockets for the front and back covers of your book.
Tips & Warnings
Look in the remnant bins of your local fabric stores for suitable fabrics at bargain prices.
Apply bias tape by inserting the raw fabric edge between the tape's layers. Sew it into place, close to the tape's edge.
Make sure that the shorter of the two bias tape folds is facing you when you sew the tape into place. This will help ensure that both folds are stitched.
Sew lace or braided trim around the outer edges of your book cover. Make sure that your stitching line does not interfere with the fit of the book cover pockets.
Instructions
STEP 1: Place your book on a flat surface so that the spine of the book faces to your left. Measure the width of your book (side-to-side) and multiply this number by three. Add the width of the spine to this number and then write down the total inches.
STEP 2: Measure the length of your book (top-to-bottom), add 3/4 inch to this measurement and write this number down as well.
STEP 3: Place your fabric on a flat work surface, wrong side up. Use a yardstick or ruler, fabric marking pen and dressmaker shears to measure, mark and cut out a piece of fabric that is equal to the dimensions calculated in steps 1 and 2.
STEP 4: Use a sewing machine to apply 1/4-inch, double-fold bias tape to the short edges of your fabric rectangle. Trim any excess bias tape.
STEP 5: Place the fabric, wrong side up, on your work surface. Fold in each short edge of your fabric rectangle toward the center. Each folded-over flap should be about one-half of the book width calculated in step 1. Use dressmaker pins to keep the flaps in place.
STEP 6: Place the book on top of the pinned fabric and slip the front and back covers of the book into the pockets formed in step 5. Make sure that the book will be able to close. Adjust the flaps if necessary.
STEP 7: Apply 1/4-inch, double-fold bias tape to the remaining raw edges of the fabric. Keep the flaps in place when you enclose the edges with bias tape. This will create the pockets for the front and back covers of your book.
Tips & Warnings
Look in the remnant bins of your local fabric stores for suitable fabrics at bargain prices.
Apply bias tape by inserting the raw fabric edge between the tape's layers. Sew it into place, close to the tape's edge.
Make sure that the shorter of the two bias tape folds is facing you when you sew the tape into place. This will help ensure that both folds are stitched.
Sew lace or braided trim around the outer edges of your book cover. Make sure that your stitching line does not interfere with the fit of the book cover pockets.
Monday, April 9, 2007
CS3 is HERE!
Create powerful images with the professional standard
The essential software for perfecting your images, Adobe® Photoshop® CS3 now offers productivity and workflow enhancements, powerful new editing tools, and breakthrough compositing capabilities.
Reasons to upgrade
* Smart Filters
* Quick Selection and Refine Edge tools
* Advanced compositing
* Streamlined interface
* Better raw image processing
* Improved Adobe Bridge
* Enhanced Vanishing Point
* Enhanced 32-bit HDR support
* Peak performance
* Black-and-white conversion
http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/family/
http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/photoshop/customers/
The essential software for perfecting your images, Adobe® Photoshop® CS3 now offers productivity and workflow enhancements, powerful new editing tools, and breakthrough compositing capabilities.
Reasons to upgrade
* Smart Filters
* Quick Selection and Refine Edge tools
* Advanced compositing
* Streamlined interface
* Better raw image processing
* Improved Adobe Bridge
* Enhanced Vanishing Point
* Enhanced 32-bit HDR support
* Peak performance
* Black-and-white conversion
http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/family/
http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/photoshop/customers/
Sunday, April 8, 2007
Mac vs PC
2 Discussions on Pcs vs. Macs for Graphic Design
PCs VS MACs for GRAPHIC DESIGN -
2 Separate Opinions About the Argument of PCs vs. Macs for Graphic Design
PCs vs. Macs - Opinion #1
Introduction
PC or Mac that is the question. This seems to be the question many consumers are wondering these days. Both PCs and Macs have their strong points as well as their weak points, but when it comes to designing, Mac is the clear winner.
Macintosh
Apple’s Macintosh system has been always known as the system of choice for anyone interested in anything to deal with movie editing, graphic design, image editing, and other multimedia forms. One great reason for this is, the software that comes with the computer. When you get a Mac, Apple makes it clear what they want you to do with your machine. They give you many options for you to move forward in a multimedia format. With their iLife software, this makes editing images, movies, and music a breeze. Apple decided they wanted their platform more for “fun” than “work” a long time ago. When designers use a Mac, they generally prefer the experience more than when using a PC for doing the same task. This is because the Apple’s interface and OS is targeted towards users who want to design, edit, and have fun. A problem in the past with Apple was that they were not as fast at what they needed to do, because they were not stacked with a good enough processor. Speed is something many designers need, because they are paid by how fast they can or cannot do something. Mac now has Intel chips, so this removes that problem entirely.
PC
When you think of a PC, you generally think of a business computer. Most corporations use PCs over Macs because it works well between other businesses. They cannot only be used for creating pie charts though. PCs and Macs have become more and more alike. PCs have basically the same software available to them as Macs. But as said previously, the experience and how everything is layed on a Mac makes it superior. Now that you thought that I was going to be totally biased towards Mac, I will tell you something good. If you were someone interested in 3D designing, I would then recommend using a PC. This is because most 3D programs have not created versions for the Macintosh yet. The two best 3D design programs in my mind, 3D Studio Max and Maya are not available on the Mac.
Final Note
Both PCs and Macs have their own-targeted audience, and Apple in my mind (and many others), is the #1 choice for designing. PCs have their strong points in 3D editing, and even then, you can get Cinema 4D for the Mac. If you are someone who wants to do editing using Adobe products, and Apple products, then you will want to get a Mac if you have the option.
Author: Matthew Heidenreich
http://tutorial-search.com
PC vs. Mac for Graphic Designing - Post article commentary from a dual PC/Mac user
For years, in my office, I have used a Mac for desktop publishing and design work (both web and graphic design). In my home, I have done similar work. The difference is, at home I use a PC. I also have the responsibility at home and at work for supporting both Macs and PCs. After reading the article PC vs. Mac for Graphic Designing I felt the need, as a cross-user, to expand a rather simple article. It is easy to proclaim the Mac as winner in this type of contest because it is a claim that has been espoused for years. In truth however, most of the reasons which are normally given are strained and easy.
You will of course assume by the fact that I am writing this article, think that I am a PC troll trying to stir up trouble. So that you can read this in peace, let me assure you that this is not a Mac bashing article. I love both Macs and PCs. The author claims that Macs used to be slower than PCs but now they use Intel chips so they are fast now. The Macs previously used Power PC chips and this chip was by no means slow. There was an image problem because the Mhz number that went along with these chips was lower. Actual processing time for the most part was rarely any slower than Intel chips. This is in fact one of the reasons the Mac did well with the graphic design community in the earlier years, the Power PC chip for a long time did a much better job handling Photoshop rasterizing. Apple switching to the Intel chip nullified their one real hardware benefit that mattered. They could claim differences in the ability of this processor. There were good reasons for switching to the Intel chip - cost, the inability of Motorola and then IBM to keep up the speed increases that Apple needed, and their lack of leverage when negotiating with those same two companies because of the low numbers of systems being sold.
On the other hand, even though the Mac is using off the shelf parts now, they don’t allow users to have the same flexibility when upgrading their Mac that PC users often have. Apple does this so that they can control what systems their Mac OS can go on. This does however act as a huge limit on users that want to extend the life of their systems and of course excludes people who want to build a system from scratch. As a user with technical knowledge, this is one of the reasons I use a PC at home, I was able to create the exact system I need for what I do. Whenever those needs change in a significant way, I can change my system so it continues to do what I need.
The Mac however is a very strong choice for the user who doesn’t have a strong technical background or the user who doesn’t want to deal with this kind of thinking. On its surface it is easier to work with. You can do quite a bit with little knowledge. Then you can do a lot more if you take the time to learn the Unix that the OS is built on. It’s the middle ground where the PC excels for a user. If you want to put in some work to learning about the workings of the OS and the hardware, but not quite the effort to run a Unix box, the PC is a very happy medium for designers and non-designers.
Software: Almost every piece of professional design software is now owned by Adobe (I will miss Macromedia). Adobe has very strong support for the PC in all of its software. I have always found the whole Adobe suite to work equally well in Mac and PC land. I do lean towards the Mac for print design however. The main reason for this is font standardization. Since so many graphic designers and printers use Macs and so few use Opentype fonts (which are cross platform) it is just easier to use a Mac so you don’t have font conflicts. If you will be delivering a PDF as your final document to a printer and other users aren’t using your document it makes no difference from an application standpoint what platform you work on. If you are doing web design, I have generally found Dreamweaver to be a little peppier on my PC and the fonts don’t matter a whole lot. I have not done benchmarks on this though and it could be a matter of perception.
What I tried to do in this rebuttal was to just try and move away from the usual talking points. There are good reasons to choose either a PC or Mac for your design work. Most, however, have to do with technical experience and personal preference, for instance a PC does take up more time to maintain and keep safe (but these are just the issues that everyone always brings up). From a speed and software angle there is really very little difference anymore.
More info on http://allgraphicdesign.com/graphicsblog/2007/04/08/2-discussions-on-pcs-vs-macs-for-graphic-design/
PCs VS MACs for GRAPHIC DESIGN -
2 Separate Opinions About the Argument of PCs vs. Macs for Graphic Design
PCs vs. Macs - Opinion #1
Introduction
PC or Mac that is the question. This seems to be the question many consumers are wondering these days. Both PCs and Macs have their strong points as well as their weak points, but when it comes to designing, Mac is the clear winner.
Macintosh
Apple’s Macintosh system has been always known as the system of choice for anyone interested in anything to deal with movie editing, graphic design, image editing, and other multimedia forms. One great reason for this is, the software that comes with the computer. When you get a Mac, Apple makes it clear what they want you to do with your machine. They give you many options for you to move forward in a multimedia format. With their iLife software, this makes editing images, movies, and music a breeze. Apple decided they wanted their platform more for “fun” than “work” a long time ago. When designers use a Mac, they generally prefer the experience more than when using a PC for doing the same task. This is because the Apple’s interface and OS is targeted towards users who want to design, edit, and have fun. A problem in the past with Apple was that they were not as fast at what they needed to do, because they were not stacked with a good enough processor. Speed is something many designers need, because they are paid by how fast they can or cannot do something. Mac now has Intel chips, so this removes that problem entirely.
PC
When you think of a PC, you generally think of a business computer. Most corporations use PCs over Macs because it works well between other businesses. They cannot only be used for creating pie charts though. PCs and Macs have become more and more alike. PCs have basically the same software available to them as Macs. But as said previously, the experience and how everything is layed on a Mac makes it superior. Now that you thought that I was going to be totally biased towards Mac, I will tell you something good. If you were someone interested in 3D designing, I would then recommend using a PC. This is because most 3D programs have not created versions for the Macintosh yet. The two best 3D design programs in my mind, 3D Studio Max and Maya are not available on the Mac.
Final Note
Both PCs and Macs have their own-targeted audience, and Apple in my mind (and many others), is the #1 choice for designing. PCs have their strong points in 3D editing, and even then, you can get Cinema 4D for the Mac. If you are someone who wants to do editing using Adobe products, and Apple products, then you will want to get a Mac if you have the option.
Author: Matthew Heidenreich
http://tutorial-search.com
PC vs. Mac for Graphic Designing - Post article commentary from a dual PC/Mac user
For years, in my office, I have used a Mac for desktop publishing and design work (both web and graphic design). In my home, I have done similar work. The difference is, at home I use a PC. I also have the responsibility at home and at work for supporting both Macs and PCs. After reading the article PC vs. Mac for Graphic Designing I felt the need, as a cross-user, to expand a rather simple article. It is easy to proclaim the Mac as winner in this type of contest because it is a claim that has been espoused for years. In truth however, most of the reasons which are normally given are strained and easy.
You will of course assume by the fact that I am writing this article, think that I am a PC troll trying to stir up trouble. So that you can read this in peace, let me assure you that this is not a Mac bashing article. I love both Macs and PCs. The author claims that Macs used to be slower than PCs but now they use Intel chips so they are fast now. The Macs previously used Power PC chips and this chip was by no means slow. There was an image problem because the Mhz number that went along with these chips was lower. Actual processing time for the most part was rarely any slower than Intel chips. This is in fact one of the reasons the Mac did well with the graphic design community in the earlier years, the Power PC chip for a long time did a much better job handling Photoshop rasterizing. Apple switching to the Intel chip nullified their one real hardware benefit that mattered. They could claim differences in the ability of this processor. There were good reasons for switching to the Intel chip - cost, the inability of Motorola and then IBM to keep up the speed increases that Apple needed, and their lack of leverage when negotiating with those same two companies because of the low numbers of systems being sold.
On the other hand, even though the Mac is using off the shelf parts now, they don’t allow users to have the same flexibility when upgrading their Mac that PC users often have. Apple does this so that they can control what systems their Mac OS can go on. This does however act as a huge limit on users that want to extend the life of their systems and of course excludes people who want to build a system from scratch. As a user with technical knowledge, this is one of the reasons I use a PC at home, I was able to create the exact system I need for what I do. Whenever those needs change in a significant way, I can change my system so it continues to do what I need.
The Mac however is a very strong choice for the user who doesn’t have a strong technical background or the user who doesn’t want to deal with this kind of thinking. On its surface it is easier to work with. You can do quite a bit with little knowledge. Then you can do a lot more if you take the time to learn the Unix that the OS is built on. It’s the middle ground where the PC excels for a user. If you want to put in some work to learning about the workings of the OS and the hardware, but not quite the effort to run a Unix box, the PC is a very happy medium for designers and non-designers.
Software: Almost every piece of professional design software is now owned by Adobe (I will miss Macromedia). Adobe has very strong support for the PC in all of its software. I have always found the whole Adobe suite to work equally well in Mac and PC land. I do lean towards the Mac for print design however. The main reason for this is font standardization. Since so many graphic designers and printers use Macs and so few use Opentype fonts (which are cross platform) it is just easier to use a Mac so you don’t have font conflicts. If you will be delivering a PDF as your final document to a printer and other users aren’t using your document it makes no difference from an application standpoint what platform you work on. If you are doing web design, I have generally found Dreamweaver to be a little peppier on my PC and the fonts don’t matter a whole lot. I have not done benchmarks on this though and it could be a matter of perception.
What I tried to do in this rebuttal was to just try and move away from the usual talking points. There are good reasons to choose either a PC or Mac for your design work. Most, however, have to do with technical experience and personal preference, for instance a PC does take up more time to maintain and keep safe (but these are just the issues that everyone always brings up). From a speed and software angle there is really very little difference anymore.
More info on http://allgraphicdesign.com/graphicsblog/2007/04/08/2-discussions-on-pcs-vs-macs-for-graphic-design/
How Design
http://www.howdesign.com/
Pretty interesting website. Good source of inspiration and a boost of confidence!
Pretty interesting website. Good source of inspiration and a boost of confidence!
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