POV Handbook

POV Handbook | 1
pov
DesignHandbook

2 | Centre for Media Studies
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POV Handbook | 3
Centre for Media Studies
Jyoti Nivas College Autonomous
Hosur Road, Bengaluru 560095
pov
DesignHandbook

This is an official design handbook for the publication of POV
magazines in BA/BSc III year (PJCE, PJCS, HTJ, JEOE) under the
Department of Journalism, Centre for Media Studies, Jyoti Nivas
College Autonomous. It will help manage your design process and
workflow. The contents are arranged in the sequence of the work
processes in the production of a POV issue. A thorough reading
of this handbook will also provide anyone an understanding of the
technical know-how and a deeper understanding of numerous
concepts that are used in magazine design and production. This
handbook will be tremendously useful in preparing for theory
exams as well.
Information Credits
Adobe InDesign https://helpx.adobe.com/in/indesign/get-started.html
Almost an Author, https://www.almostanauthor.com/
Design resources http://resources.printhandbook.com
Dollco https://dollcoprint.com/
Encyclopedia.com https://www.encyclopedia.com/
Flip 180 Media, https://www.flip180media.com/
InDesign Skills https://indesignskills.com/
Interaction Design https://www.interaction-design.org/
Page Tutor https://www.pagetutor.com
Print Ninja https://printninja.com/
Registrar of Newspapers for India http://rni.nic.in/
Shutterstock Blog https://www.shutterstock.com/blog/
University of Washington https://faculty.washington.edu/
Centre for Media Studies
Jyoti Nivas College Autonomous
Hosur Road, Bengaluru 560095
Centre for Media Studies, May, 2021. This work is licensed under a Creative
Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Preface

POV Handbook | 5
Contents
7 PROCEDURE AND GUIDELINES FOR
MAGAZINE REGISTRATION 12 POV
SPECIFICATIONS 18 THE BEST PAPER
TYPES 24 THE BEST FILE TYPES
28 INDESIGN PREFLIGHT 35 SAVING
INDD FILE AS PDF 42 PACKAGE
INDESIGN PROJECTS FOR PRINTING
& SHARING 48 COLOR CHART
50 WHICH COLOUR SPACE SHOULD I
USE? 57 BINDING TYPES
61 DIGITAL VS OFFSET PRINTING
66 PRODUCTION PROCESS OF
A MAGAZINE 71 GOOD DESIGN:
DIETER RAMS’ 10 TIMELESS
COMMANDMENTS FOR GOOD DESIGN
76 GOOD DESIGN: SHNEIDERMAN’S
“EIGHT GOLDEN RULES OF INTERFACE
DESIGN” 78 GOOD DESIGN: 6
PROFESSIONAL LAYOUT DESIGN TIPS
85 POV GLOSSARY

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POV Handbook | 7
Step 1: Verification of title
• The publisher should get the required title
verified after applying online as per the
procedure and guidelines for title verification.
Step 2: Authentication of declaration
• After downloading the title verification
letter from RNI website, the same should be
presented to forwarding authority concerned
(DM/DC/SDM/DCP/JCP/CMM etc.) along
with properly filled declaration (Form-I) for
authentication.
Procedure
and guidelines for
magazine registration
Protocol for the registration of newspapers and
magazines according to the Office of Registrar of
Newspapers for India
Office of the Registrar of the Newspapers for India (official name),
more popularly known as Registrar of Newspapers for India (RNI), is
a Government of India statutory body of Ministry of Information and
Broadcasting for the registration of the publications, such as newspapers
and magazines in India. All publications of India as well as publication
imported in India for sales require the mandatory registration with RNI.
Check the functions and responsibilities of the agency at http://rni.nic.in/

• If publisher and printer are different persons,
then separate declarations from both
publisher and printer are required.
• If place of publication and printing press
are in different districts then separate
declarations are required from both the
districts
• The publisher should file declaration from
the district of place of publication and printer
should file declaration from the district of
printing press
Step 3: Publication of
Volume/Year-1 Issue-1
• Under section 5 (5) of PRB Act 1867, VOLUME/
YEAR-1 ISSUE-1 should be brought within
42 days of authentication of declaration, if
periodicity is daily or weekly.
• If periodicity is fortnightly or above, VOLUME/
YEAR-1 ISSUE-1 should be brought out within
90 days of authentication of declaration.
• If place of publication and printing press
are in different districts, then the date
of authentication of place of publication
declaration filed by the publisher will be
considered for calculating 42/90 days for the
beginning of VOLUME-1 ISSUE-1.
• In case VOLUME-1 ISSUE- 1 is not brought
out within the required time period, a
revised declaration should be filed and
VOLUME-1 ISSUE-1 should be brought out
within the required period from the date of
authentication of revised declaration.

POV Handbook | 9
• The publication should be printed in the press
mentioned in the declaration.
• The publication should primarily contain
news/views/articles etc and in case of
bilingual/multilingual publications, news/
views/articles etc should be brought out in all
the languages of the publication.
Guidelines to print masthead
• To ensure distinctiveness of the title, it should
be displayed in the masthead, as verified and
should not resemble/imitate any existing title.
• The title shall be displayed in uniform font/
letter size in mast head of the publication.
The difference in font/letter size should not be
more than 25%.
• The title shall be displayed either horizontally
or vertically.
• In case of bilingual/multilingual publications
the title in the masthead should be displayed
in anyone of the languages of publication.
• Periodicity should not be mentioned along
with the title in the masthead if it is not part
of the verified title.
• If title displayed in the masthead is in
language other than English or Hindi, the
same should also be displayed in English/
Hindi (It should be as verified and not
translation and it can be in smaller font size).
• The masthead space should also carry
dateline containing volume and issue number,
date/month/year, periodicity, price and

publication city, in the language of publication
and also in English/Hindi in case of
publications in languages other than English
and Hindi.
• Each page should display the title, page
number, and date/month/year of publication.
Guidelines for imprint line
• The imprint line should be printed legibly as
Printed by ................................................ and published
by ............................... on behalf of........................
(name of owner) and printed at ........................ ( name
and complete address of printing press) and published
from ........................ (complete address of place of
publication). Editor: ..........................
• In case of publications in languages other
than English or Hindi, the imprint line
should also be displayed in English/Hindi for
reference. It can be in smaller font size.
• The name of Editor given in the imprint
line should be same as mentioned in the
declaration. Editor-in-chief, Sub Editor, Chief
SAMPLE IMPRINT LINE
Printed by PJCE1/PJCE2/PJCS/JEOE/HTJ and published by the
Department of Journalism on behalf of The Centre for Media
Studies, Jyoti Nivas College Autonomous and printed at Print
Xpress/iPrint, Koramangala Block V and published from Jyoti Nivas
College Autonomous, Hosur Road, Bengaluru 560095, Karnataka.
Editor: Your editor’s name

POV Handbook | 11
Editor, Resident Editor etc should not be
mentioned as a part of the imprint line.
• As per section 3 of PRB Act 1867 the imprint
line should be legible. Hence, the font size and
placement of imprint line should be such that
it is legible and clearly visible. There is no
specific place recommended for imprint line
however, bottom of page 3 or last page of the
publication should be preferred so that it can
be easily located.
Submission of documents to
RNI for registration
• After downloading the title verification
letter from RNI website, the same should be
presented to forwarding authority concerned
(DM/DC/SDM/DCP/JCP/CMM etc.) along
with properly filled declaration (Form-I) for
authentication and other required documents.
• Refer to the list of documents required for
registration of newspaper/magazine given on
the website.

POV Specifications
Recommended Print Area
210×250mm
210 mm
250
mm
3 mm
210×250mm dimension
We’ve created this page to help you fully
understand the specs required for setting up
and exporting your designs. Our 210×250mm
magazines will be printed on 80–100gsm paper
and use saddle stitching for binding (see p57 for
more on binding).
Pages
• Pages must be created in multiples of 4
• The number of pages that we have agreed
upon is 44 printed pages

POV Handbook | 13
Safe Area
Crop Area
Bleed Area
Print your artwork right to the edge of the paper using the proper setup option
in Adobe InDesign. To print to the paper’s edge without any margins around your
design, first extend your design into a bleed area so it’s slightly larger than your
finished print size. You’ll then add print crop marks, which show where to trim the
paper to the document’s finished print size. Your design should extend past these
crop marks. The excess will be trimmed off after it’s printed, and your design will
cover the entire page.

Margins & bleed
• Please add 3mm bleed to your document
• We recommend leaving a 10mm margin for
important copy if you aren’t looking to print
off the edge of the pages
• Ensure full bleed images extend to the outer
red “bleed” margin. In other words, if your
images are intended to go off the page and
you don’t include 3mm bleed you may end up
with an inconsistent white margin when the
document is cut
• It’s possible to print across spreads however
please be aware that some spreads will be
on separate sheets so may not always align
exactly
Images
• 300dpi recommended however anything
above 150dpi should be safe
• CMYK or grayscale provides the best results
• No spot colours
• Black and white photos and artwork can be
set to print CMYK or grayscale
• All blacks are printed in CMYK so blacks can
be set to print either 100%K or rich black
• Colour profiles – you can use any generic
CMYK colour profile (for details, see p 50).
• Please rasterise gradients as sometimes
they can print differently to when they were
viewed on screen.

POV Handbook | 15
Fonts
We recommend using a point size of 10pt,
however some fonts may print well at smaller
sizes. For the choice of typefaces, we will continue
to experiment with typography, which means
each group will have different typefaces.
Technical Specifications for POV
FILE: PDF preferred; JPG, PNG, TIFF, EPS also accepted. PDF files
must be supplied as single pages, including spreads. Ensure all web
and email addresses are hyperlinked.
COLOUR: CMYK process only, without ICC profiles (no spot, RGB,
LAB or solid Pantone colours should be used). Please ensure
adverts have a white background (not transparent).
BLEED: 3mm offset recommended for bleed. Pages must be
created to include bleed when required. Crop marks must be
included to show trim area.
IMAGES: High resolution images, minimum 300 dpi at 100%
recommended. Avoid logos or images from websites as the
resolution will be too low for printing.
FONTS: All fonts must be embedded (this is done when you
complete ADVANCED on p40) and PostScript Type 1 (see p17).
You can take the print from Print Xpress or iPrint. The estimated cost for
one 44-page copy will be around R900.

Working with bleeds in InDesign
A
bleed is the area just extending past the edge of the page, past the
trim edge. So here in this diagram you can see the edge of the bleed
marked out skirting around the outer edge of the page.
A bleed acts as a margin of error when the document is trimmed, after
it’s been printed. So, if you have any content that will cross the edge of
the page, such as a coloured background or maybe an image, you should
extend it into the bleed to avoid any white lines appearing around the
edge of your document. Printers are human after all – trimming errors
can happen, and they are just an inevitable part of the print process. This
could just be a tiny millimetre-wide margin of error, but if you don’t extend
your content into a bleed, it will still be visible. By including a bleed in your
InDesign documents you can help to make your final print product look
flawless, and minimise the visibility of any trimming errors.
A bleed is essential to include if you’re creating any document for print. The
rule for applying a bleed in InDesign is as follows:
If you’re creating a single page document you can set a bleed all the way
around the document. But if you’re creating a document with facing pages,
that’s going to be bound, like a book, you don’t need to include a bleed
on the inside edge. Firstly, because nobody’s going to see it, as the page
edge will be sucked into the bind, and second, because if you export the
InDesign document as a spread (not as single pages), the bleeds on the
inside edges (the inside is the edge of the page that will be bound) will
cross onto the opposite page.
Adding a bleed to your InDesign documents is essential when creating
documents that will be printed professionally. Avoid unsightly trim errors
(or even worse a lecture from your disgruntled printer!) by being sure to
include a bleed in all your InDesign work.

POV Handbook | 17
The difference between Truetype®,
Postscript®, and Opentype™ Fonts
There are three types of fonts you need to be aware of: TrueType,
PostScript and OpenType. They are stored in different directories on
the different operating systems.
POSTSCRIPT FONTS
There are generally two main components to PostScript typefaces. The
first file contains the actual PostScript typeface itself and is often called
the “binary” or “printer” file. The second file contains the typeface’s
complete name, the spacing characteristics (font metrics) and information
to help the computer display the typeface on the screen and for printing the
font. Both files must be submitted.
OPENTYPE FONTS
OpenType fonts are cross-platform compatible making it easier to share
files across operating systems. Font management is simpler since there is
just one file involved. An OpenType font file contains all the outline, metric
and bitmap data in one file. It can contain TrueType (.ttf extension) or
PostScript (.otf extension) font data and uses ATM to render the font on-
screen. Adobe® InDesign® and Adobe® Photoshop® support OpenType
which allows them to use the expanded character sets and layout features.
TRUETYPE FONTS
Truetype fonts only require one file to be submitted but a separate file
needs to be submitted for each instance of the font. For example, a
different file is needed for normal, bold, italic, bold italic, etc. TrueType
typefaces are generally intended for business office use and can be less
reliable for publishing applications. Only use TrueType typefaces when the
typeface is unavailable in PostScript format.

The best
paper types
P
rinting a magazine is a very effective and
affordable way to grab the attention of
customers and clients. When a magazine
arrives in your mailbox, curiosity compels
you to open it up and page through the images
and articles. Every magazine you print has the
potential to reach multiple people as the magazine
is passed from person to person. When you make
the right paper choices, magazine printing is one
of the best marketing techniques for creating
brand recognition.
What type of paper is used for
magazine printing?
The type of paper you choose for your magazine
printing project depends on a number of factors,
including your objectives and your budget.
Magazines are often used to promote events and
can include articles and advertising. Catalogues
are very useful for retail businesses, with high-
quality images that highlight the features of
products available for sale. The weight and
finish of the paper you choose for your magazine
printing will depend on the marketing ends you
wish to achieve with the publication.

POV Handbook | 19
The four principal factors that will determine the
cost of your magazine printing are:
1. quantity,
2. size,
3. paper weight,
4. and finish.
It is also important to consider the cost of
distribution and how changes in size and paper
weight can affect your distribution budget.
It is always prudent to determine the most
economical way to achieve your marketing
objectives. However, you should never make a
savings choice that undermines the effectiveness
of your campaign. A predetermined budget helps
you make the correct decisions for your magazine
printing.
Paper weight
Paper weight is measured in terms of GSM,
or grams per square meter. For a convenient
reference point, the paper in your office printer
is probably around 80 GSM. Thicker paper is
more durable and less likely to tear, but it is more
difficult to fold and is heavier, which makes it
more expensive to ship. Magazines typically use
80 to 90 GSM paper for the interior pages with a
heavier paper for the cover.
Newsprint is usually between 35 and 55 GSM
and is very lightweight. You can create a very
attractive publication with a thick, glossy cover

with a newsprint interior. Newsprint is an
effective choice if your magazine printing needs
include more text than images.
Remember that it is always possible to mix paper
types within your publication, depending on your
needs. An example would be several pages of
glossy photos in the middle of your document.
Uncoated paper
Uncoated paper is a perfect choice for pages
that contain a lot of text. It does not have a shiny
surface, which makes it easier to read. Uncoated
paper is also more ecologically friendly because
it can be recycled after use. The lack of a coat
allows the paper to absorb ink, and this kind
of paper is easier to use to write notes on after
printing.
Considering the type of paper you use is critical
for conceptualizing your final magazine printing.
Uncoated paper creates a subdued and artistic
look that is very effective for many advertising
objectives. Before you commit to a paper choice
for your entire print run, it’s worth printing a
sample version of your graphics on several paper
choices to help you determine the most effective
look.
Coated paper
Coated paper adds a protective enamel coating
that results in either a glossy or a matte finish.

POV Handbook | 21
Coated vs uncoated paper
– What’s the difference?
When it comes to coated vs uncoated paper, the main difference is the
way the paper is manufactured. Coated papers have a coating on
them (typically clay), so they’re “sealed.” This restricts the amount of ink
that is absorbed into the paper, allowing the ink to sit on top of the paper, in
a crisp defined dot.
Uncoated papers do not have this coating and thus are more porous. The
ink soaks into the paper and has a softer, warmer appearance. Uncoated
papers are categorized by type: offset, opaque and text & cover. Domtar’s
line of papers fall in the offset & opaque categories, with Cougar being a
premium opaque sheet.
Coated papers are categorized in two ways; by their finish: gloss, dull, silk
or matte or by quality (brightness and price): Premium, No 1, No 2, No 3, No
4, No 5. A coated paper with brightness of 88+ is classified as a premium
paper. The higher the brightness level, the more light that bounces off the
sheet. Most inks are transparent, so the reflected gives the appearance of
bright, crisp vivid image. With coated papers, the glossier the finish, the
less ink absorption.
Uncoated white papers too are defined by their brightness levels – the
brighter the sheet, the more light reflected back to the eye. For example,
Cougar is a 98 Bright white sheet, meaning 98% of the light is reflected
back to the eye of the viewer. This level of brightness helps four-color
images “pop” off the paper as the lights reflects back through the ink.
Uncoated papers can have many finishes to them: smooth, linen, laid,
vellum, and super smooth just to name a few. The smoothness level is an
important factor when considering uncoated papers as it is not only what
gives the paper its feel, but also affects ink holdout. The smoother the
sheet the more even the ink lay. This is especially important when printing
areas of heavy solids or metallic inks.
For POV, we will go with matte finish.

The coating prevents the paper from fully
absorbing the ink, which results in a more
precise image replication. Coated paper is also
more resistant to moisture and tearing. If you
are printing a magazine with many images, you
would be best served by a glossy finish. The
glossy finish provides a dynamic, shiny look that
helps enhance the hues and colors of your images.
If your magazine is a combination of text and
images, you might consider a matte finish. A
matte finish offers more precise image replication
than uncoated paper, but it lacks the shine that
makes text more difficult to read. A matte finish is
a very popular and versatile look that is suitable
for a wide variety of magazine printing objectives.
Paper Size
Magazines come in all shapes and sizes and can
be as small as a paperback book or as large as a
newspaper. Other custom sizes are also available,
but the standard sizes are more likely to be the
most economical. The number of pages in your
magazine will determine the best method for
binding the magazine together. Printers have
adopted standard printing sizes to make the most
efficient use of paper rolls.
For POV, our spec is 210×250mm, which is
trimmed from an A4 (210×297mm).
Very large magazines have the advantage of
greater visibility, but they are more expensive. If

POV Handbook | 23
you wish to include a poster at the centre of your
magazine that may be detached for purposes of
display, you might consider a large paper size.
Prepare the proper graphics
for your paper
As you continue to refine the details for your
magazine printing, it’s important to communicate
with your printing company for design
specifications. Printing requires a clearance
area on the graphics that ensures no critical
information will be lost during trimming. Also, if
your magazine is many pages long, some printers
require that you send the graphics necessary
for sheet printing rather than individual page
printing.
For example, if you have an eight-page magazine,
your first graphic will feature the front and back
cover, which will be printed on one sheet and
then folded on the seam in the middle.
As you finalize your printing needs, it’s important
to choose a printer with strong customer service.
Your printer will provide you with a final level of
quality control and can guide you with choices
that might be more effective and cost-efficient.
Your expectations for how your text and graphics
will appear on your final product represent a
critical element for choosing the proper paper for
your magazine printing.

S
ending the wrong sort of files to the printers
can have a pretty big negative impact on
your finished article. We hope to explain it
all a little so this won’t happen to you.
What does the file need to do?
Is your file going straight to the printers? Or is just
getting imported into another file, which is then
going to the printers. This answer will affect how
you choose to save your file.
Files for your printers
Ultimately your best option is to ask your printers
how they like to receive their files. The likelihood
is they will want PDFs. When we at The Centre for
Media Studies work with Print Xpress or iPrint
we send almost all our files as PDFs or JPEGs.
They have the latest kit to handle these files.
However, sometimes one of them will ask for a
packaged Indesign folder. This tends to be how
we work with them on more complicated jobs. It
helps if anything needs tweaking at their end.
If your printers do want a PDF, ask them what
type or version. There are many different types
The best
file types

POV Handbook | 25
of PDF and some printers will have issues with
certain ones so just ask.
Other file types
A lot of the files you create will be embedded or
imported into something else, like Indesign. Here
we’re going to split these files into two categories:
vectors and bitmaps.
Vectors
You are best off saving vector artwork (the sort of
stuff from Illustrator) as an EPS, PDF or AI file.
Even at 300dpi the TIFF
and JPG don’t handle this
vector graphic nearly so
well. They have to convert
it to pixels, and in this
situation it shows.
Bitmaps
TIFFs, JPEGs and even PSDs are what you should
be saving your bitmap files as (the sort of things
created in Photoshop).
TIFFs and PSDs are lossless. You don’t lose any
quality by saving a file as a TIFF or PSD.
JPEGs normally lose quality when you save them
but take up a lot less space on your computer. A
very high quality JPEG is often not a lot different
Vector graphics are a combination
of mathematical formulas that define
shapes, colors, and placement.
Bitmap or raster images are created
with a collection of bits or pixels. In
their simplest form, bitmap images are
two colors: black and white.

to a TIFF or PSD, but it does very much depend on
the sort of image you’re saving.
A TIFF or PSD is normally a better option than a
JPEG. But if you’ve been supplied with a JPEG,
from a camera or stock photo website, and you’re
not modifying the image then you will gain
nothing from saving it as a TIFF or PSD. A TIFF
or PSD cannot create detail where there was none
in the first place. But a JPEG can remove detail
where once there was some.
There’s a couple of thing to notice in the pictures
here related to JPEGs. Firstly, JPEGs can’t handle
spot colours. So when this JPEG was saved it
converted the Pantone colour into a CMYK value.
Secondly, the white space in between the red lines
on the JPEG is filled with a very subtle yellow/
grey tint. This is due to the compression.
Summary
• Files for your printers: Ask them but probably
PDFs or native Creative Cloud files (.ai, .psd,
.indd)
• Vectors: EPSs, PDFs and AIs
• Bitmaps: TIFFs, PSDs and sometimes JPEGs

POV Handbook | 27
Preflight
Export
Package

B
efore printing or handing off the document
to a service provider, you can perform a
quality check on the document. PREFLIGHT is
the industry-standard term for this process.
While you edit your document, the Preflight panel
warns of problems that can prevent a document
or book from printing or outputting as desired.
These problems include missing files or fonts,
low-resolution images, overset text, and a number
of other conditions.
You can configure preflight settings to define
which conditions are detected. These preflight
settings are stored in preflight profiles for easy
reuse. You can create your own preflight profiles
or import them from your printer or another
source.
To take advantage of live preflighting, create or
specify a preflight profile in the early stages of
creating a document. If PREFLIGHT is turned on,
a red circle icon appears in the status bar when
InDesign detects any problems. You can open the
InDesign
Preflight
Preflight files before handoff

POV Handbook | 29
PREFLIGHT panel and view the Info section to get
basic guidance for fixing the problems.
PREFLIGHT tool helps the designer to find mistakes
herself and correct them before sending the
Document to the printing house. This shortens
prepress processes in the printing house, because
no further corrections are necessary.
Open PREFLIGHT panel
There are two ways to run PREFLIGHT tool:
1. In the menu choose: WINDOW > OUTPUT >
PREFLIGHT or
2. Shortcut keys: CTRL+ALT+SHIFT+F.

Define PREFLIGHT profiles
By default, the [Basic] profile is applied to new and
converted documents. This profile flags missing
or modified links, overset text, and missing fonts.
Although you cannot edit or delete the [Basic]
profile, you can create and use multiple profiles.
For example, you can switch between profiles
when working on different documents, when
using different print service providers, or when
running a single document through different
production phases.
Consult with your prepress provider to obtain
a profile or to learn what the preflight profile
settings are.
Define a preflight profile
• Choose DEFINE PROFILES from the PREFLIGHT
panel menu or from the PREFLIGHT menu at the
bottom of the document window.
• Click the NEW PREFLIGHT PROFILE icon +, and
specify a name for the profile.

POV Handbook | 31
• In each category, specify the preflight settings.
A check mark in a box indicates that all
settings are included. An empty box indicates
that no settings are included.
LINKS Determine whether missing links and
modified links are displayed as errors.
COLOR Determine which transparency blending
space is required and whether items such as CMY
plates, colorspaces, and overprinting are allowed.
IMAGES AND OBJECTS Specify requirements for
items such as image resolution, transparency, and
stroke thickness.
TEXT The Text category displays errors for items
such as missing fonts and overset text.
DOCUMENT Specify requirements for page size and
orientation, number of pages, blank pages, and
bleed and slug setup.
• Choose Save to preserve your changes on one
profile before working on another profile. Or
click OK to close the dialog box and save all
changes.
Embed and unembed profiles
When you embed a profile, you make the profile
part of the document. Embedding profiles is
especially useful when you’re sending the file to
someone else. Just because a profile is embedded,
it does not imply necessary use. For example, if
you send a document with an embedded profile
to a print service, the printer can select a different
profile to use with the document.

You can embed only one profile. The [Basic] profile
cannot be embedded.
• To embed a profile, select it in the Profile list,
and then click the Embed icon to the right
of the Profile list. You can also embed a profile
in the Define Profiles dialog box.
• To unembed a profile, choose DEFINE PROFILES
from the Preflight panel menu, select the
profile, and then choose UNEMBED PROFILE from
the Preflight Profile Menu on the left side of
the dialog box.
Preflighting as you work
Anytime you start working on a document for the
first time—whether you’re creating a document
from scratch or revising an existing document—
you will need to keep an eye on output issues.
Common issues include:
• MISSING FONTS: If a font used in the document
is not present or enabled on your system, it
is considered missing and the document will
not print properly.
• COLOR MODELS: Colors created in the wrong
color model for the intended output device can
cause problems. A common problem is that
digital camera images often use the RGB color
model while offset printing requires CMYK
colors.

POV Handbook | 33
• OVERSET TEXT
: As text formatting changes and
objects are moved and resized during layout,
text can accidentally get cut off so it doesn’t
display or print. This is referred to as overset
text.
The default profile supplied with InDesign flags
issues such as missing fonts and overset text (text
that does not fit in its text frame).
• Choose Window > Output > Preflight to open
the Preflight panel.
Using the [Basic] (Working) preflight profile,
InDesign finds one error, as indicated by the red
Preflight icon (⚫),
which displays in the
lower-left corner of
the Preflight panel
and the document
window. According
to the Error list in the
Preflight panel, the
problem is Text.
• To view the error,
click the arrow
next to Text in the
Preflight panel.
• Click the arrow
next to Overset
Text, and then
click Text Frame.

• To display details for the error, click the arrow
next to Info below.
• Double-click Text Frame to select
the problem text frame on the page,
or click the page number link to the
right in the Page column.
• Using the Selection tool, drag the
handle at the bottom of the text
frame down until it touches the
ruler guide.
• Click the pasteboard to deselect the text frame.
• Choose VIEW > FIT PAGE IN WINDOW.
InDesign now reports NO ERRORS in
the Preflight panel and the lower-
left corner of the document window.
• Close the Preflight panel. Choose
FILE > SAVE to save your work.
You can handle overset text
in various ways, including
revising/editing the text in
the Story Editor, reducing
the font size, or expanding
the text frame.
Keep an eye on the lower-
left corner of the document
window to see if any errors
arise. You can double-click
the red Preflight icon (⚫) to
open the Preflight panel for
details on any errors.

POV Handbook | 35
1. Choose FILE > EXPORT
• Specify a location for the file (preferable save
it in the same folder in which you have saved
all the other components as in the indd, Word
and image files)
• Specify format as ADOBE PDF (PRINT)
Saving indd
file as PDF
Export your indd file to PDF

2. In the EXPORT ADOBE PDF box, under GENERAL:
• Specify Adobe PDF Preset: PRESS QUALITY
• Specify Standard: NONE
• Specify Compatibility: ACROBAT 5 (PDF 1.4)
• Specify which pages you want to convert to PDF; ALL or
selected pages
• Specify SPREADS if applicable.
In the OPTIONS and INCLUDE boxes below, nothing should be
checked.

POV Handbook | 37
3. Under COMPRESSION:
• Changes all drop down menus to DO NOT DOWNSAMPLE
• Change Compression Drop Down Menus to NONE
• Uncheck COMPRESS TEXT AND LINE ART and CROP IMAGE DATA
TO FRAMES
If your document has many photos, saving it as a PDF with these settings will
create a large file size. To minimize file size, change DO NOT DOWNSAMPLE
to AVERAGE DOWNSAMPLING TO 300 pixels per inch for Color, Grayscale and
Monochrome images.

4. Under MARKS AND BLEEDS:
• Check ALL PRINTER’S MARKS
• Check USE DOCUMENT BLEED SETTINGS (It must automatically
turn to 3 mm; else you need to change your file
specifications and by default it is 0 mm)
• Uncheck INCLUDE SLUG AREA

POV Handbook | 39
5. Under OUTPUT:
• Specify Color Conversion: NO COLOR CONVERSION
• Specify Profile Inclusion Policy: INCLUDE ALL PROFILES

6. Under ADVANCED:
• In the FONTS box, change SUBSET FONT PERCENTAGE to 100%
• In the OPI box, uncheck any boxes

POV Handbook | 41
7. Under SECURITY:
Unless your file needs to be password protected
or you want certain editing/printing features
disabled, all boxes should be unchecked.
Click EXPORT when finished.

T
he Package command ensures that all
fonts and linked graphics are included
with your Adobe InDesign file for handoff
to a service provider. It also creates a customized
report that includes all the information required
to print the document.
There are several reasons you’d want to package
your InDesign file at the end of the project. Your
printer may have requested it for print production
reasons. Or, maybe you’re sending assets to a
vendor or freelancer outside of your organization
and want to provide a comprehensive collection
of everything they need. Or, perhaps you’d like to
create an archival copy of your project that you
can pick up later without having to worry about
updating or missing links.
Regardless of your incentive, the steps to package
your InDesign file are the same. Follow these four
easy steps below to quickly collect your files.
Package InDesign
projects for
printing & sharing

POV Handbook | 43
STEP ONE Practice good
file hygiene
Don’t rely on software functions for a no-fuss
project hand-off. The first step to a smooth
transition is keeping yourself organized. Start by
cleaning up your files, and removing any potential
for confusion and delay.
• Make sure your InDesign filename is
descriptive enough to know what you’re
looking at in a glance. Avoid acronyms and
internal lingo. A format that we have agreed
upon is: POV_GROUPNAME_
FILETYPE_DDMMYYYY
.INDD. In
action, this looks like POV_HTJ_
INSIDEPAGES_24052021.
• Remove all unnecessary
layers, unused swatches, and
extraneous objects outside
your pasteboard.
• Ensure that the fonts
you’re sharing are available and okay to share
with an additional party. Outline type as
necessary.
• Check your LINKS PANEL to confirm that all
assets are accounted for. Broken links will
not magically transport themselves to your
package.
• If your printer provided a preflight checklist,
or your department has its own preflight
process, now is the time to use it.
File Naming Convention
A file naming convention (FNC)
allows you to stay organized, locate
files quickly, and understand the
data within the file. A good FNC can
also help others better understand
and navigate through your work.

STEP TWO Time
to Package
First, go to FILE > PACKAGE in the main menu, or
hit OPTION+SHIFT+COMMAND+P (or CTRL+ALT+SHIFT+P).
Next, you’ll see a window containing a summary
of your file information.
Read through this because an error at this stage
will cause headaches down the line. You also
have the option of reviewing your file information
in more granular detail in the menus on the left.
Hit the PACKAGE button to proceed to the next step.

POV Handbook | 45
STEP THREE Add instructions
as necessary
If you checked the CREATE PRINTING INSTRUCTIONS
box on the previous menu, the PRINTING
INSTRUCTIONS window will appear. Depending on
the project and who is receiving these files, you
may want to provide additional instructions at
this stage. You might even include your contact
information. Whatever you enter here will export
as a plain text file alongside your project files.

STEP FOUR Save and
send your project
In this final window, you’ll select a destination
folder for your collected files. You may feel
bombarded with options, but you may not need
everything offered in this menu. Here’s a quick
rundown of the most important must-use options:
• COPY FONTS allows you to include the
typefaces you used in your design.
• COPY LINKED GRAPHICS means that every image
and asset you’ve linked to is included in the
package.

POV Handbook | 47
• INCLUDE IDML is useful if you’re sharing files
with someone using older software. IDML
stands for InDesign Markup Language and
any version of InDesign can open these files.
• INCLUDE PDF will automatically export a PDF of
your project as-is for a quick proof/preview of
the contents of your package.
• Click PACKAGE
Chances are that even when zipped (right click <
compress to make a .zip file), this package folder
may be too large to email. Today, most vendors
and outside recipients should be able to accept
files via any of the major file transfer services
such as WeTransfer.com, Dropbox.com, or
Hightail.com. Send your files in accordance with
your vendor’s preferences and pat yourself on the
back for packaging your first InDesign file.
Put It All Together (Again)
Now any time you need to send a packaged
InDesign file (or “Collect” if you’re working with
an old school vendor), just follow these four easy
steps. This function in InDesign seldom changes
with software updates. You’ll be packaging files
on autopilot in no time.

IMAGE
CREDITS:
PAGE
TUTOR,
WWW.PAGETUTOR.COM
Color
chart

POV Handbook | 49
Terms and definitions
Colour: Element of art
derived from reflected light.
We see colour because light
waves are reflected from
objects to your eyes.
Colour wheel: colour
spectrum bent into a circle.
Primary colours: The most
basic colours on the colour
wheel, red, yellow and blue.
These colours cannot be
made by mixing.
Secondary colours: colours
that are made by mixing
two primary colours
together. Orange, green and
violet (purple).
Tertiary colours: colours
that are made by mixing
a primary colour with a
secondary colour.
Hue: the name of the colour.
Intensity: the brightness or
dullness of a colour.
Colour value: the darkness
or lightness of a colour. Ex
pink is a tint of red.
Tints: are created by adding
white to a colour.
Shades: are created by
adding black to a colour.
Optical colour: colour that
people actually perceive-
also called local colour.
Arbitrary colour: colours
chosen by the artist to
express feelings or mood.

The Short Answer
• Use sRGB for creating web graphics.
• Use Adobe RGB when taking photos and
editing them.
I
t gets a little more complicated with CMYK
so it’s best to speak to your printer. Ask
them which colour profile to use. It can vary
depending on material, press and country. If you
really just need to pick one use FOGRA39.
The Long Answer
Let’s be honest about colour spaces – they’re hard
to understand. It’s a hard concept to get your head
round but we’ll go through it step by step. And
hopefully at the end of it all it will make a bit
more sense.
Colour Profiles:
It’s all about language
Let’s imagine two people trying to talk to each
other. We’ll call them Mr Nikon (a camera) and
Mrs Epson (a printer). They don’t speak the same
language. Mr Nikon speaks in RGB and Mrs Epson
speaks in CMYK.
Which colour space
should I use?

POV Handbook | 51
They both talk about colour. And they both talk
about the same colours, but they use different
words (colour values) to describe them. The
camera might describe a dark red flower as
#990000 but the printer would describe it as
8/100/96/37. It’s the same colour described in two
different languages.
Imagine then that when talking Mr Nikon and
Mrs Epson both each have a translator with
them – this is their colour profile. It’s actually a
little bit of extra data linked with a file or device,
but in this case we’ll imagine them as a human
translator. The translator’s job is to make sure
everyone is talking about the same thing. They
let the printer know what sort of red the camera
means, and they do this in the language the
printer understands (CMYK).
A conversation between a camera and printer
With all that in mind a conversation between Mr
Nikon and Mrs Epson might go like this...
Mr Nikon: I just captured this amazing image of some
#990000 flowers. Could you print that colour for me?
Mr Nikon’s Translator: By #990000 he means this specific
dark red.
Mrs Epson’s Translator: Great. I think we can do that dark
red. I’ll talk to Mrs Printer and explain what you mean.
Mrs Epson’s Translator: Mrs Printer, we need to produce an
image and the flowers need to be 8/100/96/37.
Mrs Epson: No problem. I’ll get cracking.

Colour spaces
That all seems pretty simple. But let’s now
imagine if you have several translators all
speaking the same language (like RGB), but some
have a bigger vocabulary. They can talk about a
bigger range of topics. They can describe colours
that other translators can’t. In simple terms this
method of translation is their colour space.
Two colour spaces you may well have heard
of are sRGB and Adobe RGB. They both use the
RGB language but Adobe RGB can describe more
colours than sRGB. It has a larger vocabulary or
gamut. There are colours that Adobe RGB can
describe that sRGB cannot.
Adobe RGB vs sRGB
We’ll end the analogy there and take a look at a
diagram.
IMAGE
CREDITS:
DESIGN
RESOURCES,
RESOURCES.PRINTHANDBOOK.COM

POV Handbook | 53
The above show a visual representation of the real
life colours that two colour spaces can display or
capture. The larger one (in white) is Adobe RGB,
the smaller is sRGB. You can see in the diagram
that there are bright greens that Adobe RGB
understands which sRGB cannot.
Two colour spaces can refer to the same colour in
different ways. So, a blue sky might be described
as #607696 by Adobe RGB but sRGB would call this
same blue #557799.
So, when would you use sRGB?
With Adobe RGB being able to display more
colours you would think it must be worth using
this all the time. Well not exactly.
Most people’s computer screens can produce
all the sRGB colours but not all the Adobe RGB
colours. So, for a project that is going to be shown
on screen (like a website) you might want to work
within that limitation to prevent any surprises.
So sRGB works well here.

What about ProPhoto RGB?
ProPhoto RGB is another colour space you may
have heard of. It’s even bigger than Adobe RGB so
why not use this then?
When you have a huge colour space then you also
start to spread out the colours. And as a result you
may start to see banding in the images.
Adobe RGB is a good all rounder – not too big and
not too small.
OK, so what about
CMYK colour profiles?
CMYK colour profiles vary even more than RGB
ones. When choosing a CMYK profile for a print
project you are best to speak to your printer. The
profile to use will vary depending on material,
press and country.
Choosing the correct profile at the start of the
project is the best way to get a good idea about
how images will produce when printed.
If you do need to pick one without speaking to a
printer then go with FOGRA39. It’s a solid CMYK
colour profile.

POV Handbook | 55
Why You Shouldn’t
Use Registration Color
on Adobe InDesign
A
s we all know, the InDesign Swatches panel includes four
undeletable swatches. Their names are bracketed and three of them
have an obvious purpose—None is no color; Black is black; Paper
is effectively no color, allowing the color of the paper or substrate to shine
through or knockout ink. The fourth
undeletable swatch is Registration,
and, surprisingly, not many people
know what it’s for, just that they
should never use it for any object
to appear on the printed page
unless instructed by their printer.
Simply put, the Registration color
is a magic swatch that will print on
every ink plate. If you’re working
strictly in CMYK, any object set in
100% Registration will print out at
100% of cyan, magenta, yellow, and
black. If that’s cool to you, think
again. The result is usually not a
nice rich black but rather the color
of old mud. Worse, ink is tacky and
that much of it aggregating in too
large of a place will make your printer very unhappy. If you’re working in
CYMK and two spot colors, your Registration-colored object will print out in
six colors. (That’s even uglier.)
So what is the point of the Registration swatch? To create such things as
registration marks, those little cross hairs that enable press workers to
identify when one or more colors don’t match up, indicating that something
is misaligned on the printing press. The color is also used for other
information or structures that need to print on all plates—usually in the slug
area—such as the client name, job number, and other specific information.
The easiest way to include that information on the film is to set it in the
slug area, in the Registration color swatch.

5 Important Links
on InDesign
InDesign User Guide
ADOBE
https://helpx.adobe.com/indesign/user-guide.html
What is InDesign
AMERICAN GRAPHICS INSTITUTE
https://www.agitraining.com/adobe/indesign/classes/
what-is-indesign
InDesign Tips I Wish
I’d Known When Starting Out
SMASHING MAGAZINE
https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2011/03/indesign-tips-
i-wish-i-d-known-when-starting-out/
5 Cool Things You Didn’t Know
You Could Do in InDesign
SHUTTERSTOCK
https://www.shutterstock.com/blog/5-cool-tips-tricks-indesign
A to Z of InDesign:
Tips, Tricks, & Hacks!
ENVATO TUTS+
https://design.tutsplus.com/articles/a-to-z-of-indesign-tips-
tricks-hacks--cms-36385

POV Handbook | 57
Y
ou have finally finished the concept for
your first magazine. You have the content
and all the images and pages figured out.
So now the time has come to decide on the perfect
magazine binding.
There are at least a dozen methods of binding, and
there are unique pros and cons to each depending
on the purpose of the document. Some bindings
are more durable than others; some allow your
magazine to lie flat when opened, and some have
a very attractive appearance.
Magazines are generally produced using one of
two popular binding methods – perfect binding
and saddle stitching. Perfect binding is done by
gluing the pages and cover together at the spine,
with a strong and flexible thermal glue. In saddle
stitching, the pages of the magazine are made
from folded sheets held together by wire staples
placed through the crease of the book’s spine.
Binding types
Which magazine binding option should you choose?
Some people decide on the magazine binding method the
easy way—by the page count. The rule of thumb is that saddle
stitching is used for magazines with under 48 pages, while
perfect binding is used for magazines with over 96 pages. FYI,
we will use saddle stitching for POV.

Saddle stitching
Saddle-stitching is the simplest binding method,
in which pages are folded and stapled together.
This type of binding is used for single issue comic
books, as well as lookbooks, workbooks, booklets,
calendars, and many magazines and catalogs
with smaller page counts.
Perfect binding (Softcover)
Perfect binding is the binding method used for
softcover books and trade paperbacks. Pages
are folded, gathered, sewn, and then glued into a
cover, forming a squared-off spine.
IMAGE
CREDITS:PRINT
NINJA,PRINTNINJA.COM

POV Handbook | 59
Case binding (Hardcover)
Case binding is the technical term for hardcover
book binding. Pages are folded, gathered, and
sewn, and a ‘case’ is made by gluing and folding
a printed sheet around three pieces of greyboard.
The pages are then glued into the case with a few
extra pages called endsheets, forming an entire
casebound book.
Board book binding
Board books are a special type of binding often
used in children’s books. Pages are printed on
thick paperboard and assembled one by one into a
book block with a printed spine.

Comb, spiral and thermal binding
These are the three techniques commonly used
when binding short-run books. Comb binds
actually looks like a comb threading into a series
of holes punched into the edge of the book. Spiral
binding involves punching of similar holes
but instead of the comb, a metal/plastic coil is
threaded through the holes. Thermal binding is a
bit different; the pages of the book are glued to the
spine by heating the cover’s spine.

POV Handbook | 61
What is the difference between offset
and digital printing, and why should you
really care?
T
he short answer: offset printing is more
cost-effective for large runs and digital
printing works better for short runs.
The difference lies in the technology used to
print. Some people might tell you: choose digital
printing for a job if your print run is less than
1,000. Use offset for more than 1,000. But it really
does depend on paper type, turnaround time
For the longer answer, let’s take a look at each
process in depth and determine which print
jobs would be better for each process. This way,
when you talk to your commercial print partner,
you can come to the conversation with greater
understanding and confidence in your knowledge.
What is offset (also known as
‘lithographic’) printing?
Offset printing works by transferring ink from an
etched plate to a rubber blanket, which rolls the
ink onto the paper. Working on the science that
water and oil do not mix, a lithographic process
occurs, and the offset press creates your image.
Digital vs
offset printing

This process happens for each individual color
used. All colors can be created using the CMYK
(cyan, magenta, yellow and black) mix, plus any
individual Pantone colors or metallic inks your
branding requires.
More significant set up
is required for offset
printing, which makes
it a smarter choice for
larger jobs. Remember,
the printer takes your
image and transfers
it to a plate. For each
individual job, plates
need to be made, and
this takes more time and
setup.
Despite the high setup
cost, offset presses can
print so rapidly that
your price per piece
is not fixed. It lessens
as quantities go up.
Therefore, for large runs,
offset printing becomes
much smarter for your
budget than digital
printing, and you don’t
even notice the set-up
fee.
The benefits of offset printing
• Superior image quality that is reliable.
Count on offset printing for clean, distinct
type and images without streaks or spots
• Better color fidelity, which refers to both
the accuracy of the colors and their
balance in the design. Because offset
printing can mix custom color inks for
each job, it’s naturally going to get the
colors spot-on.
• Works equally well on almost any kind of
material.
• For large volume jobs, you get more for
your money. It costs a lot to start an
offset job. You have to invest money into
creating the plates, which takes time.
However, once you’ve invested it, all of
the materials are ready to go, and you’ll
actually spend less on big offset jobs than
a digital print, which is about same per
piece no matter how big the job gets.
Drawbacks
• High cost of low-volume jobs
• Longer timetable since plates need to be
created
• Worse fallout in case there’s an error. If
you don’t catch a typo on a plate and ruin
a batch it’s harder to fix and the process
starts all over again

POV Handbook | 63
What is digital printing?
Digital doesn’t involve ink. Digital printing uses electrostatic
rollers called drums to apply toner onto the paper. Images
are transferred to paper using lasers, positive and negative
static charges and either dry toner or liquid suspended toner
particles. No plates need to
be created, and the process
allows for varying images
and information to be printed.
Digital printing allows for
faster turnaround times,
lower production costs for
smaller runs and allows
for personalization and
customization.
Factors to consider
before choosing
your printing
option
Quality
Though in the past offset
printing was the choice
for quality, digital printing
technology has come a long
way in order to compete
with offset finishing and
quality. Digital printing tends
to produce more precise
color palates than the offset
The benefits of digital printing
• Faster turnaround time
• Each print is identical. You risk fewer
odd variations caused by imbalances in
water and ink.
• Cheaper for low volume jobs. The price
per unit drops for offset printing, so at
some point they criss-cross.
• Changing information within a single
print job. For example, say you were
printing out postcards advertising a
concert. You could dactually change
the dates and locations for part of the
batch to create two sets of cards for
two shows.
Drawbacks
• Fewer options in materials you can print on
• Less color fidelity is possible with
digital printing because digital jobs use
standard inks that cannot exactly match
all colors. Offset jobs use specially
mixed inks, which will always be a
closer match. Digital is improving and
getting closer with blended inks, but
those inks still do not match as well as
a custom mix.
• Higher cost for large-volume jobs
• Slightly lower quality, sharpness and
crispness

printers. With at least four plate presses, registration
can sometimes be an issue. Digital printing also
provides high contrast images with very vibrant
colors. However, offset printing shows very solid
screen colors as opposed to the digital prints. Digital
prints may crack and flake, especially when the
paper is scored or creased.
Speed
With digital printing, there is no use of plates, thus
the time that could otherwise be used during offset
printing is considerably reduced. Also, as soon as
the printer stops printing, the ink dries. This means
the print outs can be cut and bound immediately.
During large scale printing jobs, offset printing is
faster since it rolls through the paper very quickly.
Digital printing is not as fast, as it prints one line at
a time.
Cost
Offset printing is best for larger print jobs because
the pre-press process and use of plates can be
pricey. When the units of production are low, the
cost becomes too high. Whereas when the volume is
high, the cost is quite pocket-friendly. A trustworthy
commercial print partner will be able to give you
unbiased advice on which method will give you
the best value per piece. As a rule of thumb, think
offset for 1,000+ pieces and digital for less than 1,000
pieces.

POV Handbook | 65
Paper Selection
It used to be that only certain paper types could be used in the
digital printing process. Nowadays, that list of paper types has
grown, but there are still limitations. The maximum weight
most digital printers can take is 350GSM. For anything heavier
or more textured, you’re best using offset printing.
Customisation
Personalising your marketing materials is a great way to get
attention from your clients. People love to see their names
in ink. In addition, customizing (or versioning) your pieces
for different audience is a particularly important practice for
delivering highly relevant messages. Say, for example, you
are a senior living facility. You may have one version of your
brochure for caregivers and another version for patients. Using
customization, you can create one brochure with two different
versions. In these cases, digital printing is the way to go.
In Closing
Digital and offset printing have their own pros and cons that
may prove useful to different businesses on different occasions.
Both options provide for their own unique benefits and features.
The best option would be to consult with your commercial
printing partner on what method to use for what job and -
better still - work with a company that provides both options
for flexibility.
Now you have the information to begin that conversation with
knowledge in your corner!

O
ften the whole process of magazine
production begins with the end. The
editor and the publisher determine a date
that a magazine will reach the reader, and the
printer and the circulation department provide
deadlines that must be met to accomplish this.
Once these dates are established, the scheduling
and planning of the magazine can proceed. Here’s
a step-by-step description:
1
THE PRODUCTION PROCESS of a magazine
involves several steps that are often carried
out simultaneously by all who contribute
to the final product, including the editorial
and advertising departments, the printer, and
the circulation department. For this reason,
communication, planning, and organization
are vital in the process of turning ideas into a
magazine. While every magazine varies in this
process, a basic formula does exist.
2
DATE OF PRODUCTION • The first thing that
the magazine producers have to do is set up
a date of publication – a date that they will
aim for the magazine to be published by to the
Production
process
of a magazine

POV Handbook | 67
general public. • Once the date is estimated and is
planned out — including a time for it to be sent off
— they create a schedule that they have to try and
stick to, to make sure that the publication is out in
time. A schedule is a plan on how they are going
to go about the production process and when each
stage is going to occur.
3
MANAGING THE SCHEDULE • Its essential for the
production of the magazine as well as the
quality of its manufacture, if the magazine
is to reach its deadline then, all staff have to stick
to the schedules, times and dates. • Schedules will
always have a Plan B to the production this is
so if something goes wrong or a step in the plan
has to be re done or is late, there is still structure
– without structure the magazine wouldn’t be
completed in time. • A correct, efficient schedule
is key in meeting the deadline.
4
EDITORIAL & BUDGETARY DECISION • The next
step that is taken in the production process
of a magazine is the editorial decision, the
editorial team assemble what topics will cover the
front page of the magazine, coming up with new
stories, articles, illustrations and photographs that
will be featured within the magazine. • The team

then make the budgetary decisions. Here, they
look at the money that is available to them and
how they can use as little money as possible to
create the best magazine.
5
CONTENT ACQUISITION • The content
acquisition process is possibly the most
important step in the whole process,
because without content they don’t have a
magazine. • There is two ways of collecting
content for a magazine and that is though in –
house staff writers and the second way would
be external writers that are commissioned to
write on topics. • After it gets handed to the
graphics and artwork department, the artwork
is determined as illustrations and pictures are
then added, graphics are the pictures or images
that are designed by computer program. • As well
as a lot of research from journalists or reporters
into the topics that are being featured, this can
also be done through the internet and databases.
Meetings are also arranged with interviewees.
The content acquisition process is
possibly the most important step in the
whole process, because without content
they don’t have a magazine.
‘

POV Handbook | 69
6
SUB-EDITING • Sub editing focuses on
one major thing; quality control. If the
organisation is big enough to have sub
editors, then the editor and sub editor both take
part in constructing the magazine. Although
is the organisation is smaller then there will
only be one editor and they will have to do it all
themselves. • The editors and or sub editors have
to: ⚈ Check for accuracy of all facts and articles ⚈
Make sure words are spelt correctly, and grammar
and punctuation is correct ⚈ check all articles
follow the house style ⚈ Working on page layout
7
PAGE LAYOUT • In big publications such as
news magazines, there is a specific team
that specialises on checking and sorting
the layout of the magazine. They have to check,
typeset and layout various pages and then
make the magazine come together as a whole. •
Whilst preforming this task they use typesetting
programs such as InDesign or Pagemaker to
complete the task. • It is at this stage that adverts
from advertisers are placed into the content.
8
PROOFREADING • The editorial department
will print out a hardcopy of a magazine
for the purse to proofread and to check the
layout as well as everything else, they have to
make sure that this draft is perfect for destitution.
• Any mistakes that are spotted are quickly

changed on the indd file, the editorial team keep
proofreading until every member is satisfied that
there are no mistakes and that all mistakes have
been corrected.
9
FILE EMAILED TO PRINTER • After
proofreading the DTP file of the entire
magazine is sent to the printer, then the
file is checked that everything is there that needs
to be, but before the printing company prints
hundreds of thousands of copies, they print a
few copies to send back to the organisation to
make sure they are happy with the product, if
the organisation is satisfied then the printers
are given the go ahead to print the hundreds of
thousands of copies.
10
DISTRIBUTION • The last stage of the
process of production for a magazine
is the distribution of the product, the
printing company after printing all the necessary
copies they then package them neatly and send
them to a warehouse. • From the warehouse, the
magazines are then distributed and then sold to
the public.

POV Handbook | 71
GOOD
DESIGN
IMAGE CREDITS:
MUZLI INSPIRATION / MUZ.LI
Dieter Rams’ 10 timeless
commandments for good design
Credit: INTERACTION DESIGN FOUNDATION
D
ieter Rams is a German industrial designer and retired academic,
closely associated with the consumer products company Braun,
the furniture company Vitsœ, and the functionalist school of
industrial design. His unobtrusive approach and belief in “Less, but
better” design generated a timeless quality in his products and have
influenced the design of many products, which also secured him
worldwide recognition and appreciation.
Back in the late 1970s, Dieter
Rams was becoming increasingly
concerned by the state of
the world around him: “An
impenetrable confusion of
forms, colours and noises.”
Aware that he was a significant
contributor to that world, he
asked himself an important
question: is my design good
design? His answer is expressed in
his ten principles for good design.

Good design is innovative. Good design makes a product useful. Good
design is aesthetic. Good design makes a product understandable. Good
design is unobtrusive. Good design is honest. Good design is long-
lasting. Good design is thorough down to the last detail. Good design is
environmentally-friendly. Good design is as little design as possible.
Good design is innovative
The possibilities for innovation are not, by any means,
exhausted. Technological development is always offering
new opportunities for innovative design. But innovative
design always develops in tandem with innovative
technology, and can never be an end in itself.
1
Good design makes a
product useful
A product is bought to be used. It has to satisfy certain
criteria, not only functional, but also psychological
and aesthetic. Good design emphasises the usefulness
of a product whilst disregarding anything that could
possibly detract from it.
2

POV Handbook | 73
Good design is aesthetic
The aesthetic quality of a product is integral to
its usefulness because products we use every day
affect our person and our well-being. But only well-
executed objects can be beautiful.
3
Good design makes a
product understandable
It clarifies the product’s structure. Better still, it can
make the product talk. At best, it is self-explanatory.
4
Good design is unobtrusive
Products fulfilling a purpose are like tools. They are
neither decorative objects nor works of art. Their design
should therefore be both neutral and restrained, to
leave room for the user’s self-expression.
5

Good design is honest
It does not make a product more innovative,
powerful or valuable than it really is. It does
not attempt to manipulate the consumer with
promises that cannot be kept.
6
Good design is long-lasting
It avoids being fashionable and therefore never
appears antiquated. Unlike fashionable design, it
lasts many years – even in today’s throwaway society.
7
Good design is thorough
down to the last detail
Nothing must be arbitrary or left to chance. Care
and accuracy in the design process show respect
towards the user.
8

POV Handbook | 75
Good design is
environmentally-friendly
Design makes an important contribution to the
preservation of the environment. It conserves
resources and minimises physical and visual
pollution throughout the lifecycle of the product.
9
Good design is as little
design as possible
Less, but better – because it concentrates on
the essential aspects, and the products are not
burdened with non-essentials.
Back to purity, back to simplicity.
10

GOOD
DESIGN
Shneiderman’s “Eight golden rules
of interface design”
Credit: UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
T
hese rules were obtained from the text Designing the User Interface
by Ben Shneiderman. Shneiderman proposed this collection of
principles that are derived heuristically from experience and
applicable in most interactive systems after being properly refined,
extended, and interpreted.
To improve the usability of an
application it is important to
have a well designed interface.
Shneiderman’s “Eight Golden Rules
of Interface Design” are a guide to
good interaction design.
1 STRIVE FOR CONSISTENCY.
Consistent sequences of actions
should be required in similar
situations; identical terminology
should be used in prompts, menus,
and help screens; and consistent commands should be employed
throughout. 2 ENABLE FREQUENT USERS TO USE SHORTCUTS. As
the frequency of use increases, so do the user’s desires to reduce
the number of interactions and to increase the pace of interaction.
Abbreviations, function keys, hidden commands, and macro facilities
are very helpful to an expert user. 3 OFFER INFORMATIVE FEEDBACK.
User interface design or UI design
generally refers to the visual layout of
the elements that a user might interact
with in a website, or technological
product. This could be the control
buttons of a radio, or the visual layout of
a webpage. User interface designs must
not only be attractive to potential users,
but must also be functional and created
with users in mind.

POV Handbook | 77
N
For every operator action, there should be some system
feedback. For frequent and minor actions, the response
can be modest, while for infrequent and major actions,
the response should be more substantial. 4 DESIGN
DIALOG TO YIELD CLOSURE. Sequences of actions should
be organized into groups with a beginning, middle, and
end. The informative feedback at the completion of a
group of actions gives the operators the satisfaction
of accomplishment, a sense of relief, the signal to drop
contingency plans and options from their minds, and an
indication that the way is clear to prepare for the next
group of actions. 5 OFFER SIMPLE ERROR HANDLING. As
much as possible, design the system so the user cannot
make a serious error. If an error is made, the system
should be able to detect the error and offer simple,
comprehensible mechanisms for handling the error. 6
PERMIT EASY REVERSAL OF ACTIONS. This feature
relieves anxiety, since the user knows that errors can
be undone; it thus encourages exploration of unfamiliar
options. The units of reversibility may be a single action,
a data entry, or a complete group of actions. 7 SUPPORT
INTERNAL LOCUS OF CONTROL. Experienced operators
strongly desire the sense that they are in charge of the
system and that the system responds to their actions.
Design the system to make users the initiators of actions
rather than the responders. 8 REDUCE SHORT-TERM
MEMORY LOAD. The limitation of human information
processing in short-term memory requires that displays
be kept simple, multiple page displays be consolidated,
window-motion frequency be reduced, and sufficient
training time be allotted for codes, mnemonics, and
sequences of actions.

GOOD
DESIGN
6 professional layout design tips
Credit: EILEEN GITTINS/BLURB
I
f you are new to design, it’s a good idea to start with the basics. A
layout is the way in which text and images are arranged. When these
elements are combined effectively, the memorability of your content,
its visual impact, and the viewer’s experience will be heightened
exponentially. Media such as books, websites, advertisements, and
museum walls all use layout in different forms.
In order to understand the different effects of various layouts, it’s vital
to be familiar with the universal principles of design, as well as your own
personal philosophy surrounding it. My hope is that these tips will give
you the necessary foundation to develop your own process and make
your layouts more successful.
TIP #1. RESEARCH
Before you begin a creative project, it’s important to understand your
place in the larger history of art and design. Never stop researching and
learning about different styles, movements, and aesthetics—historical
and contemporary. The popular minimalist style of web design, for
example, is an evolution of the aesthetic popularized by the early 20th-
century German art and design movement known as Bauhaus.
Drawing upon your own education and paying attention to what speaks
to you personally will help you develop a unique, but relevant, voice that

POV Handbook | 79
N
will allow you to reference (without ripping off) the work you admire
most.
When starting a new project, refer back to mood boards you’ve created
and images you’ve saved over time. If you don’t have a mood board that
feels relevant to your current project, make a new one and take the time
to understand the historical relevance of the direction.
TIP #2. CONTENT AND CONCEPT
The most important step in layout design is deciding on your design
concept. After reviewing your content, ask yourself the following
questions:
• Who is your audience?
• What is your message?
• Why is your message important?
• How do I want the viewer to feel?
After answering these questions, consider any additional parameters
and whether or not you think your content is best communicated

through traditional or non-traditional methods. For example, are you
designing a layout for a medical brochure for a hospital or the album
insert for a punk band? Different projects require wildly different
approaches. It is up to you to determine the best way to communicate
your message to your audience.
TIP #3. HIERARCHY
It’s often said within the advertising industry that consumers decide
if they’re interested in a product within three seconds of viewing of an
ad. For this reason, your layout design must always communicate the
most important message first. Structuring the text and imagery of your
layout with this hierarchy in mind will provide you with the necessary
parameters when considering format, grid, and alignment.
Design should never dictate the text elements, and vice-versa. As
a designer, it is your job to make sure these two components work
together in harmony and that your message is understood.
TIP #4. FORMAT, GRID, AND ALIGNMENT
At this point, the format that will work best with your visual direction,
concept, and established hierarchy should be starting to solidify. From
here, you should be able to establish the correct dimensions of your
layout and the basis of your grid.
Grids provide us with the
ability to align our work
with precision.

POV Handbook | 81
A grid will help you position your elements based on a sequenced
number of columns and rows. Grids provide us with the ability to align
our work with precision and are integral to completing your layout
design.
When considering the alignment of your layout, keep these principles in
mind:
• The Golden Ratio: a special number approximately equal to 1.618
that appears many times in geometry, art, architecture, and
other areas. It can be used to create pleasing, natural looking
compositions in your design work.
• Rhythm and consistency
• Balance and/or tension
• Deviation from alignment or “breaking the grid” (when it enhances
your concept)
• Typography (more on that next)
TIP #5. TYPOGRAPHY AND FONT PAIRING
Choosing the best typefaces for your layout can be a daunting task. First,
because there are so many options; second, because the aesthetics of
typography are subjective. This is where your knowledge of typeface
and the history of various fonts will come in handy. For example, if you
unknowingly choose a font that has previously been used in a popular ad
campaign, it may have an unintended connotation for your audience.
Do your research and refer back to your project’s mood board before
you make a decision.

There are four main categories of typography: Sans Serif, Serif,
Decorative, and Script. Here are a few basics to keep in mind as you play
with different font pairings:
The Readability of a font should take precedence over aesthetic.
To ensure readability, consider your text alignment as well as the
typeface(s) leading and kerning. Minor adjustments to spacing can make
a big difference.
Create Visual Contrast by combining two different fonts or using the
same font in different weights. The classic pairing of a Sans-Serif headline
and Serif body copy is a good example of a simple, high-impact font
pairing. A common rule of thumb is to use no more or less than two or
three fonts within one layout, but once you’re familiar with the rules, it’s
possible to break them effectively.
Superfamily to the Rescue! When in doubt, the easiest solution to a
font-pairing dilemma is selecting typefaces from one font-family with
multiple font-weights. These fonts work together naturally. All you have
to figure out is how you want to arrange them.
Consider the Mood of a font or its ineffable emotional qualities. These
are the adjectives we use to describe the way the font ‘feels’—playful,
mysterious, retro, serious, sad, etc. Determining the mood of a font is
easily the most subjective part of typography, but it’s one of the most
important concepts to keep in mind when pairing fonts. Mixing fonts of
incompatible moods can derail even the best content. All you can do is
rely on your research and go with your gut.
Know Where to Look for interesting classic or original typographies.
Everyone has their go-to websites, (mine is Typewolf) but there are
countless resources available.
EXAMPLE OF A FONT “MOOD”
Rockwell Extra Bold

POV Handbook | 83
Don’t Be Afraid to Experiment or break the rules. This
is how we learn. Font pairing can be scary because it is
not an exact science, but when creative professionals
speak in absolutes, it hinders progress and rewards
“sameness.”
TIP #6. REVIEW AND IMPROVE
Being able to edit and modify your layout design is
crucial to the creative process. It takes practice, patience,
and the ability to differentiate between constructive vs
aesthetic criticism.
I have a mental checklist that I use as part of my review
process:

• Am I communicating exactly what I want? Will my
audience understand my concept?
• Is there a rhythm and consistency to my layout and
design?
• Do I have enough contrast? If I squint, is my eye still
drawn to the main message?
• Is everything evenly spaced and does the hierarchy
feel balanced?
• Are there “orphans” within my body copy?
• Are the design rules I am breaking necessary?
• Do I need to edit or remove text or imagery that feels
redundant?
After proofing, you may also want to ask a colleague or
peer for constructive feedback.
FINAL THOUGHTS
In summary, when approaching layout design remember
to research and understand the universal principles of
design. In the words of Picasso, “Learn the rules like a
pro, so you can break them like an artist.”

POV Handbook | 85
Adobe InDesign: The layout design
tool of choice for many periodical
and magazine. It also allows for
easy creation of brochures.
Adobe Illustrator: A vector image de-
sign software tool that has been in
use by Adobe-leaning designers for
decades.
Adobe Photoshop: The industry
standard software tool for most
graphic designers for creating and
modifying all major image formats
such as JPEG, BMP (bitmap), and
TIFF.
Advertorial: A newspaper or mag-
azine advertisement in the form of
editorial content. The term is a blend
of the words “advertisement” and
“editorial.”
B
Back Matter: Material that follows
the main content sections of a mag-
azine. In some magazines or other
periodicals,. these can include con-
tent like an appendix, glossary, or
a bibliography, just as they might
appear at the back of a book. For
example, scholarly magazines and
literary reviews sometimes do this.
Banner: In online periodicals, this
may be an image with a headline and
accompanying ad or callout copy.
Within the discipline of typography,
however, any large headline can be
called a banner, especially when
spanning the width of the page.
Baseline: The invisible horizontal
line upon which the “feet” of the
characters on a line of type are set.
This line is used for proper align-
ment of type.
Binding and Finishing: The activi-
ties performed on printed material
after printing and bleeds are cut off,
and which are typically performed
together. Binding is the fastening to-
gether of the individual sheets. Fin-
ishing involves all of the additional
POV glossary
A

decorative treatments of the page
such as embossing or die-stamping.
Bitmap: A digital image which is
comprised of pixels (individualized
points of color).
Blanket: A specially-designed syn-
thetic rubber mat which is typically
implemented in offset lithography.
It’s used to transfer (i.e., “offset”) an
image from a metal plate to a paper
surface.
Bleed: The planned extra margins of
the paper designed into some pag-
es of a print publication, which are
to be later cut off by the printer. The
bleed allows magazine publishers to
run full color images to the edge of
the paper without use of undesired
white margins. These bleeds allow
the final trim size (final dimensions
of the paper) to meet the desired
size with the color running to the
edge as planned. Bleeds normally
range in width from 1/8″ (0.125″) to
1/4″ (0.25″).
Bleed marks: Hairline lines (“rules”)
that delineate the excess (“bleed”)
outside area of the paper “leaf”/
page of an image extending outside
of the defined page size. These help
to guide the printer’s trim of the pub-
lication’s paper leafs/pages.
Block Quote: Four or more lines
quoted within the body of the text
layout, set apart to help the reader
more clearly discern the author’s
words from the words the author is
quoting. Blocked quotes are indent-
ed on both left and right sides well
inside of the right and left margins
or page edges.
Block-Style Paragraphs (“Block
Type” or Block “Text”): Within the
discipline of typography, paragraphs
that are set without indents are
typically known as block text, as
they form solid rectangular-shaped
blocks.
Body Text: The central text of a
magazine or other periodical sec-
tion or article.
Byline: In a magazine the byline is
simply the line added to an article
which identifies the author by name.
In some cases, more than one au-
thor or contributor may be listed int
he byline.
C
Callout: A visual design element
which is used to highlight a specific
piece of information not contained
in the main body of an article. Call-
outs are usually smaller than a typ-
ical sidebar and may involve text,
graphics, or both. In layout design,
they normally allow an online reader
to click to another web page to take
an action, such as branching off to a

POV Handbook | 87
new browser tab to subscribe to the
online magazine they’re reading.
Camera-Ready: Content such as
copy and/or artwork that requires
no additional layout processes like
redrawing, positioning, or typeset-
ting. Camera-ready is ready to be
photographed for a negative or
printing plate. Examples of usage:
camera-ready art and camera-ready
copy.
Cap height: Within the larger disci-
pline of typography, the cap height
is the distance from the baseline of
the text characters to the top of the
capital letters.
CMYK: The color design short-
hand for the color schema of cyan,
magenta, yellow and black. CMYK
is typically used as the basis of
“four-color” or “full-color” print jobs.
Tiny dots comprised of these four
colors are combined in many differ-
ent combinations to produce a large
range of other colors. CYMK is the
print world’s (original) version of the
RGB color schema (red, green, and
blue) for digital colors.
Color bars: The use of small square
blocks of color representing the
CMYK inks and hues of grey-scale,
usually employing 10pc increments.
Such marks are used by printing
houses to adjust ink density on the
printing press itself.
Color separation: This is the meth-
od by which full-color photographs
are divided into four primary color
components of process color print-
ing . These four colors are CMYK (or
cyan, magenta, yellow, and black).
Column: This is a a vertical block
of content positioned on the page.
Margins flank the sides of columns
to give them space or “breathing
room and are often separated by
gutters. Column formatting of a
page’s text is generally considered
to improve the readability of the text
on the page, by providing shorter
lines of running horizontal text to
follow. Columns also allow text to
not appear as dense and time-con-
suming as it may actually be. News-
papers often use this technique.
Condensed font (condensed type):
A font having narrower widths than
the standard typeface. This is some-
times used to conserve space in a
limited-space format.
Consumer publication: These are
the magazines and newspapers
sold to the public.
Continuous tone: A photographic
image not composed of halftone
dots.
Contour: Within the discipline of ty-
pography, contour refers to the set-
ting of type in a shape in order to

outline the appearance of some par-
ticular object relating to the theme
of the text. This was first a device of
poetry publications like those of e. e.
cummings.
Copy: The text of the magazine is
the copy. Also, any material that is
to be typeset, such as a typewritten
document. Printing use: copy also
can refer to other page elements
that will become part of the printed
pages in a magazine or other such
publication, such as photographs
and illustrations.
Crop marks: Thin hairline horizon-
tal and vertical lines that delineate
where the page should be trimmed
by the printer. Crop marks are used
to help to align (or register) one col-
or separation from another.
Custom publication: This is created
specifically for a company.
Cutline: A caption that describes or
annotates images, such as illustra-
tions or photographs.
D
Deliverable: This is the final project
you will be providing.
Digital edition: An online version of a
magazine issue which is converted
into web pages. Originally, a digital
edition is strictly an identical facsim-
ile (exact copy) of the print edition
in electronic format, usually a PDF.
This term may often be more loosely
used to mean a digital version of a
magazine, but this is inexact, given
the history of the term’s usage. See
elsewhere for more on creating a
static PDF digital edition facsimile
of your magazine issue versus re-
sponsive, high-performance maga-
zine website versions of your mag-
azine.
Downrule: The vertical line placed
between two columns of text to em-
phasize their separation.
Dummy copy: A representation of
the final copy in which a different
text is substituted for the final text.
Dropcap: A decorative element used
in some layouts whereby the initial
letter of an article or other section of
text is made larger than all the rest.
This technique is also a technique
sometimes used in book chapters.
A dropcap can gain the visual atten-
tion of the reader to entice them to
go ahead and begin reading the text.
E
Editorial: In a magazine, an article
written by the magazine editor that
expresses an opinion or stance on
a recent topical issue. Unlike other
content in a magazine issue, editori-
als provide something like an official

POV Handbook | 89
opinion on behalf of the magazine,
usually on a controversial issue. For
this reason, editorials may be in-
frequent or rare, since the need for
them may not normally arise.
Eyebrow: A textual or design ele-
ment that sometimes is placed at
the top of an article page, such as on
section pages. Such an element can
be used to indicate the magazine
section to which the article belongs.
These are used similarly to website
“breadcrumb links” and are the ori-
gin of this online navigation method.
Example: Fashion: “Stripes Are the
New Floral”.
F
Feature: A centerpiece article with-
in a magazine issue, frequently
topical, but sometimes digressing
on a particular aspect of the mag-
azine’s overall theme. A cover story
is a prime example of a feature, and
most magazine’s have a cover story
feature, if not other features, as well.
Flipbook: Usually, this is a Flash-
based replica that simulates the
experience of flipping pages in a
print magazine, but within the digital
format of “flipping” pages in digital
format. Flipbooks are typically made
with XHTML, such as the “flippable”
Kindle editions of books.
Foldout: A foldout (or “gatefold” is
a page which folds out beyond the
edges of the publication.Foldouts
are typicallu centerfold spreads, but
not always.
Folio: The information at the bottom
of non-ad magazine pages, usual-
ly featuring the page number, and
sometimes also including other typi-
cal information like “top-of-page” in-
formation such as the magazine ti-
tle and issue name. Sometimes, the
folio can refer to the folded paper
that forms “pages” in a magazine,
book, or other printed publication.
FPO: For position only. This abbrevi-
ation is used when artwork or other
materials are inserted as placehold-
ers in an article or brochure to give
all stakeholders a general idea of
how the final piece will lay out.
Fractional ads: Ads smaller than
1/2-page (e.g., 1/3, 1/4, etc.). Some
fractional ads may be called half-
page ads, quarter-page ads, etc.
G
Gutter: The center margins of a
printed and bound magazine issue.
H
Halftone: An image consists of tiny
dots of varying size and color den-
sity, mimicking the appearance of
continuous gradations of color tone.

Halftones are often required in the
print reproduction of photographic
images.
Hed: An abbreviation for the head-
line.
Hickey: A printing defect caused by
a particle of debris attached to the
printing plate at the time of printing.
K
Kerning: A font design term for the
spacing between the font charac-
ters. Kerning can be adjusted to ac-
commodate the reading experience,
as well as factor in spacing consid-
erations.
L
Latin: Mock-ups typically use Latin
text (“Lorem Ipsum”, etc.) to stand
in for actual text in the vernacular
of the intended audience’s language
and region. This simply allows
dummy text to represent the space
where actual text will later go in a
design where text is not yet available
or created.
Layout: The design of the page, as
it is “laid out” on the printed or digi-
tal page. Also sometimes known as
“page layout”.
Leading: The line spacing on the
page layout. More precisely, lead-
ing is the distance between any two
baselines of lines of type on the
page (with the assumption these
will all be uniform).
Leaf: Another way of referring to a
sheet of paper in a periodical, book,
or other publication. Each side of a
leaf is essentially a page in the pub-
lication in a book or perfect-bound
publication, whereas each side of a
leaf in a saddle-stitched publication
would be two pages (one leaf is thus
stitched into two pages per side for
a total of four total pages).
M
Masthead: The front-area section of
the magazine that contains a listing
of magazine staff and contributors,
as well as issue information such as
issue volume and number, copyright
details, ISBN number, and some-
times other legal notices.
N
Nameplate: The magazine’s logo
that appears on the cover of the
magazine and sometimes else-
where within the pages wherever the
magazine brand is represented.
Nut graf (nutshell paragraph): The
paragraph that goes from the lede
into the body of the article. The nut
graf summarizes the article to en-
tice readers to keep reading. You

POV Handbook | 91
may also see “graf” used as an ab-
breviation for a paragraph.
O
Op-Ed: An opinion or editorial piece,
in which the writer states their point
of view on an issue. Letters to the
editor are a prime example.
Output specs: The specifications
used for printer reference when out-
putting final PDFs from the digital
files used to create the print version
of the magazine, such as resolution.
P
Page: A single side of a leaf of a
magazine,or other such material to
be printed, such as a newspaper.
Palette: The complete collection of
colors and color hues available or
used in the color scheme. The pal-
ette of a magazine would then be
not the total collection of colors in
the images and other elements in
total, but just the total collection of
such colors and hues in the non-im-
age graphics of the layout and cover.
Paper stock: The paper on which the
print version of the magazine will
be printed. Normnally, when paper
stock is mentioned, it is in reference
to the specifications of the paper
type, thickness, color, degree of
gloss, etc.
Perfect binding: A binding process
that makes smooth the gutter edges
of the interior of the magazine and
coats them with adhesive, to then
bind the sheet containing the covers
and spine. Perfect binding works
best for book-style publications with
lots of thicker pages. Many catalogs
use perfect binding to accommo-
date numerous pages.
Prepress: In print magazines, this is
the multi-stage quality checklist of
checks executed by a magazine de-
signer before the outputting of the
final proof. This process is intend-
ed to eliminate all visual and other
errors before the magazine goes to
publication, either to print, online, or
both.
Press-ready file: Files (typically in
PDF format) that are to be sent to
the printer to produce the final print-
ed edition of the magazine.
Pull-quote: A visually-emphasized
quote snippet from a magazine ar-
ticle used to draw attention to an
interesting fact or opinion contained
in the article. Such elements add
to the visual composition of what
might otherwise be a rather plain
block of text.
Q
Query: An article pitch

R
Ragged: Within the discipline of ty-
pography, ragged lines of type are
those not justified to the right mar-
gin. Sometimes this is alternatively
referred to as ragged right.
Registration marks: The use of “tar-
gets” just beyond the final page area
for aligning the different color sep-
arations.
Resolution:Theamountofdetailcon-
tained in any print or online image,
such as a photograph image. 300dpi
(dots per inch) is the“high-resolu-
tion” standard for printing. Printing
at below this level will often result in
obvious distortions or in the image
appearing “pixelated” (showing dots
rather than a consistent surface).
Medium-resolution images (150dpi)
are often acceptable for online flip-
books and digital editions, while
low-res images (72dpi) are the norm
for website images. It’s best to start
with the highest DPI standard pos-
sible (300dpi for print, 72dpi for the
Web) and stick to it, in order to avoid
unexpected resolution problems.
S
Saddle-stitching: In this process, a
magazine is laid flat, then stapled
from the outside cover toward the
inside centerfold, before being fold-
ed to the final magazine dimensions.
Too many pages and/or too thick a
paper stock can make saddle-stitch-
ing more difficult or impossible. In
such an event, perfect-binding may
be the best option.
Section: An article category that ap-
pears in a magazine.
Sidebar: A type of content format
visually separated within the page
from the main article and typically
related to, though diverging from,
that article.
Silhouetting: A production process
whereby image software is used to
isolate a subject from a photo or
illustration from the background.
Photoshop (PS) is a leading soft-
ware tool for this.
Slug: As with a typical bleed, the
slug is the marginal area outside
the post-cut printed page. It is handy
for generating proofs that require
a sign-off box to be printed in the
bleed and checked off before print-
ing. Some publishers alternatively
use this area to create additional
printer instructions. See bleed for
slugs without printer instructions.
Spine: The narrow center of the pe-
riodical’s cover that separates the
front cover from the back cover of
a perfect-bound publication. Writing
can be printed in this section of the

POV Handbook | 93
cover, such as (usually) the maga-
zine title, issue volume and number,
and season or month.
Spot/Pantone/PMS colors: These
colors are available in thousands
of hues and represent specific col-
or hues. They are used to faithfully
reproduce brand colors when devi-
ation is not allowable. Pantone is
named after the company that orig-
inated this precise color specifica-
tion for print.
Spread: A set of two facing pages in
a magazine issue. Spreads allow a
wider viewing area for layouts. The
most common spread location is
the centerfold.
Stock images: Photography, illus-
trations and other images that can
be purchased and licensed through
a stock photography website like
Shutterstock. Stock images are per-
fect for artistic or themed photogra-
phy and other artwork, making it un-
necessary to create custom-made
images or photos. Using stock pho-
tography is a common practice for
big and smaller magazines alike.
Stock photography is not normally
used for key graphics like the cover
image. The general affect of using
stock images is to set the tone for
a piece, or depict scenes for which
there are not available original pho-
tos.
T
TOC: Quite simply, the TOC is the
table of contents. This is the main
reference point for print and online
magazines, though for online mag-
azines, they also fulfill the function
of navigation when the user/reader
clicks the article or section title. In
online TOCs, the cover may be part
of the table of contents, also.
Trim: The final trimming away of
bleeds/slugs on the outside of the
final area of the magazine.
Trim area: The trim area represents
the final area of the magazine (or
other such printed material).
Trim size (synonym of trim area):
The final size of a printed magazine,
once trimmed of all bleeds. See trim
area (just above).
Type area (or “live area”): The type
area is an advertising industry spec-
ification required for magazine ad-
vertisements. The type area spec is
the largest set of dimensions used
for key ad information within the
trim area. Since ad space can poten-
tially be cut into during the trimming
of the leafs/pages of the periodical,
best practices dictate to avoid get-
ting key information or calls to ac-
tion too close to the trim line. One
way this is done is by using margins

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