In the third of our series for the HP Newsletter guides, Transition Times tackles printing
IN 1982, Byte magazine coined the phrase "what you see is what you get" or WYSIWYG (pronounced whizzywig) for short. WYSIWYG refers to when your computer screen portrays an accurate rendition of a printed page. If only it was always that simple.
What looks good on screen doesn't always look the same on paper. Also, the printing stage of production is potentially the most expensive part of the process and mistakes cost money. But don't worry. Hewlett Packard's imaging and printing experts have plenty of good tips to keep you feeling glossy.
"If your printer has the capability, you should use double-sided printing for your newsletter," says Neil Reid of HP Ireland. "Most modern printers will have a duplex facility. It not only saves on paper and ink but it's also a lot more professional-looking."
The next issue is imagery. "Always try and use the highest resolution images that you can find," stresses Reid. "It means you have more options in terms of the size and quality of the picture." Simply put, the bigger the better.
Then you need to think about graphics and colour. Rhiannon Williams of HP UK stresses the importance of colour. "Colour is a very powerful tool when you're printing," she says. "The judges will be looking to see if students have really made an effective use of colour to make the newsletter stand out from the rest."
Long gone are the days when newspapers were dreary and grey. So don't be afraid to brighten up the newsletter with plenty of colour.
Lastly, you need to think about paper. There are many varying qualities and styles available and, in these lean times, it is essential not to waste paper unnecessarily. "Cheap paper will cause lines and smudging on the printed page," says Reid. "More expensive papers, like glossy and premium, look much better. Glossy looks luxurious while premium gives you more contrast with colours. A good tip is if you're printing off drafts, use cheap paper. Don't waste the expensive stuff. Use it only for the final draft."
Williams also offers a good paper tip. "If your newsletter has an environmental theme you could use recycled paper or have suggestions as to how the paper could be used afterwards."
Sometimes images look good on the screen but then lose their impact on paper. So if you don't get the desired effect, play around with your imagery. Again Reid stresses the importance of being cost-effective. "If you want to try different things with some of your graphics and images, put them all on one page before you print them out to save on paper. These are the main tips for printing. The technology in modern printers is going to guarantee good quality. These days, if you're printing out on A4 paper it is as good as lab quality."
Last week we said that presentation is everything. For the same reason you'd scrub up for a job interview, you must think about how your newsletter will look to the readers and what it will say about its contents. Dare to be different.
The deadline for HP's Newsletter competition is Fri Nov 28. For details, call 01-5224800 or see http://h40059.www4.hp.com/
newslettercompetition/index.html
