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How to Use the Templates

W hen you’ve had years of graphic design experience, laying out a project is almost second nature.
Through study and practice, you instinctively know what looks good. You understand what
works and what doesn’t.
But beginning graphic designers often spend hours agonizing over layouts. Does this look good
down here? Where should I put that block of text? Should I use an illustration on this page?
In the end, all that worry and experimentation costs more than just time. Taking longer on each
project forces you to accept fewer assignments — which means you’ll earn a lot less money.
And that’s the beauty of these templates.
• Each one is a proven design, based on my years of experience creating control after control.
• As you work with the templates, you’ll learn to design winning layouts — but without the trial
and error most designers face.
• The templates save you time, so you’ll breeze through projects much faster.
• Saving time means you can take on more work — and earn more money.
And these templates are easy to use, too. In the next few pages, you’ll discover everything you
need to know to use the templates to help you work faster, more efficiently, and with fewer headaches.
But first, a quick note about software:

Software Requirements:
To use the templates, you’ll need QuarkXPress — version 6 or higher — installed on your
computer.
If you‘re new to QuarkXPress, you’ll appreciate the Graphic Design Guide that accompanies
these templates. This program provides detailed step-by-step instructions on how to create wining
designs with Quark — all in short and easy-to-understand sessions.
But what really makes this program unique is that you’ll learn all the DM design techniques you
need to create successful DM packages at the same time as you’re learning the Quark software. You’ll
save a ton of time — and there are no other books to buy or courses to take.

Getting Started With Your Templates:

First, save the templates to your hard drive. Be sure to remember where you saved them, so you
can access them whenever you want.

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Step 1: Open a Template
Open QuarkXPress and select File and Open from the main menu.
Choose a template from the location on your hard drive where you saved them.

Step 2: Substituting Fonts

When we created these templates, we used standard fonts — fonts like Times, Arial, and
Helvetica that are usually installed on every computer. But some computers may not have one or more
of these fonts installed.
If your computer doesn’t have one of the
fonts we used, you’ll see an alert like the one on
the right when you try to open a template file.
Don’t worry — it’s simply warning you that the
fonts used in the template aren’t installed in your
system. And the fix is easy.
When you see this message, you can
either choose <Continue> — and replace the fonts later — or you can replace the fonts right away by
choosing <List Fonts>. Replacing fonts is quick and easy, so I recommend you do it right away.
Click on <List Fonts>.
When you select <List Fonts>, a window
with the list of missing fonts opens. Click on the
font you want to replace and choose <Replace>.
You can then select a font from the pull-down
menu.
Substitute similar fonts for the ones you’re
replacing. That is, substitute fonts with roughly
the same design and weight. Choose a serif font
to replace a serif font, a sans serif font to replace
sans serif, bold for bold, etc. I’ve included a
PDF file of each template so you can see what
they should look like.
Your computer may not have Times New
Roman, for example, but it may have an almost
identical font, such as Times Ten or Times.

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Remember that when you substitute fonts, your page will look just slightly different from the PDF file.

Here are some common Here are some common

headline font choices: body copy font choices:
Arial Times New Roman Minion

Arial Black Times Bookman

Helvetica Courier Century

Impact American Typewriter Bodoni

Franklin Gothic Swift

Stone Sans

Note: If you decide you want to have the fonts we used in the templates, refer to Section
1: Introduction to DM Design & Typography, Session 20: Building Your Tool Box —
Downloading and Installing Fonts in the companion program. In this session, I show you how
and where to get new fonts to use in your projects.
After you’ve selected the substitute font, choose File and Save As from your main menu.
Select a folder on your hard drive in which to store the saved file.
Enter a new name for the file and save it.
That’s all there is to it! You’re now ready to edit your new publication as you would any
other document.

Understanding the Template Layout

Each template is made up of a collection of text and picture boxes. We’ve designed
them so that all you have to do is “fill in the blanks.” Using these tested layouts, you can
create great designs quickly.
The first time you open a template, activate the Item tool. Then choose Edit and Select
All from the Quark menu. This shows you the boundaries of each text box.
Depending on the type of the document, a page may be made up of a single text box
or many text boxes. The borders you see around these text boxes won’t print unless the copy
is in a sidebar or call out box. (You can see how a template will look when it’s printed by
referring to that template’s PDF file.)
If you aren’t an experienced user, templates with more than a few text boxes may look
a bit confusing at first. But once you’ve had a chance to work with them, you’ll discover
that a great deal of thought went into how each box is positioned and linked.

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Understanding Placeholders
The templates use text “placeholders.” We “greeked” text — put in any old copy — in
the placeholders to demonstrate the font, size, and alignment of the text. We’ve also included
information on the length and size of headlines, subheads, and any special sidebar information.
Replacing the placeholder text is a snap. Here’s how to do it:
1. Select the Content tool.
2. Click on the text box and highlight the text you want to replace.
3. When you reach the end of the text you want to replace, release the mouse button. (You
can also double-click to select one word, triple-click to select one line, or click four
times to select an entire paragraph. To select the entire text, choose “Select All” from
the Edit menu.)
4. When you begin typing — or paste text from the clipboard — the selected text will be
overwritten.
For more information on how to manipulate placeholder text, please go to the
companion program and see Section 1: Introduction to DM Design & Typography. This
section contains easy-to-follow steps on how to change fonts and manipulate type in QuarkXPress.

Understanding Graphics Placeholders

Graphics placeholders, such as those shown here, are placed where you would normally position
graphics such as clip art or photographs. Replacing them with your own graphics is a simple process.
(Note: In some cases, your client will supply you with the artwork, such as product pictures,
bonus gifts, or photos of the publisher or CEO. In other cases, you’ll be expected to locate the artwork.)
To replace a
graphic placeholder,
first make sure the
Content tool is
selected. (See above.)
1. Select the picture
box and choose
File and Import
Picture from the
main menu.

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This opens a window that lets you locate the picture you want to put in the placeholder.
2. Locate the picture or other graphic you want and click Open.
3. Click and delete the text box on the image that reads “Place picture.”
You’ll find more information on where to find stock photography and how to manipulate art in
QuarkXPress in Section 4: Photos, Clipart & Illustrations.
Don’t forget to take advantage of my Bonus Design Element Library for special design effects,
such as grease pencil arrows and handwritten notes.

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Using the Style Palette (Optional)
Some of the text is formatted using Quark’s powerful Styles function. To take full advantage of
the templates, you should take just a few minutes to learn how to use style sheets.
To view the style sheets used in each template, select Window and Style Sheets from the Quark
menu:
Make sure a check mark appears next to the selection.
Styles control the typeface and size, indents, line, and paragraph
spacing. When you apply a style to your copy, all the format details
change to the specified style. Using style sheets will save you a lot of
time and assure consistency throughout your projects.
For example, if you apply the “body copy” style to all your body
copy, then all the body copy will be formatted using the same font,
size, and line spacing.
You can easily identify the style applied to any paragraph by
selecting the Content tool (see above) and clicking on a line of text.
Then just look to see which style is highlighted in the Style palette.
For more information on how to work with the Style palette,
please refer to Section 2: Formats & Grids, Session: 20 How to
Make Text Adjustments a Snap With Style Sheets.
That’s all there is to it. You now know everything you need to
work with the templates. As you progress through the program, you’ll
add powerful Quark and graphic design skills to your tool kit… and
before you know it, you’ll be creating winning designs like a pro —
because you’ll be one!

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