[scribus] Using Scribus for a newsletter

[Louis Desjardins]

2008/9/13 Joe Ward <bluegrass_joe at yahoo.com>

> Hello. I'm Joe Ward, a retired newspaper reporter roped into serving as
> editor of a community newsletter for about 4,000 households. I've been
> putting this out by getting stories and ads together and sending them to a
> friendly neighborhood printer who has done most of the layout for me. Then
> she moved out of the neighborhood and on to better things.
>
> I hope not to be editor of the newsletter forever. So I'm trying to get a
> system for putting it together established, so that each succeeding editor
> won't have to reinvent the wheel. Future editors will be students and
> retirees and similar folks, so Scribus seemed to me a good way to go.
>
> So I'm learning Scribus, and Inkscape, and Gimp, and having a great time. I
> started too late, of course, and will soon face the deadline for my first
> issue of this new era. I have a printer willing to work with me, and I've
> been reading through the Scribus manual and trying different things.
>
> I made myself a template for the front page with the masthead as I want it,
> guidelines set up to show me where to put text and picture frames and other
> elements that will go on the front page of every issue, and the margins I
> want set in place. I've made similar templates for the back page, which will
> have the mailing lable and bulk mail information, and for left and right
> inside pages. I made the front page a right page, and the back page a left
> page.
>
> I'm reading more in the manual now, but I'm asking these questions just in
> case I don't find the answers in time.
>
> How do I put these pages togehter? If I have Page 1 set up, for example,
> how do I add a second, a third, etc., up to the last page?  I've tried
> making master pages without success -- it seems that each one I make wipes
> out the one I made before -- and it has occurred to me I wouldn't know how
> to use those, either.


Hello Joe,

First, let's assume you are working with Scribus version 1.3.3.x (the most
up-to-date being 1.3.3.12). Other than that, it's advisable you consider
working with this version as it is the stable one. 1.3.4 is not supported
anymore and 1.3.5svn is the current development series, not meant for
production.

Quick answers (and you will find more on the wiki or ask for even more
specific questions, no problem!):

• Add pages through Page > Insert, Import or Copy (3 different options).

• Master Pages: if you have put one or 2 together, you should be able to
walk you way through. The GUI is not so clear but it is still a
straightforward operation. Go to Edit > Master Pages. You will find an icon
that does just that, create a new Master Page. You must give it a name. You
will see all your Master Pages listed in the Edit > Master Pages dialog.
When you click on a Master Page name, bang! you are on that Master Page. The
trick to know is you cannot put empty text or image frame and expect to be
able to fill it when on the regular page thereafter. Not in Scribus. But if
you have elements that will be repeated from page to page, then you can set
this up on the Master Page and be sure it will be repeated.

• Master Pages (bis): To apply a Master Page to a regular page, you must
first leave the Master Page dialog by closing the dialog window. This will
bring you back to your regular pages. Then, go to Page > Apply Master Page
and a dialog will pop-up giving you all the options you have to apply a
Master Page to a regular page.

• Master Pages (ter): You can place a text frame on the Master Page and fill
it with the Insert > Character > Page Number so once this Master Page is
applied to a page, it will correctly display the page number of your page.
Please also note that for pages 10-99 you will need 2 times this character,
3 for 100-999 and so on. You can put the Page Number character on each and
every Master Page you want that number to be displayed.

Second, how can I paginate the newsletter so that it's ready for the
> printer? That is to say, so that the front and back pages are on the right
> and left sides of a sheet, and the second and second-from-last pages are on
> the other side. Then the third and third-from last on a sheet, fourth and
> fourth-from-last, and so fourth. The newsletter is to have 8.5 by 11-inch
> pages, and my plan is to output to .pdf for the printer.


What you want to achieve here is called imposition and you will find
valuable info on the wiki here:
http://wiki.scribus.net/index.php/Imposition_tools
http://wiki.scribus.net/index.php/How_to_make_a_booklet

When you output to PDF, you have the option to select just the pages you
want.

I'm working in Windows Xp.


Yep. No problem.

>
>
> Thanks for any help. I'm sorry to ask so much in one email.


You are most welcome and please don't hesitate to get back here whenever you
need any help. We are more than glad to try to help you going.

Louis

>
>
>
>     -Joe
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