How to Create Directories and Booklets

Every school publishes a directory each year, as do homeowner associations, organizations and clubs. Often the volunteer who is in charge of this project changes from year to year. Sometimes they have limited experience in creating the document or they have never worked with a printer. Below are our guidelines to producing a hassle free document for both you and your printer.

General Guidelines

When creating your directory in it is best to choose one program. Sometimes when several volunteers are producing files, several programs are used. This will take extra time on your part to compile the files or extra expense if you ask your printer to do it for you. If you do produce the files in more than one program you will need to create acrobat files and combine them in Acrobat. This cannot be done in Acrobat Reader, you will need access to Adobe Acrobat.

If you are creating the directory in Adobe InDesign.

Select file menu > new document. The new document menu box will appear. Select letter half, portrait orientation.

You can add a page number marker to your pages to specify where a page number sits on a page and how it will look. Because a page number marker updates automatically, the page number it displays is always correct-even as you add, remove, or rearrange pages in the document. Page number markers can be formatted and styled as text. Create a text box. Position the insertion point where you want the page number to appear, and then choose Type > Insert Special Character > Markers > Auto Page Number. (from Adobe online Help)

Create document using multiples of 4 pages. Follow numerical sequence of pages starting with the cover and ending with the back. When printed with the booklet option, the document will print as a booklet.

4. InDesign allows you to flow Word documents with Place.

If you are creating the directory in Microsoft Publisher.

Select Publication for print. Use the catalog template. Select the format you want, page content you need, the color and font schemes.

Add pages by pulling down the insert menu and selecting page. A menu box will appear. Select type of pages you want to insert. A set of four pages will be inserted. Booklets are created in sets of four statement sized pages, doubles sided.

Each individual page can be tweaked and edited to create pages just exactly like you want.

When printed two sided/short edge the document will produce a booklet.

If you are creating the directory in Microsoft Word.

1. Open new document> in dialog box Templates Search on line for templates type: Member Directory. Down Load file.

2. Edit the file to suit your needs.

3. Pages are added by inserting information the excess will over flow to the next page.

4. To print make sure your document has a multiples of four with the back panel as the last page. Print letter size to letter size, 2 sided/short edge to create a booklet.

If your document is to have a Card Stock Cover, create a separate file for the cover to be printed separately and added to the directory either by hand or in the copier process.