Six Steps to a Publication

STEP ONE: TELL US WHAT YOU WANT (and be specific)

To begin a new publication, you should schedule a meeting by calling 3087. (If your publication is a revision of a project previously done through the Office of Publications, Printing, and Mailing Services (OPPM), see the section on "Revisions" that follows.) In preparation for the initial meeting, you should ask yourself the following questions and bring the answers with you:

1. What is the purpose of this publication?

2. Do I need to have a printed publication or would an electronic communication work as well?

3. Would personal letters be a better method of communication than a printed brochure?

4. Who is the audience? Is it an on-campus audience only? An off-campus audience only? Both?

5. How many copies will I need? Will this publication last one year? Two years?

6. How much can I spend on this project?

7. How will it be distributed? By campus mail? By U.S. mail? By hand?

8. Will it be distributed with other materials? Will those materials need to be stuffed into envelopes? Will you need envelopes? Is there special finishing required (i.e., binding, folding, punching)

9. When do I need to have this piece in the hands of the recipients?

10. Where should the finished piece be delivered? To whom should it be delivered?

You will answer many of these questions by completing the Job Order Form. This should be filled out before you come to the meeting. You can either submit the online form or download the pdf form, print it, and fill it out by hand.

Telling us you that need a publication "ASAP" does not hasten the project. We need to know when the publication must be in the hands of the audience or audiences. This means you need to take in account the way that you will distribute it, including the kind of mail you might be using (i.e., first class or bulk).

Since not all publications are alike, the time needed to produce them varies. A simple, one-color flyer may be completed in two weeks; a full-color brochure may take several months from concept through delivery. Generally, you should allow at least four weeks for production of a new publication. While publications can sometimes be produced more quickly, pushing the schedule has many liabilities. "Rush jobs" are liable to cost more and are prone to errors. By planning your piece well in advance and giving us more time to work with you, we can produce a publication that is more effective and attractive.

A special note: OPPM works hard at maintaining quality as well as graphic consistency in its production. You can assist in the development of new brochures by bringing with you examples of pieces that you have seen that are similar to what you want, but you should realize that we will still be concerned with keeping our design consistent in order to maintain an integrated look to all University publications.

STEP TWO: PRICE QUOTES

Once quantity, content, and design elements are determined, we can supply an estimated project cost for the publication. Such an estimate is not a guaranteed price, however. This is particularly true if any of the specifications used in determining the estimates are revised substantially (i.e., quantity needed, number of ink colors used, paper stock change). This again underscores the need for planning.

Because OPPM has its own printing capabilities, we will often begin by trying to create a publication that can be printed in-house. This has the advantage of maintaining control but also controlling costs. Should the publication in question not fit our capabilities, OPPM works with commercial vendors, and your job will be given to the vendor best suited for your work. In obtaining a bid, we can request some alternative prices depending on different specifications. However, we want to maintain our professional relationships with vendors, and we must avoid going to vendors for several quotes on the same project. Determining all the specifications for the job prior to asking for a bid is critical.

STEP THREE: PROVIDING THE TEXT

The text should be submitted on a CD-Rom, 3.5-inch diskette, a Zip disk, or as an attachment to an e-mail. In the case of e-mail, please alert us before you send the file. We accept either Macintosh or PC-compatible formats. In addition to the computer file, provide a copy of your document on standard white paper. We request that you use Microsoft Word to type your manuscript and employ any easy-to-read typeface. We do not need to receive your work in pages that have already been designed in such page layout programs as Quark, PageMaker, or Publisher. In fact, this often represents an impediment to the work since translation programs do not exist for some programs and are not always easy to use.

In typing your manuscript:

* Do not underline material, except what you want in italic type;
* Do not add a carriage return at the end of each line;
* Do not use a small "L" in place of the number "1";
* Do not use the space bar to form columns — use one tab per column instead;
* Do use only one thumb space following all punctuation.• Do not use all caps.
• Do not insert hyphens to format text.

Please be sure that your manuscript is complete and double-check it for accuracy before sending it to us. Do not treat our proofs to you as opportunities to rewrite your material. That will add significantly to both the cost and the time. Be certain that the material on the file that you provide is identical to the printout that you provide. Keep in mind that you are ultimately responsible for the correctness of the information in your manuscript: spelling of names, accuracy of dates and titles, completeness of statistics, etc.

STEP FOUR: ILLUSTRATIONS OR PHOTOGRAPHS

It is critical that we either be provided with the illustrations that you plan to use in your project or that we offer you photographs and illustrations before the project gets fully underway. Not all photography will work with every brochure form, and quality considerations are important. We will make every effort to use images that are provided or specified, but we may counsel against using particular photographs or other materials if these will detract from the value of the overall piece.

OPPM does have access to certain University images that may work in your publication. Many were taken for a specific purpose and may not precisely meet your needs, however. If you believe that you need photography taken for this project, you should first consult with OPPM to agree upon the format rather than contacting the University Photographer directly. We will contact the University Photographer to schedule a photo shoot so that we are clear on the photos needs. Like OPPM, the University Photographer's schedule requires sufficient lead time, and you should expect no less than one week for the finished photograph once a shoot is scheduled.

The availability of images on the Internet and the ability to scan images from books and other publications can permit considerable flexibility in producing publications. However, you must also be aware that there are copyright issues in using materials for which you do not have explicit permission. In addition, there are quality concerns when taking images from the Internet at lower resolutions or trying to scan photographs or images from previously published works.

OPPM can provide simple maps and other illustrations. The more complicated the illustrations, the longer the time necessary to complete them and the more expense involved in the project.

STEP FIVE: APPROVALS AND PROOFING

Once your manuscript is complete and has been given a graphic treatment, you will receive a draft layout for your approval. At this point, you should review the draft and offer any response as quickly as possible. This draft will have taken into consideration the audience for the publication, quantity, and the funds and time available for the production of the publication. It will also conform to university graphic standards in the use of the university logo and other elements.

It is your responsibility to check the accuracy of dates, addresses, names, fees, and other information. You should mark any corrections on the proof and return it to us. We do not accept corrections over the phone or by e-mail. If you make a substantial number of changes to this final proof, you may see an additional one. However, changes late in a publication’s production schedule will affect the deadline.

Your final proof will have an approval form attached to it. You must sign that approval form and return it with your proof in order for us to complete the processing of the project.

STEP SIX: DELIVERY

Your finished job will be delivered to the place(s) you specify. This needs to be a specific office not just a building. If you intend to have the piece mailed, it is important to have a conversation about the mailing early in this process. In certain instances OPPM works with outside mail houses. In any event, you will be responsible for coordinating the production and delivery of the mailing data (either labels or, more often, data files).

REVISIONS

For a revision of an existing publication, please provide a copy of the last updated printed version of the publication with corrections clearly marked—provided that the corrections are no more than a word or two per paragraph. If the changes are more extensive, make them on a per-paragraph basis. In the copy of the previous publication that you submit, x-out or highlight the paragraph with the correction and submit the complete paragraph containing the correction on diskette, Zip disk, or e-mail attachment, as mentioned in the section, "Preparing Files.

BILLING

Upon completion of your publication, you will receive a copy of the itemized Billing Summary which has gone to the Business Office.