Scribus can do multiple page newsletters. But for smaller, faster jobs in
Inkscape try this tutorial. And as cool as Scribus can be, I prefer Inkscape's interface.
ADDITION: HeathenX covers this in tutorial #77: http://screencasters.heathenx.org/episode-077/Note: This tutorial covers a quick 1-page newsletter. Attached at the bottom is a link to a 2-page SVG file. Feel free to download it and review its various parts. It uses
layers, some of which are
hidden.
Let's begin. Start up
Inkscape.
(For the sake of this tutorial I've made screen captures on a MacBook Pro using X-Windows, Mac O/S 10.4.11 and Inkscape 0.46. But this should work under GNU/Linux and Windows.)The standard
US Letter[/color] format was used.
,
,
,
,
Create as many objects as you please. They can be rectangles, stars, circles, kisses... They are displayed below in light grey for the sake of visibility.
Please note: this illustration depicts
standard rectangles and
not text boxes. OK. Sorry to slow you down.
Sure, you
could create simple rectangles. But OpenOffice can do that too. Inkscape allows for flexibility. Let's use it.
[To edit the shape of a standard rectangle
select it with the
Tool selector. (To select more than one object hold down the
Shift key and drag a selection box around as many objects as you wish.) From the menu bar click
Path >
Object to path, or use this nifty keyboard shortcut:
Shift Ctrl C
Now shape your objects according to your artistic needs. Use the
Node tool to
add nodes. Double-clicking an object's edge with this tool will add a new node you can drag around into cool shapes. This is
useful when importing a photograph or various images that you may wish your text to
avoid by swerving around critical points.
I've tossed in a lame title for good measure.
Open your plain text editor such as
Text Edit,
gedit,
kate or
Notepad... and compose the deep and profound prose of your newsletter. (I'm going to assume you know how to use some basic computer commands that are cross-platform such as
Ctrl C for copy,
Ctrl V for paste, that sort of thing. If not, please consult your O/S user manual.)
By the way: the profound prose in this "quick and dirty" tutorial example is the famous "Lorem Ipsum" quotation.
When you're finished composing, highlight and copy this deep wisdom to your clipboard. Now back to
Inkscape.
Using the text tool: create a large enough box to house the contents of your clipboard. Do this by clicking and dragging the cursor with this tool across your screen somewhat
away from other objects. Once your box is drawn to your satisfaction, consider
selecting a reasonable font size that's right size for your newsletter, such as "11" shown here. "40" is a bit excessive.
Paste the contents of your clipboard into this newly created text box.
Click the Selector
and your text box is "selected" like below.
While
holding the Shift key click the last rectangle (or whatever design you used)
first. Now both your
text box and your
last shape should be highlighted:
Good. While holding down the
Shift key,
continue selecting shapes until your
first shape is selected
last. So we're going
backwards through our objects to do this correctly. The illustration below visually portrays my madness.
Good! All shapes are selected in
backward order with my
text box selected first.
Now from the menu bar:
Text >
Flow into frame and you should see the following:
Feel free at this point to
add images or drawings or whatnot. Of course, I put the horse in front of the cart. Normally you'd import an image and place it onto your newsletter first. Then shape your columns around it. Or one of those text boxes with the big quotation marks and large text that highlights the point of an article. Go nuts.
Warning: you can certainly delete your guide shapes. But any moving of your text will result in the loss of that shape. Sorry. Best way around this is to change your shapes to the color white for printing.
P.S.:
Here's the link (
Right-Click to download) to a
2 page newsletter. While the text is all in Latin, it's meant to be a template. The rectangles I've left gray for visibility. I added more guidelines for easy placement of columns. Nothing terribly fancy; just yer typical business-like newsletter. Feel free to download and use/abuse. The only thing I turned into vectors was the title because of the Mac fonts.
To edit the template, Layer -> Layers or
SHIFT CTRL L. The Layers tool should appear on the right. Click the small LOCK icons to make a layer editable.
Quite honestly, it didn't take me very long to produce this. Use this as a template to build your own.
[b][size=110]Scribus[/size][/b] can do multiple page newsletters. But for smaller, faster jobs in [size=120][b][color=#800000]Inkscape[/color][/b][/size] try this tutorial. And as cool as Scribus can be, I prefer Inkscape's interface. ;)
[size=125][b]ADDITION:[/b] HeathenX covers this in tutorial #77: [url=http://screencasters.heathenx.org/episode-077/]http://screencasters.heathenx.org/episode-077/[/url][/size]
[b][color=#800000][size=127]Note:[/size][/color][/b] This tutorial covers a quick 1-page newsletter. Attached at the bottom is a link to a 2-page SVG file. Feel free to download it and review its various parts. It uses [size=150][color=#404080]layers[/color][/size], some of which are [color=#808080]hidden[/color].
Let's begin. Start up [b][color=#800000]Inkscape[/color][/b].
[i](For the sake of this tutorial I've made screen captures on a MacBook Pro using X-Windows, Mac O/S 10.4.11 and Inkscape 0.46. But this should work under [b][color=#800000]GNU/Linux[/color][/b] and [b][color=#800000]Windows[/color][/b].)[/i]
The standard [color=#008040][b]US Letter[/color][/b][/color] format was used.
[img]http://bobsongs.50webs.net/01.png[/img]
:tool_rectangle:, :tool_ellipse:, :tool_star:, :tool_pencil:, :tool_pen: [b][color=#800000]Create[/color][/b] as many objects as you please. They can be rectangles, stars, circles, kisses... They are displayed below in light grey for the sake of visibility. [b][color=#800000]Please note[/color][/b]: this illustration depicts [b][color=#800000]standard rectangles[/color][/b] and [b][color=#800000]not text boxes[/color][/b]. OK. Sorry to slow you down.
[img]http://bobsongs.50webs.net/02.png[/img]
Sure, you [b][color=#800000]could[/color][/b] create simple rectangles. But OpenOffice can do that too. Inkscape allows for flexibility. Let's use it.
[To edit the shape of a standard rectangle [b][color=#800000]select it[/color][/b] with the :tool_selector: Tool selector. (To select more than one object hold down the [size=175][kbd]Shift[/kbd][/size] key and drag a selection box around as many objects as you wish.) From the menu bar click [b][color=#800000]Path[/color][/b] > [b][color=#800000]Object to path[/color][/b], or use this nifty keyboard shortcut: [size=175][kbd]Shift[/kbd][/size] [size=175][kbd]Ctrl[/kbd][/size] [size=175][kbd]C[/kbd][/size]
:tool_node: Now shape your objects according to your artistic needs. Use the [b][color=#800000]Node[/color][/b] tool to [b][color=#800000]add[/color][/b] nodes. Double-clicking an object's edge with this tool will add a new node you can drag around into cool shapes. This is [b][color=#800000]useful[/color][/b] when importing a photograph or various images that you may wish your text to [b][color=#800000]avoid[/color][/b] by swerving around critical points.
I've tossed in a lame title for good measure.
[img]http://bobsongs.50webs.net/03.png[/img]
[b][color=#800000]Open[/color][/b] your plain text editor such as [b][color=#800000]Text Edit[/color][/b], [b][color=#800000]gedit[/color][/b], [b][color=#800000]kate[/color][/b] or [b][color=#800000]Notepad[/color][/b]... and compose the deep and profound prose of your newsletter. (I'm going to assume you know how to use some basic computer commands that are cross-platform such as [size=175][kbd]Ctrl[/kbd][/size] [size=175][kbd]C[/kbd][/size] for copy, [size=175][kbd]Ctrl[/kbd][/size] [size=175][kbd]V[/kbd][/size] for paste, that sort of thing. If not, please consult your O/S user manual.)
[b][color=#800000]By the way[/color][/b]: the profound prose in this "quick and dirty" tutorial example is the famous "Lorem Ipsum" quotation.
[img]http://bobsongs.50webs.net/04.png[/img]
When you're finished composing, highlight and copy this deep wisdom to your clipboard. Now back to [b][color=#800000]Inkscape[/color][/b].
:tool_text: [b][color=#800000]Using[/color][/b] the text tool: create a large enough box to house the contents of your clipboard. Do this by clicking and dragging the cursor with this tool across your screen somewhat [b][color=#800000]away[/color][/b] from other objects. Once your box is drawn to your satisfaction, consider [b][color=#800000]selecting a reasonable font size[/color][/b] that's right size for your newsletter, such as "11" shown here. "40" is a bit excessive.
[img]http://bobsongs.50webs.net/05.png[/img]
[b][color=#800000]Paste[/color][/b] the contents of your clipboard into this newly created text box.
[b][color=#800000]Click[/color][/b] the Selector :tool_selector: and your text box is "selected" like below.
[img]http://bobsongs.50webs.net/06.png[/img]
:tool_selector: While [b][color=#800000]holding the [size=175][kbd]Shift[/kbd][/size] key[/color][/b] click the last rectangle (or whatever design you used) [b][color=#800000]first[/color][/b]. Now both your [b][color=#800000]text box[/color][/b] and your [b][color=#800000]last shape[/color][/b] should be highlighted:
[img]http://bobsongs.50webs.net/07.png[/img]
Good. While holding down the [size=175][kbd]Shift[/kbd][/size] key, [b][color=#800000]continue[/color][/b] selecting shapes until your [b][color=#800000]first[/color][/b] shape is selected [b][color=#800000]last[/color][/b]. So we're going [b][color=#800000]backwards[/color][/b] through our objects to do this correctly. The illustration below visually portrays my madness.
[img]http://bobsongs.50webs.net/08.png[/img]
Good! All shapes are selected in [b][color=#800000][size=125]backward order[/size][/color][/b] with my [b][color=#800000]text box[/color][/b] selected first.
Now from the menu bar:
[b][color=#800000]Text[/color][/b] > [b][color=#800000]Flow into frame[/color][/b] and you should see the following:
[img]http://bobsongs.50webs.net/09.png[/img]
Feel free at this point to [b][color=#800000]add[/color][/b] images or drawings or whatnot. Of course, I put the horse in front of the cart. Normally you'd import an image and place it onto your newsletter first. Then shape your columns around it. Or one of those text boxes with the big quotation marks and large text that highlights the point of an article. Go nuts.
[img]http://bobsongs.50webs.net/10.png[/img]
Warning: you can certainly delete your guide shapes. But any moving of your text will result in the loss of that shape. Sorry. Best way around this is to change your shapes to the color white for printing.
:D
[b][color=#800000]P.S.[/color][/b]: [b][color=#800000][url=http://bobsongs.50webs.net/newsletter2.svg]Here's the link[/url][/color][/b] ([b][color=#800000]Right-Click to download[/color][/b]) to a [b][color=#800000]2 page[/color][/b] newsletter. While the text is all in Latin, it's meant to be a template. The rectangles I've left gray for visibility. I added more guidelines for easy placement of columns. Nothing terribly fancy; just yer typical business-like newsletter. Feel free to download and use/abuse. The only thing I turned into vectors was the title because of the Mac fonts.
To edit the template, Layer -> Layers or [size=175][kbd]SHIFT[/kbd][/size] [size=175][kbd]CTRL[/kbd][/size] [size=175][kbd]L[/kbd][/size]. The Layers tool should appear on the right. Click the small LOCK icons to make a layer editable.
Quite honestly, it didn't take me very long to produce this. Use this as a template to build your own. :D
