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Formatting: One-, Two- or Three-Columns?
Before starting to put your articles into the newsletter below your masthead, you need to decide if you are going to make a one-, two- or three-column newsletter. A single column takes too long for the eye to scan across the page and takes longer to read. The two-column format is easier to read because the text goes only half-way across the page, but the three-column format is even easier to scan and gives the newsletter a more professional look.
Click on the Double Column tool once, and the page now has two columns:
Click again on the Double Column tool, and the page now has three columns:
Article Titles
Click in the first column below the masthead/banner. The titles of your articles use the second largest type in the newsletter and can be a different font than you used for the masthead/banner. 18 points is a good size for the titles. Remember to be consistent and use the same font and size for all the titles from this point on. Highlighting the titles will make it easier to see the variety of articles at a glance. Now type in your article title.
News Articles/Copy
Okay! You're ready for the article. Click in the first column below the title. The cursor will flash at the insertion point. Click on Size and select 12 points for the text size. Type the article, or copy and paste the text from your files.
After typing the first article, skip one line. Then go ahead and do the title and copy for the next one in the same way. When you get to the bottom of the column, the cursor will automatically go to the top of the next column.
Avoid packing your newsletter with text. Leave some white space to insert graphics (clipart, illustrations, photos, etc.). They will help to add visual interest and balance to the text on the page. Don't forget to check the spelling in your newsletter using the spellcheck feature under Edit - Writing Tools - Check Document Spelling. Also you should type in a caption for any photos, illustrations or charts you use in your newsletter. This should be done in a smaller sized print (10 points) from the text.
Finishing Touches
To finish up the newsletter, check to see that there is some white space between the Masthead/banner and the title or any graphics. Do this by by selecting Size - Other and type 4 into the Font Size box. Click Okay.
Include captions for any photos or charts used in the newsletter.
Also, once your articles are all in place, you may want to justify both sides of each article. This will give a neater look without putting lines to separate the columns of the newsletter.
Save your work!
It is very important to save any work you do on the computer, and save it often so you don't lose your work and end up having to start all over from the beginning.