%% Submission for Baskerville
%%
\author[Andrew Lack]{Andrew F. Lack\\City University}
\title{Newsletters with \LaTeX}
\begin{Article}
%%
\begin{abstract}
  I have typeset newsletters for 4 different organisations over the
  past three years using \LaTeX.  This article outlines some of my
  experiences of using \LaTeX{} to produce them.
\end{abstract}
\LaTeX\ and \TeX\ were never designed to produce artwork for newsletters.
And yet their flexibility, together with some clever minor style files,
means that a very acceptable product can be produced.  Just take a look
at \textit{Baskerville} to see this.

For the last three years I have typeset the newsletter of City
University's Computing Services department.  Prior to my involvement
the usual mixture of software---and consequent styles---were tried.
Packages like MicroSoft Word and Ventura Publisher were used.

I was convinced that, despite its rather formal page layout, \LaTeX\
could be used to produce a good newsletter and after eight issues I'm
still convinced.  Besides, when I took the newsletter on I was \textit{only}
going to use \LaTeX.

\section{Text Columns}
A newsletter, particularly one printed on A4 paper, is going to require
multiple columns---probably 2 or~3.  Because of the necessity to mix 
multi and single
columnar styles on a page (single column for article headings), 
the minor style file \textsf{multicol} is
more-or-less an essential starting point.
However, the \textsf{multicol} style does have some limitations, most
notable only allowing full textwidth floats.  This complicates
the placement of items such as tables and illustrations
which are column-width, and these must be defined in the document
at a fixed position.  

With \acro{DTP} packages, boxes or frames are defined where
illustrations are to appear on the page, the text automagically
flowing around them.  This design not only simplifies the placement of
illustrations, but also allows illustrations to be placed
\textit{between} columns---a popular way of including a photograph of
the author, for example, at the start of an article.  This isn't possible
with \LaTeX.

However, given these limitations typesetting articles with column-width
illustrations is quite straight forward.  The placement of these is
probably best left to near the end of the typesetting process, adding
them to the file starting at the beginning and working towards the end,
checking page breaks as you go.

\section{Short Articles}
Using the rather formal full-width heading above a short article (perhaps
using only one quarter of the page depth) looks rather odd.  For short
articles consider setting them in a box of width 0.75 or 0.8 of the
full text width.  Using box styles from the minor style file
\textsf{fancybox} adds emphasis to the design.  Another useful technique
is to place a 5\% or 10\% gray tint behind the box using the
\textsf{psboxit} minor style.  If you do this avoid the fancy box
styles and stick to the good old plain \texttt{fbox},
as the background PostScript shading extends beyond the box boundaries 
for \texttt{shadowbox} and \texttt{doublebox} and this look rather odd.

\section{Graphics}
Despite the fact that I produce final artwork using PostScript, I
prefer working with graphics using the \textsf{bm2font} system,
which converts graphics to \TeX\ fonts.  This has the advantage of
producing images which are viewable using standard \texttt{dvi} previewers and they
print much faster than encapsulated PostScript versions do.

\textsf{Bm2font} handles a wide variety of popular (\acro{PC}) bitmap
formats, including \acro{PCX} and \acro{GIF}.

If you are looking for copyright-free clip art, then take a look
at the publications of \textit{The Dover Press}.  These US publications are
available from stockists in the UK and are priced at around
\pounds 5--6 per book.

\section{Starting Articles}
With ideal copy new articles will start at the top of a new page, with
minimal wastage on the previous.  However this rarely happens.
The heading for an article is a key part of the typographic design of
the newsletter.  When the reader reaches the bottom of a column, below
which a new article begins, the typography must make it clear that the
reader should move up to the top of the page to continue.

A clear break under the previous article is required, together with
a device which extends across the page.  I leave a gap of 3em before
printing the new article's heading.  Under the heading I like to use textwidth
\textit{shaded face rule} (a rule of 0.2pt, gap of 2pt and a rule of 1pt)
underneath the new article's title.

Deciding where to start a new article can be tricky.  Luckily the
\textsf{multicols} environment takes some optional arguments, one
of which allows you to specify the minimum space which must remain
on the page before starting the new environment.  The other optional
argument is text which is set full-width.  This is where the article's
heading can be set.

A typographic embellishment for the start of the article is common.  Two
are often employed; a large initial capital, possibly a dropcap, or
setting the first three of four words in small caps.  I like using
dropcaps (which can be typeset using \TeX's \verb+\hangindent+ and
\verb+\hangafter+).  However, this has the disadvantage of making the
entire first paragraph an unbreakable box, so only use this technique if
you have sufficient vertical space on the page.

\section{Page Breaks}
This is without doubt the most difficult aspect of newsletter construction.
Due to the rather `lumpy' nature of the copy, (particularly if your
articles have many illustrations), \LaTeX\ will occasionally
have problems finding good page breaks.  \LaTeX2e's \verb+\enlargethispage+
helps a little here.  [Well, being a 2.09 user I assume so.]

Sometimes bad page breaks can be avoided by making the copy slightly
longer.  This can be neatly achieved by the command
\verb+\looseness=1+ within a longish paragraph.  It'll cause \TeX\ to
increase the length of the paragraph by one line by loosening the
glue.  Do this a couple of times in an article and this may just be
enough.  Of course you could even do some copy-editing.

\section{Typefaces}
Computer Modern for a newsletter?  No.  Computer Modern has too much
of a technical look about it and here in Britain we tend not to like
Modern book faces, preferring the Oldstyle instead\Dash  faces like, well
Baskerville and Garamond.

However for City University's newsletter I use \textit{Lucida Bright}.  
I find
it renders well on a 300dpi \acro{HP}3\acro{S}i laser printer, giving a clean black
copy which our Print Room can work with.  Computer Modern is too
spidery on the 3\acro{S}i.  For display work (such as the article titles)
I like New Century Schoolbook italic, and Bookman bold italic makes
a good mast-head face.

\end{Article}