Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. How many templates will I get?
   
   In summary, here's what you get:
   
   • Newspaper Layout Templates package which includes: five cover pages, page 2, main news with five varying layouts, five different feature pages (including spreads/hybrids), and five sport pages
   • Style guides and supporting documentation
   • 12 months subscription to LayoutExecutive.com including template updates, upgrades and news and support
   
   
2. I’m not an experienced designer, how long will it take me to learn how to use the templates and the style guide?
   
   If you have spent at least a little time familiarising yourself with Adobe InDesign, then you could be creating pages with confidence within a week. If you already own a copy of Adobe InDesign, then I would recommend purchasing a training manual such as “Adobe InDesign, Classroom in a Book" by Adobe Press. This contains fantastic tutorials that you can take at your own speed or when you need to learn a particular skill. It is also great to have close by as a reference.



3. I’m from North America / Europe / Asia (or somewhere else outside Australia), can I still use these templates?
   
   You can use the templates anywhere around the world as long as you have a copy of Adobe InDesign CS or CS2. The templates have been created in the Tabloid format, common around the world for smaller newspaper publications. I am planning on developing templates in other sizes such as broadsheet, or reduced broadsheet if there is enough interest.



4. We currently use QuarkXPress / PageMaker / Publisher, why should we switch to InDesign?
   
   Adobe lists on their website “The top ten reasons to switch” http://www.adobe.com/products/indesign/whychooseindesign/top10reasonstoswitch.html
   
   If you are a QuarkXPress user, then you can change over to InDesign quite easily. InDesign even has an option to change all the shortcuts to that of QuarkXPress. You can even use InDesign to open your QuarkXPress and Adobe PageMaker files. There is even a book available called “InDesign for QuarkXPress Users”.
   
   I, and an increasing majority (it seems) of designers, believe InDesign to be the obvious choice, not just for features, but also for ease of use and speed to name a few. There is a great article available at CreativePro that weighs up the two big shots in the publishing world: http://www.creativepro.com/story/feature/20604.html
   And a great site for site for comparisons is: http://www.quarkvsindesign.com/
   Most Quark users I have met take less than a day to become equally proficient in InDesign as they were in Quark.
   
   Adobe PageMaker is the little baby brother of InDesign. It is very limited in its design and is not really suitable for a multi user environment. Because it is an Adobe product, many of the tools and shortcuts you will find familiar. Basically, it is not a professional solution – although it is a lot better than Microsoft Publisher!
   
   Microsoft Publisher: Just be thankful that you had this question answered on the internet and that you didn’t actually ask a professional the merits of Publisher for newspaper design. In my opinion, Publisher should change its name to “Ink-jet Printer”, because that is all it is good for. I don’t know a single commercial printer that works with Microsoft Publisher, and if I found one, I’d be asking some pretty serious questions before choosing them as my printer.



5. Where can I purchase InDesign and how much will it cost?
   
   InDesign can be purchased directly form the Adobe website at: http://www.adobe.com/products/indesign/ You can even download a fully functioning trial version to try out for 30 days for free.



6. What is your refund policy?
   
   We have an unconditional 120 day 100% Money Back Guarantee!



7. Can I use the templates on either a PC or Mac?
   
   Yes. Both. I have both Mac and PC at home and at work. I always enjoy the flexibility that InDesign gives. It is important to make sure you have all the relevant fonts loaded on each system – and to make sure you own the correct licences for the fonts.



8. Will I need Licenses for the fonts?

You will not need to purchase the licenses in order to use the templates and print for personal use. However, you will need to purchase the licenses in order to print the newspaper commercially. I do not include the licenses for the fonts in the package because you may choose to change the fonts when you develop your newspaper. The fonts I have used are all packaged with Indesign CS and CS2, so you should have no font errors when you open the templates for the first time.

The best font resource I have found for browsing and purchasing commercial fonts is FontShop.