When Copy/Paste is a No-No

The J. S. Paluch Subscriber Resource Center has numerous features designed for the convenience of the user. One of these is the “Preview” that is available for the text files that you can download. Because the text files are not in a format that is viewable in your web browser the same way that image files are, the designers of the SRC came up with the Preview as a way for you to see the content of text files before you download them. You access the Preview by clicking on (Preview) in the box that appears above the name of the text file in any search results page. The Preview is intended to give you a good idea of what is in the text file, but it is intended for viewing only.

These Previews are machine-generated text streams that are stripped of all formatting and do not undergo the proofing process that the actual downloadable text files undergo. This means that they are subject to showing errors or hidden text or characters that are not present in the formatted and proofed files that you can download from the SRC. This is especially an issue with accents and special characters that are used regularly in the Spanish files. Here is one recent example of hidden text that showed up in a Preview. This text was not present in the formatted downloadable files.

It is technically possible to copy and paste the text from these Previews, and even tempting to do so, but because of the potential for errors as seen above, this practice is discouraged. The proper way to use the text files provided on the SRC is to download the file that you want onto your computer. From there you can copy and paste the content of the file any way that you want, confident that it will be an accurate version of the text that we have prepared for you.

Direct copying and pasting from the SRC preview may be an easy shortcut, but it can also lead to mistakes and headaches. It is definitely a “no-no.”

Hat Trick

 

Hockey fans know that one of the most exciting things that can happen in a game is a hat trick—three goals by one player in a single game. While this may not be the traditional hat trick definition, its close enough for us. JSP has three trainers: Rhonda Cavalier, Judy Ferrara, and Lauren Gandara. Each of the three trainers chose a resource from the SRC at www.jspaluch.com and created three unique ways to use it in a bulletin layout.

First up are  the very popular “Treasures from our Tradition” articles designed by Rhonda Cavalier.  

    The sample above has two frames: header frame with white text on a blue background.                                      Text frame with gradient screen from blue to white

The second sample has a gray background with a top and bottom rule line. 

The heading is 20 point Pristina font and is centered over a two column format.

Our final sample uses a complimentary color headline (orange outline) with a light yellow shaded frame. Added white space (1.25") helps readability.  

Our next design trio is cover artwork presented by Judy Ferrara. 

Full page

Let’s begin with a full page cover.  You can use this full page in a number of different styles.  Adding a text box on the top of your page and add your church info such as church name, address etc.  Or, place a text box vertically on the left side of your page with your info and have the rest of the page with your full cover.  Remember, if you use the images that have dates you will not have to repeat this in the rest of the bulletin. Use the Picture Styles tool in Picture Tools to jazz up the cover such as giving it a border or soft edge.

 

 

Half page

The half page image can be used when you have a little bit of space between your church name and your church info but cannot use a full page cover.  The half page if resized properly can fill up a gap without looking stretched out. The half page has the same info as the full page.

 

Corner
This is a neat image that can be used either on the cover or inside your bulletin.  If using the corners for your cover you place a text box on top of it and type in your church info.  You get a new updated look every week.  Using the corner on the inside of your bulletin will fill up any empty page you may need to fill.

Our final trio of layouts is brought to you by Lauren Gandara. 

There are various ways to make your bulletin stand out. A creative design layout is one way. Here are three different ways in which you can creatively display the Readings for the Week in your bulletin. 

Fonts

Fonts make a big difference in the way your bulletin looks. Here I’ve used GoudyOlSt BT font in bold and italicize and changed the caps to Small caps for the title. I also used Times New Roman for the readings and italicized the days for a more elegant effect.

Adding in decorative elements can also make your text stand out. I added a line in Drawing tools and then added diamond shaped arrows to make it look more decorative.

Color
Color is another way to make your Readings for the week stand out. For this example, I selected a shade of red and then added a Gradient effect to it in Drawing Tools. After that, I selected a darker shade of red to make the text stand out from the background color. I used Arial Rounded MT in Bold to make my text easier to read against the colored background.

Text effects

Text effects is another element that can be used. You can find text effects by going to Text Box tools in your Menu bar. You’ll see Text fill, Text Outline and then Text Effects. When you click on Text Effects, a menu will open giving you different options such as Shadow, Reflection, Glow, and Bevel.Shadow will create a drop shadow. Reflection will give you a mirrored reflection of your text. Glow will add a glow effect around the letters of your text. Bevel will give it an chiseled effect.

For this example, I used Shadow and Reflection effects for the title and Shadow effect for the days of the week. I also used the Shadow effect on the text box shape by going to Drawing Tools > Shape Effects and selecting Shadow.

Could one or more of these design elements help spruce up your bulletin layout? 

Subscriber Resource Center Tools: Favorites and Image Preview

Favorites

The J. S. Paluch Subscriber Resource Center has tools built right into it to make your work easier and more efficient. One of those tools is Favorites. This feature allows you to collect all the images and text files that you want to use and then download them all at once—certainly more efficient than downloading large numbers of files one at a time!

Favorites is a holding area where you can collect all the files that you want to download, similar to the "Lightbox" found on some stock photo sites. To use the Favorites feature, click on the checkbox of each image or text file that you wish to save, then click on Add to Favorites at the top of the page. Forgot to click on an image? No problem! Just go click on that checkbox, too, then Add to Favorites, and it will join the other files waiting for you to download.

When you are finished collecting the files that you want, click on the Favorites link at the top right of the page, and you will be taken to the Favorites holding area. 

Here you can select any or all of the files that you have collected for download, and they will be compressed into a Zip file and downloaded to the folder that you designate on your computer, using the download tools of your browser. From there you can extract the files from the DownloadedFile.zip and use them as you need.

Because Favorites remembers all the files that you put into it from one session to the next, it’s a good idea when you are done to do a little housekeeping by checking the files that you don’t need any more and clicking on Remove from Favorites.

Image Preview

Another handy tool is Image Preview. This feature, activated by default, allows you to see an enlarged version of an image’s thumbnail as you hover your mouse over it. Sometimes, though, the popup images can get in the way of what you are trying to do. You can disable this tool by going to the top of the page and clicking on Image Preview: Turn Off. 

This setting will apply to all the SRC pages that you go to during the current session, but reverts to its default “on” setting whenever you log off and log back on. You can also restore the feature any time by clicking on Image Preview: Turn On.

Bulletin Potpourri

Paint Me a Picture

Having pictures in your bulletin keeps your readers entertained as well as updated on the latest activities in your parish. It’s always nice to document special occasions and have these archived in your bulletins so you and your parishioners can look back with fond memories throughout the years.

Getting the right contrast, brightness, or special effect for your image has never been easier. Here are a few tips and the tools you may want to use to change the look of your pictures.

You may notice that when working in Publisher it will add a new tab on the top toolbar depending on what you are working in at the time. For instance, when you insert a picture, a new tab will appear on top that says Picture Tools. If you click on format, a new toolbar will appear that will allow you to manipulate the look of your picture. You will see options to add a border to your picture or change the style such as giving your picture a soft edge. You will also see a great tool called Corrections that will improve the brightness or contrast of the picture. You can also use Corrections to make your picture into a watermark to place behind a text box.

Do you use the cropping tool? Sometimes we have too much white space or need to cut something out of a picture. On the toolbar you will see an option that says Crop. When you click on this tool you will see little black lines around your picture. When you place your cursor on one of these lines your cursor will become a cropping tool that looks like an upside-down thumbtack. Hold down your left mouse button and drag the picture in until you have cropped off that area. The cropping tool acts like a pair of scissors and will cut off anything you want out of your picture.

Did you know that when you insert a picture into your bulletin you will see little white circles all around it? Use the 4 outside circles to resize your picture in its proper dimension. If you use the inner circles this will stretch out the image to make it look disproportionate.

Take the time to get familiar with the different sections that are on the toolbar and take advantage of all the tools available. Have fun with them!

Keywords

Have you ever noticed when you hover over an image in the Subscriber Resource Center you see a little gray area that tells you a little something about that image?

You will see the word Keywords: the date and the cycle for the year such as year A, B, C and also what the image is about so you can match this with the scripture for the week.

You will also see the format of the image such as full page, half page, corner, and so on.

Using Keywords will help you decide which image is best for your weekly bulletin.

Text Fit

Do you know what the red circles mean around a text box? When you click in a text box do you see white circles or red circles?

Well, you should always see white circles around a text box. The red circles mean you have hidden text in the text box. This could be anything from real text to just plain hard returns. If you do not fix this, your bulletin may be printed with this extra text showing. Always make sure you do not see red circles around your text boxes.

Did you know there is an option in Publisher that will expand a text box while typing? This tool is called Text Fit and you will find this in the Text Box Tools on the Ribbon.

Create a text box, click on the Text Box Tools option and on the left you will see Text Fit. Click the down arrow and a window will open.

Click on Grow Text Box to Fit. Your text box will automatically expand as you type.