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+%% 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}