February/March 1997

Content
. . . DTP: How to get your message across with black and white
. . . Tips for using Eudora's Attachment Feature

How to get your message across with black and white

More isn't always better. There's a lot to be said about a good black and white design. If you can't afford color in a publication, don't overlook the design tools you have at your fingertips. In fact, we can all use a good lesson in black and white design.

Contrast

If you study some of the great black and white photography, you'll see an common denominator. Contrast. What makes an Ansel Adams photo so great? Contrast. Although he was an amazing professional in his own right, he also applied basic design principles that you can incorporate into the publications you produce.

To begin, start with a sheet of white paper. If you have a good design, white is the best choice. A 60-pound offset sheet is better than a 20-pound bond; the offset handles the areas of black better. A matte-finish text sheet is even better.

Next, use solid graphics to direct the eye to the copy you want read (Figure 1). A variation of solid black to white not only draws attention but contributes to the composition and flow of the page.

Dark type on a white background (Figure 2) or thick ruled lines can also be a tool to achieve contrast. Watch for overkill. Don't feel you have to bold everything in your text or use black ruled lines to accentuate everything.

Reverses (white text over a black background) are fun and can serve the layout well (Figure 1). Use them wisely; they can be hard to read.

Shades of Gray

Shading (screens) can offer the same design variation as color and help you draw attention to certain areas of a page (Figure 3), as do solid areas of black.

Try shading in copy, as a border or ruled line, or as a graphic (Figure 4). The only drawback with shading is the method of reproduction you use. A 300-dpi printer will print a 30-percent screen darker than a 600 dpi or an image-setter used at service bureaus. Print a test page and then run it through a copy machine. If it looks too dark, go back to your word processor and adjust the percentage of shading.

Experiment with these principles and examples with a back issue of a newsletter. Print a test page and place the two versions next to each other. If they look similar, then you're not "stretching yourself" enough. Pick up a magazine and see what advertising agencies do with black and white ads.

Your black and white printed pieces can receive as much recognition and design credibility as any color piece...you just need to be smarter with the tools we take for granted: paper, a word processor, fonts and clip art.

Editor's Note: You can use WordPerfect to create the effects presented in this article. Experiment with the Fill and Border options of a Graphics Text Box, the Fill option inside a cell in the Table feature, the Text Color option of the Font feature, and the Watermark feature.

~ Debby Weitzel, OCTnews, December/January 1997.
Cooperative Extension, Colorado State University.

Tips for using Eudora’s Attachment Feature

According to two recent studies, electronic mail (e-mail) is the "most popular online activity." One analyst also states that "the emergence of personalized services and tools that let ordinary people combine graphics and attachments will help make e-mail a preferred means of communication." (Edupage, 1/16/97 from Investor's Business Daily 15 Jan 97 A6)

Eudora (Light or Pro) is one e-mail software that makes sending and receiving attachments very easy. Any type of file can be attached to and sent with a Eudora message. The file can be a newsletter article produced in WordPerfect, a spreadsheet from Excel, a graphic file from Freelance, etc.

Before sending the file

However, before sending the file, there are four questions you need to answer:

1. Does the other person have e-mail software that can receive attachments as separate files (not as part of the body of the e-mail message)?

2. If yes, what is the preferred encoding method: Uuencode, MIME, or BinHex?

• Attaching files works well if the receiving e-mail system decodes in the same format that the sending one encodes. For example, if you send a file using Uuencode and the receiving mail system Uudecodes automatically, files are easy to transfer.
• Eudora Pro supports all three methods and Eudora Light supports MIME and BinHex.

3. If you need to send more than one file, ask the receiver if the e-mail software can receive multiple files with one e-mail message. Eudora Light and Eudora Pro can send and receive multiple files with a single message.

4. Does the other person have the proper software to use the file?

• Although this doesn't relate to Eudora and the process of attaching files, it is very important. I have received calls from people who have received an MS Works file they can't convert or sent a WP6.1 file to someone who can only use a WP5.1 file.

Two other items you should note are file size and your operating system. File size for sending and receiving attachments on the UNLVM mail server has been limited to approximately 375Kb. A larger file size will cause errors. (If you need to share a larger file, you can do so with FTP -- File Transfer Protocol.) If you use Windows 95 or NT, I suggest that you save the file with a name of only 8 characters (no spaces). This will prevent potential problems for Windows 3.1 and DOS users.

Attaching the file

Now you are ready to attach and send the file. To attach a file to the current outgoing message,

1. Select the menu Message | Attach File. The Attach File dialog box is displayed (see Figure 1).

2. Locate the desired file. The file can reside on your hard drive, on a floppy diskette, or on a network drive. Select it and click the [OK] or [Open] button.

3. If necessary, change the Attachment Type combo box on the message icon bar to the preferred encoding method.

The attached file functions like a "rider" to the e-mail message; therefore, it does not appear within the message text (see Figure 2). If you are sending multiple files, each file must be attached as described above.

Receiving Attachments

When you receive files, you also need to answer the four questions listed above. The files you receive in Eudora (Light or Pro) will also be "rider" -- you will only see the filename and its location on your hard drive listed in the text of the message (see Figure 3).

You can easily manage all incoming attachments by putting them in one directory/folder. To do this go to Tools | Options and select the Attachments icon. Put "C:\Eudora\Attach" on the blank [Attachment Directory] button. (Click the button, double-click the "Attach" folder, then click on "Use Directory.")

After receiving the file, you may be able to open the file and its associated program by double-clicking on the filename. For this to work, the file must be created with a Windows program and use that program's standard extension. For example, WordPerfect 6.1/7.0 files end with .WPD and Excel files end with .XLS.

If you cannot open the file and program from within Eudora, make note of the filename. Then open the program and open this data file as you normally do with other files.

~ Pamela Peters

CIT Information is published by Communications and Information Technology - Computing section, Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Newsletter articles may be copied and distributed for nonprofit, educational purposes only and the source must be acknowledged. Direct all correspondence to the editor, Pamela K. Peters (E-mail: pkpeters@unlnotes.unl.edu; Phone: 402/472-5630; FAX: 402/472-5639).

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