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Word - Text Model Red

This document provides instructions for preparing word text files for layout. It includes the following key steps: 1. Assess the text file and highlight any formatting that needs attention such as bold, italics, superscripts. 2. Note any figures, charts or illustrations that may need to be supplied in a proper format. 3. Make a copy of the text file and clean it up by searching and replacing special characters like non-breaking hyphens and spaces depending on the layout program. 4. Apply other text formatting cleanups like changing double spaces to single, fixing dashes and apostrophes, and removing excess tabs and spaces.

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Igor Alves
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
54 views

Word - Text Model Red

This document provides instructions for preparing word text files for layout. It includes the following key steps: 1. Assess the text file and highlight any formatting that needs attention such as bold, italics, superscripts. 2. Note any figures, charts or illustrations that may need to be supplied in a proper format. 3. Make a copy of the text file and clean it up by searching and replacing special characters like non-breaking hyphens and spaces depending on the layout program. 4. Apply other text formatting cleanups like changing double spaces to single, fixing dashes and apostrophes, and removing excess tabs and spaces.

Uploaded by

Igor Alves
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Preparing word

text for layout


Before Proceeding to Layout

Asses the text file. On a printed hard copy (HC) highlight


bolds, italics, underlined text (except hyperlinks), superscripts, subscripts.

Highlight anything strangemay indicate a special character that hasnt translated correctly (math
symbols, unusual accented characters). You may be
able to confirm what the characters supposed to
be by looking at the text file on the PC.

Asses any figures/charts/illustrations for anything that


needs to be supplied by the client in a proper format,
e.g., images/logos embedded in Word that cant be
extracted with acceptable quality, graphs where data
cant be extracted. Make Rep aware of what you need as
soon as possible.

Make notes to the proofer on the HC for anything they


may find relevant or need to know.

Re-save the file under another name (e.g., working


text_e, leaving the client-supplied work file untouched.
Do all of the following cleaning-up on this new Word file.

In Words Find dialogue box, in the bottom left corner,


is a little button (); click on this to expand your search
options. In the now-expanded dialogue box, in the bottom
right, youll find a drop-down menu marked Special
which gives you a range of specific things to search for:

If doing a layout in QUARK, you MUST do a S&R


for all non-breaking hyphens and change to regular hyphens, otherwise the hyphens will disappear
when the text is dumped into the layout.

If doing a French layout in InDesign using the


clip-and-paste method, you MUST do a S&R for
all non-breaking hyphens as outlined for Quark, or

the hyphens will disappear. If you import the text,


the non-breaking hyphens in the Word file will
remain non-breaking hyphens in InDesign.

If doing a layout in QUARK, you MUST do a


S&R for all non-breaking spaces and change
to regular spaces, otherwise the spaces in the
layout become wider than a normal space.

If doing a layout in InDesign using the clip-andpaste method, non-breaking spaces in the Word
file will convert to regular spaces. If you import the
text, the non-breaking spaces will remain nonbreaking spaces in InDesign.

Using Words Find dialogue box, do a S&R (search &


replace) for the following:

double spaceschange to single spaces.


primes (, ). Change to correct typographic
marks, except in instances of measurements
(foot, inch).

any hyphens that should be dashes (em- or endepends on context of project). Spaces before and
after dashes seem to be a preference, although
technically there shouldnt be any, especially with
an en-dash in a range of numbers. Which ever way
you choose to go, use the S&R to make spacing
consistent.
Em-dashes should be used for sentence fragments like interruptions, pauses, afterthoughts,
clarifications or for emphasis. Also used to
represent nil or unknown is a list or table
of figures.
En-dashes join a range of inclusive numbers,
e.g., 25 years, March 2025, 20082009.

inconsistent spacing with obliques (/). Theres


no space before or after an oblique when used
between individual words or letters, e.g., n/a,
black/white.) Use one space before and after when
the obliques between a group of words containing internal spacing e.g., you and me / me and you.

Use the Find dialogue box for anything else you want to
clean-up before dumping the text into a layout file. Some
examples (using the Special drop-down menu):

multiple tabs in a row (^t^t replaced with ^t)


spaces before hard returns (#^p replaced with ^p)
spaces at the beginning of lines (^p# replaced
with ^p)

If youve been supplied individual Word files for bits and


pieces of text, apply the same process to all files OR
combine all the text files into one larger file, in the order
in which the text should flow, and then apply the textprepping procedures.

For Quark layouts, extract any text thats in separate text


boxes and position that text in a corresponding location
within the text flow. (Text in separate text boxes in Word
will not come into the layout when the text is dumped in.
This is not the case for InDesign; the separate text boxes
come in just fine.)

Once your text clean-up process is complete:


For the first language to be laid out, dump in the
entire text file into the layout document. Proceed
as per the 1st-pass checklist for the appropriate
language.

For the second language to be laid out, either dump


in the text and format from scratch, or use the
CLIP-and-paste method. (Clipping is preferable
to copying because you eliminate stuff as you
go, making it easier to keep track of what youve
already done, and ensuring the correct text goes
in the right spot.

Tips for Tables and Graphs

Excel files supplied for tables can be converted to a Word


file. The text-prepping process can then be applied. This
step is not necessary for InDesign; it lets you import
Excel files directly into the layout program and specify
import options that will do much of the following work
for you. But I find this process indispensable for layouts
done in Quark:

In Excel, open the file; use the tabs at the bottom to


select the worksheet you want. Do a Save-As and
select Tab Delimited Text (.txt) in the drop-down
menu of saving options.

Force the .txt file to open in Word by dragging the


file onto the Word icon in the Dock. Then re-save
the document as a Word document (.doc) or Plain
text document (.txt).

Apply the same clean-up process for the text as


with the main text file, especially for all the extra
tabs youll end up with.

For graphs and charts, use the same steps outlined


previously to convert an Excel file to a plain text file, from
which you can cut-and-paste the text into Illustrator
for labels, etc.

For graphs and charts, use the same steps to convert an


Excel file to a plain text file of just the data points.

Once youve got all the text in a Word file, delete


everything EXCEPT the data points and save as a
.txt file.

In Illustrator, in the graph Data Table, click on the


Import Data icon (first icon in the row at the topright of the dialogue box) and select the .txt file.

Use the Transpose row/column icon (second icon in


the row at the top-right of the dialogue box)if
requiredto get the data to correctly reflect the
relationship conveyed in the clients sample graph.
This method saves you having to type-in the data,
which also save-guards against inputting incorrect
data points. It also saved you from having to clipand-paste cell-by-cell.

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