holiday card template

It's that time of year when everyone starts sending out holiday cards with photos of the family and an update on what they have been up to this year. Since MagCloud has such a high quality photo output, this year why not combine your photos and letter into one 4-page MagCloud magazine. And right now, with the MagCloud holiday sale, each 4-page magazine will only cost $0.60 to print ($0.15/page).

I've put together templates for Adobe InDesign CS4 and Microsoft Word that include space for a letter and a full page spread of photos, in a layout that can be folded in half and sent as a 5.5" x 4.25" card (see diagram below). There are previews on MagCloud of both the Indesign version and the Word version.

Click here to download the Word template (.doc)
Click here to download the InDesign template (.indd)
Click here to download the jpeg files for both the blue & red present images (.zip)

more calendar templates

Yet another basic calendar template created in InDesign. It covers the 2009 calendar year, and is 28 pages total. Click Here to see a calendar created with the template.

Click Here for Adobe InDesign CS3 Template (.indd)
Click Here for Adobe InDeisgn CS or CS2 Tempalte (.inx)*

*note: you may need to update your CS or CS2 software on the Adobe website to open Interchange (.inx) files created in CS3

calendar templates

A few people have started using MagCloud to make calendars, so I created a basic calendar template in InDesign. It goes from October 08 to December 09, and is 32 pages. Click Here to see a preview of the template - the black areas represent image locations. Enjoy!

Click Here for Adobe InDesign CS3 Template (.indd)
Click Here for Adobe InDeisgn CS or CS2 Tempalte (.inx)*

*note: you may need to update your CS or CS2 software on the Adobe website to open Interchange (.inx) files created in CS3

q|a: what is scribus?

Since I just posted a template for the program, I should probably answer this question ASAP. Scribus is an open-source desktop publishing program. You can learn more and download the program on their website, www.scribus.net. Scribus is similar to InDesign in a lot of ways, allowing you to flow text between text boxes, insert images inside frames, create style sheets, etc. The only place I have noticed where it was lacking was in the bleed settings. Namely, the fact that it doesn't have them. As I mentioned in my prior post though, you can easily get around this by setting your margins to the bleed settings and your page to 8.5"x11". If you keep the margins visible when working in Scribus, they are actually very easy to work within. I wouldn't recommend the program for those who are not computer savvy, and it particularly helps to have some knowledge of InDesign prior to using it. With that said, if you are interested in an InDesign-esque program without the InDesign price, this is a great option.

getting started

To get started designing with MagCloud, you have to set up the document. There are details on how to do this both on the site as well as in the MagCloud Publisher Guide. If you're new to the site and looking to order a magazine to try it out, the Publisher Guide would be a good one to get, as it will guide you through the publication process and also show you the quality of the four-color digital printing that is available through MagCloud.

If you'd rather not set up your document yourself, you can download one of the following templates. With the InDesign and Quark files, the bleeds are set up (0.125" on the top and bottom, 0.25" on the outside edges, and a trim size of 8.25" x 10.75"). The other programs don't allow you to set up bleeds, but you can get around this by setting mirrored margins on a 8.5"x11" page, as I've done for you in these templates. Just be sure to keep in mind that anything within these margins will be cut off when the magazine is trimmed.

Click Here to download for Adobe Indesign CS3 (.indd)
Click Here to download for Adobe InDesign CS2 or CS (.inx)
Click Here to download for QuarkXPress 7
Click Here to download for Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx)
Click Here to download for older versions of Word (.doc - coming soon)
Click Here to download for Apple Pages
Click Here to download for Scribus 1.3.5
Click Here to download for Scribus 1.3.3.12

so...what is this?

'This' is a very alpha iteration of a design resource for MagCloud.com publishers. MagCloud.com is a self-publishing website aimed at streamlining the magazine publishing process through a greener method of printing (on demand), more efficient high quality printing (using HP Indigo digital presses) and a more easily accessible infrastructure for both publishers and subscribers (web-based transactions).

The site is in beta at the moment, and publisher subscriptions are by 'invite only' through requests submitted on the website. As the site develops, the number of publishers is growing and therefore so is the need for layout design assistance. For the past few months, I've been providing design support to beta publishers on an individual basis, answering questions and providing templates. In an effort to streamline this process and hopefully move from helping a few publishers to helping many publishers, I've created this site.

The goal is to...
...provide answers to design questions related to MagCloud publishing
...offer a starting point for publishers with downloadable templates for multiple design programs - and some non-design programs.
...open the lines of communication for design-related comments, questions, ideas, etc within the MagCloud publishing community.

With that said, if you have a question about uploading your design to MagCloud, a template you want to share, a suggestion of what you'd like to see here, or simply a comment you feel would help other magazine publishers with the design process, don't hesitate to email me.

- Meghan