Guide to AL Direct Production

Important links:

LINKS TO IMAGES: find/replace for

../[month]images/

to

http://link.ixs1.net/site/5755/images/

LINK TO ISSUE ONLINE (when in email newsletter): <%= util.viewHtmlLink %>

Column and table widths:

left main column: 400px
right sidebar: 200px
This adds up to entire table width being 600px

boxes inside right sidebar: 155px

Image sizes:

If size attribute in info box in Dreamweaver is bolded, it means image was artifically resized and should be edited properly in Photoshop both to prevent distortion and to make file size smaller.

Ideal headshot size for main text area: 85px wide

Ad specs:

LOGOS ON RIGHT-HAND SIDEBAR:

• 130 px wide, with height variable but no bigger than 300 px
• Saved in Photoshop/ImageReady as Optimized for Web for smallest file size (see below)
• Transparent background unless image is a self-contained square or rectangle or for other reaons (like small type) looks best on a background color. Keep in mind that your graphic will be placed atop a colored box on the sidebar.

ADS ON RIGHT-HAND SIDEBAR:

• 155 px wide, with height variable but no bigger than 300 px
• Note that Sirsi ad is 155w and 255h

GRAPHICS IN AL DIRECT NEW STORIES:

• 155 px wide, with height variable but no bigger than 200 px
• Saved in Photoshop/ImageReady as Optimized for Web for smallest file size
• Image will run against white background, so a colored background in your image may not look best, depending on your image.

Production problems to check for at end:

1. Two links on one item, made by manual line breaks, italic, or other spot formatting
2. Any images placed at a relative file location on server rather than on the Eway server. Watch out for "File://N/..." in any link.
3. Line breaks which may have shifted because of inadvertent table width changes.
4. Always send a last proof to an editor, because shifts can happen easily in Dreamweaver, even if you think it's an easy final alt.

Saving images as optimized for web (to reduce file size):

1. With image open in Photoshop, go to File > Save for Web
2. Choose JPEG for photos, most book covers, and images that are not line-based or graphical OR
   Choose GIF for line art, logos, images, cartoons, and images that are highly graphical.
   
   
   • If JPEG, try High, and change to Very High or down to Medium if image can handle it without losing quality. Watch the image closely as you change settings, especially gradient areas.
   • If GIF, try 16 colors and switch up and down to find best quality with fewest number of colors. Check Transparency if you don't want a white background. With this you will also have the choice to give the image an outline in white or another color (see the Matte color next to it) so that it blends in with its background. This is only useful when the tansparent GIF will be on a colored background. For example, a thin white logo on a black background would benefit from a white matte.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
   • Watch the file size at the bottom of the window. If you switch between JPEG and GIF, you can see why one format is
     better than the other for the image in terms of file size.
   • A photo would be huge as a GIF but small as a JPEG. A logo would be the opposite. Logos in one or two colors can be
     extremely small, even less than 1K.
   • A good average file size for ALD is 10K. If it's much bigger than that, it probably shouldn't be.
     
     
3. Click Save
4. When you go to this palette the next time, the last option you used will be the default. Be sure to try other options and re-evaluate
   the image, rather than using the default every time.