Tuesday 27 November 2012

Yr7: DTP2 Creating a Menu

For this task you will be applying the Publisher tools we looked at in the previous lesson:
  • opening a document
  • changing the page setup from the default portrait to landscape
  • adding text
  • making text box borders visible (+ selecting colour)
  • adding WordArt
  • inserting + resizing images
  • cropping images
  • grouping and ungrouping objects
  • changing the order of objects, eg sending an image to back sets it as your document background
  • using the taskbar to change the background
You can use some of the screenshots below to help refresh your memory! EXTENSION: You could also find a long document with instructions on many other aspects of Publisher here (right-click to save, Ctrl+click to open in a new window/tab).
We will be creating a menu for your Come Dine With Me dinner party, in a booklet (an A4 landscape document split in two).
First we'll create a list of what goes into a good menu - we can use some of these examples to help with this.

STEPS IN THIS TASK:
  1. Note the features of a good menu
  2. List your 3-course menu (starter, main, dessert - if you want to extend yourself you could add vegetarian options!)
  3. Find + save (or copy/paste into your document) photos for each course
  4. Set up a new landscape A4 blank document
  5. Set it to 2 columns (see the screenshot below!) - splitting your page creates two panels. (Alternatively we could try some of the brochure entries from the new document section of the task pane)
  6. Insert another page (so you have 4 panels to work with; if you don't you only have 2 panels to work with)
  7. Pick a background - and apply it to both pages!
  8. Use some scrap paper to roughly sketch out/list what will go on each panel
  9. Design the front panel
  10. Check off the key features as you do them: cover page (the invite, a pic of your home [any house will do]), menu (each course with photo/s), map + directions to your house, dress code or theme, arrival/start time etc)
Photos of the food, a nice cover?
Again, photos of the food feature!
7ADM suggested the following should feature in a good menu for your Come Dine With me evening:

1:FOOD DETAILS:
  • the 3 courses
  • key ingredients of each course (+ if something like a curry, the type of curry)
  • any accompaniments (eg rice, potatoes [roast, boiled, mashed etc], salad)
  • vegetarian alternatives could be given
  • info on whether nuts, dairy or gluten has been used for allergy sufferers
  • pictures of the food
  • funny names might be given, eg Colin's Curry or Larry's Lasagne
2:DRINK DETAILS:
  • cola, fruit juice, blends etc
3:ADDRESS/MAP + PIC OF HOUSE:
  • no need to use your actual address, any Ilkley street address would do
  • use GoogleMaps to create a map (take a screenshot using the Capture programme: START - ALL PROGRAMS - ACCESSORIES)
4:TIME TO ARRIVE + THEME/DRESS CODE:
  • there is often a theme (eg the 1950s, Disney characters etc) or a dress code (eg black tie, evening wear, ... Disney characters/fancy dress! etc)
  • you could illustrate this with a picture
  • although the programme wouldn't, you could also add contact details if you wish - though with e-safety in mind, again don't use your actual contact details!
More detail/choices on this, but note the nice logo + contact details!
Pic of the place, nice subheadings - but this wouldn't work in a one-fold brochure!
You can find other examples by googling something such as 'dinner party menu'.

Here's some reminders of how to access certain Publisher tools:
CREATING 2 COLUMNS
 CHANGING YOUR BACKGROUND COLOUR/PATTERN

 EDITING WORDART TEXT
 CHANGING THE PAGE SETUP TO LANDSCAPE


Wednesday 21 November 2012

Yr7: DTP1 Intro to Publisher

In this lesson we will look at some of the key tools in the desktop publishing (DTP) programme Publisher, part of the Microsoft Office suite. When you're creating a poster for other subjects you should use this instead of Word!
STEP ONE: OPEN PUBLISHER + SET UP A BLANK PORTRAIT A4 DOCUMENT
I will demonstrate this first, then ask you to follow these steps.
(i) Open Publisher from the Microsoft Office folder in Start - Programmes
(ii) Either select File-New or find the icon for blank A4 (portrait) document from the opening selection of choices.
(iii) Task Pane - close it! Now work out how to reopen it!
(iv) Click View - Toolbars and look at the options. Remember this - if you accidentally close a toolbar you need, you can reopen it from the same place.

STEP TWO: ADDING TEXT
(v) Try to type into your document and see what happens. A stamp for anyone who can write their own name in their Publisher document within the next 60 seconds!
The main solution is to add a text box: either click the text box icon on the Objects toolbar OR click Insert - TextBox
(vi) Add a new text box with instructions on how to add a text box!
(vii) When you've done this, save your Publisher document as "1st Publisher Doc". As we work on, keep pressing CTRL + S.

STEP THREE: ADDING IMAGES
Publisher has some stock images ("clip art"), and you can of course google for and save images then insert them. Lets take a screenshot to help us remember where we found the text box option:
(viii) Find and open the Capture programme (Start - Programmes - Capture). Select the 3rd option, the rectangle with the dotted outline, to select an area to save (drag the mouse to select). Save it, and insert the image (Insert - Image), resize it and reposition it.
(ix) Also insert a piece of clipart, resize and reposition.

STEP FOUR: WORD ART
Lets use Word Art to add more text as a title. We also find this on the Objects toolbar.
(x) Use this to type in My 1st Publisher doc. Experiment with the options!

STEP FIVE: GROUPING + CHANGING ORDER
If we want to move 2 or more objects (text boxes, pictures, etc) around at the same time, so they stay in the same relative position to each other, we can group these. When we're done we can also then ungroup these objects. We can also change the order, just like layers in Photoshop.
(xi) Group any 2 objects and move them. Then ungroup again!
(xii) Move 1 object so that it partially covers another. (Send to back)
Can you also work out how to change the background?!

STEP SIX: PRACTICE POSTER
Find and insert an image from your favourite movie, and have a go at adding other features to make your Publisher document look like a convincing movie poster! (tagline, bbfc cert, release date, reviews etc)


At the end of the lesson use the wall below to add a note of the most useful (or surprising!) thing you learned how to do today using Publisher.

We'll come back to Publisher next lesson to develop and apply these skills!