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NinaBR
NinaBR
Inspiring
January 15, 2020
Answered

Help with cover page

  • January 15, 2020
  • 2 replies
  • 1591 views

I could really use some tips on re-creating a cover page that was originally created in Word. A version of this page is used for seven different manuals for similar products, and I currently have a single book for all seven manuals (using conditional text).

 

Because some of the information (such as logos, variables, contact info, etc.) doesn't change across manuals, I'm thinking I can just put a lot of it into a "CoverPage" master page. The information that does change (including a couple of jpgs of the product) will go into the body page, with conditional tags.

 

Does this make sense so far? If I'm making this more difficult than it should be, please let me know! I have learned enough of FrameMaker by now to be at the "knows-enough-to-really-screw-things-up" level.

 

My main question at this point has to do with how I create the "header" text at the top of the cover page. There are logos, plus a line, and the text above that line has several different font sizes (so I can't apply a paragraph style to the whole line).

 

Should I just be using text frames here? Here is an approximation (from SnagIt, using the Word version) of what the text needs to look like:

Thanks in advance for any insight/help this community can give me.

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer NinaBR

If, as usual, your template doesn't contain the MPM RefPage, and therefore no UMPM Table, run an AMP operation to create an empty one. Steps above.


Ah, OK. Sorry, I somehow managed to miss that last line in your previous response. Thanks so much for your help (and your patience)! I've adjusted the mapping table and was able to apply my custom master page to the cover page.

 

Thanks again!

E

2 replies

L
Lynne A. Price
Inspiring
January 15, 2020

Yes, use background text frames (those without tags) for common text that appears on the cover page of every book. You can change the font size of some text on one line by applying a character font to different selections. As Bob mentioned, you can use Frame Below in a paragraph in a background frame to separate different areas of the cover page or just draw a line. You could also use Frame Above. You can place logos and other graphics  directly on the master page or place them within a text frame.

          --Lynne

NinaBR
NinaBRAuthor
Inspiring
January 16, 2020

Thanks! What do you mean by "those without tags" -- are you referring to paragraph tags?

 

Thanks again! You have been a big help, both here and in some of my other posts.

Bob_Niland
Community Expert
Bob_NilandCommunity Expert
Community Expert
January 15, 2020

I usually do this via custom Master Page (Cover.Front), which is invoked by ¶Title via Apply Master Pages.

 

The invariant material can be in a header (background) frame on that MP. The Date, Product Name, and document number (if any) can be user variables. The line can be a Frame Below or just a hand-drawn line.

 

I would suggest avoiding bitmap formats (esp. JPG) for logos, due to general quality and scaling artfacts. Obtain vector formats for those, such as SVG or EPS. If the client contact can't provide them, you can often obtain them by deconstructing a page of their annual report or product brochure in Illustrator or other PDF-aware vector editor.

NinaBR
NinaBRAuthor
Inspiring
January 16, 2020

Thanks for the useful tips. Everything makes sense except that first sentence, and it may be that I'm still new to the FM lingo. What do you mean by "invoked by ¶Title via Apply Master Pages"?

 

Thanks!

Bob_Niland
Community Expert
Bob_NilandCommunity Expert
Community Expert
January 16, 2020

ennar: What do you mean by "invoked by ¶Title via Apply Master Pages"?

Paragraph format (¶) named Title is a default in most FM templates.
I actually am using Title.Cover for a current project.

Title.Cover appears in the UnstructMasterPageMaps table
on the Reference page named MasterPageMaps, for which the
Right-Handed Master Page (or Single-Sided Master Page) column
specifies Master Page name Cover.Front

When an AMP (Format » Page Layout » Apply Master Page) is run,
MP Cover.Front gets applied to any page containing ¶Cover.Title.

 

Yes, this is all a bit of a kludge, for historical and loop-avoidance reasons,
and the mapping table, and its Reference page usually don't even exist by default
until after the first time an AMP is run.

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