When you're holding an event with an expected attendance of greater than 50 people, it's a good idea to create an ad book (also called a program) for your attendees. The ad book is a great way to raise some quick cash to put toward the event. Local advertisers can place full-size, half, or quarter-page ads in the program to get the word out to your attendees about their businesses. The cost of producing an ad book is very low compared to the potential income it can bring to the event.
Instructions
1. Open an 8 1/2-by-11 inch blank document in Microsoft Word, and change it to landscape view. Select the line tool and draw a line right down the middle of the page (the position of the line should be at 5 1/2 inches). Now you can distinguish between the right and left sides of the ad book, and you know exactly where the ad book will be folded in half when printed.
2. Lay out your pages in twos since an ad book is usually printed double-sided to save paper. Start with the front and back cover. Create the cover of the ad book on the right-hand side of the first page, including the title of the program and any images. The other side of the first page is the back cover of the ad booklet---you can add text and images or just leave it blank.
3. Lay out the front and back inside pages. The inside left page is your introductory page. You can include information about your event, the organizers and special sponsors. The inside right page is the last page that your readers will see before closing the ad book.
4. Start laying out the rest of your ad book pages in the same manner. Your clients need to send you their finished ads as either a TIF or JPG image file. Most ad books are laid out for quarter-, half- or full-page ads. Insert the ad image files into your document, and position them as needed.
5. Rip the ad book to an Adobe PDF file using PDF creator (see Resources) or Adobe Acrobat. This way you can see exactly how your words and images will print on screen. For a professional-looking ad book, send the PDF file to a copy shop for printing. Be sure to mention that the document should be printed double-sided and saddle-stitched (stapled at the center). Ask for a proof of the finished book before proceeding with the print job.
Tags: back cover, first page, front back, printed double-sided, side first, side first page, your attendees