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Information for Electronic Contributors

Susan White and Ken G. Grimes (editors)

We have provided these additional notes on computer text, diagrams and images for Helictite. Note that we are still experimenting with different formats and techniques, so these notes may change from time to time.

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Wordprocessor formats Diagrams Photographs or full-tone diagrams Assistance for non-computer users


Wordprocessor formats

Ideally we would prefer to avoid the problems of "fully" formatted wordprocessor documents which tend to embed all sorts of unwanted hidden codes about margins, tab settings, spelling dictionaries, font changes etc. which can over-ride our system defaults. Unfortunately, many of these get added automatically without the author being aware, but at the same time we do need the simpler formattings (such as italics for species names!). For example, one file we received had a mess of formatting at the start of every paragraph (including a specification of the spellchecker as USA, of all things!). That completely defeated our attempts to make even a simple overall change to the font. It is for this reason that we ask for a "plain text" version of the file as well as the formatted one.

On the other hand it does save us considerable time if basic formatting such as bold and italics is included (especially for biological papers with numerous species names), and tables are best formatted in full by the author. If you do use a full word-processor format, then note the following:

  • Avoid changing fonts and other settings within the text.
     
  • Rather than format your headers and sub-headers specifically in terms of fonts etc. instead use the Header level style codes: Header 1 is the title, header 2 is for main headers and Header 3 is subheaders. If you do that then we can then (possibly!) globally change them to our preferred format (which may change from time to time). Perhaps safer would be to just type [H1], [H2] ... at the start of each header, and leave it for us to reformat!
     
  • Do not use "paragraph styles" - we think that is what generated all the spurious code in the file mentioned above!
     
  • Special characters (eg the 'degree' symbol, the 'mu' symbol in 'mu'metres etc...) tend to get corrupted in the various conversions that occur between you and us.

Thus a printed hard copy of your FINAL version (after fixing reviewers comments etc.) is essential for checking purposes (and you should check it yourself first!).


Diagrams

Line drawings as vector file formats are notoriously difficult to convert without corruption. We can currently handle Corel Draw .CDR v10 or earlier, or Wordperfect .WPG format, but be warned that if you export to those from some other software, you may be introducing corruption yourself before it even gets to us. It will generally be best to send us a clean printout on quality paper that we can scan.

For electronic transfer, the best option is to export your diagram to a raster (bitmap) format scaled to 600 dpi and designed to fit an 80 mm column or 170 mm page width at that resolution (i.e. 1920 or 4080 pixels wide respectively). In these raster formats the PNG or GIF formats are most efficient for black lines on a white background (specify 'black-and-white' or 'two-colour', not 256 or you defeat some of the advantages). We can however read a broad variety of bitmap formats (e.g. .TIF).

Using fine hatching or dot screens to get grey effects will greatly increase your file size, and we cannot guarantee that the grey tone will print without drop-outs or interference patterns (if you need a grey screen it would be better to send it as a 256 grey-scale format and let us convert the grey colour to a screen at our end). Your thinnest lines should be at least 5 pixels wide (for 600 dpi printing) to be certain that there are no drop-outs. If you need to show a lot of very fine detail, then 3 pixel widths might work, but avoid that of possible.


Photographs or full-tone diagrams

Photographs should be configured as grey scale (256 level monochrome, NOT full colour) and at a resolution of 150 dpi (480 pixels wide for single column, 1020 pixels for full page width). Colour photos will require negotiation, and a contribution towards the extra cost. Do contrast and "gamma" adjustments if you wish, but note the comment below about avoiding excessive contrast. Note also that what you see on your screen may be quite different to what appears in final print (it could be darker or lighter or more contrasty depending on your screen type!).

Avoid more complex "enhancements" (especially edge and sharpen filters) which are best left for us to do as we may decide to rescale the photo first - which could destroy your effect. However, do not hesitate to discuss any effects you would like to do. For plain photographs the JPEG (.JPG) format is generally the most compact for email or floppy disk transfer, but can introduce some 'spotty' edge effects if you have sharp edges or have added lettering or arrows. Check a printout of the file at your end before sending.

Photo contrast should not be too strong. The printing process tends to loose the top and bottom 10 percent of the grey scale (dark greys go black and pale greys go white). We may be able to adjust this before we send the file to the printer, but only if we notice that there is a likely problem! We suggest that if your photo-software provides a "histogram" display then use it to check the spread of values and reduce the contrast till you have all data within the central 80 percent.

Consider sending a larger version of your best photo for the cover!


Assistance for non-computer users

We can assist with drafting in emergencies, but feel that most people should be able to manage simple line work and stencil, Letraset or paste-on lettering. Send a hand-drawn (ink) and lettered diagram.

We can provide simple location maps from pre-existing templates (e.g. Australia, NZ, or a State outline with a dot, arrow or rectangle and a location name). Send us a rough traced or photocopied map of your state with the location(s) marked.


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contribelec.html was last updated 3 January 2002.