Setting text in newspaper columns in Write by Zaweba
Newspaper columns in Write by Zaweba: one to six per section, adjustable gaps, an optional line between and column breaks for newsletters.
Newsletters, parish magazines and club notices often look best set in columns. Short lines are quicker to read, and a page split into two or three columns holds more items without feeling crowded. Write by Zaweba lets you set text in newspaper columns, where the words run down one column and carry on at the top of the next.
Setting up columns
Columns belong to a section. Each section can have between one and six columns, and you can set the space between them and choose whether a thin line runs down the gap. Because the setting is per section, one document can mix layouts: a title and introduction across the full width, then two columns for the news items, then a full width section again for the contact details at the bottom.
To make that kind of page, put section breaks where the layout changes, then give each section its own number of columns. The text flows down the first column, then into the second, and so on, before moving to the next page.
Choosing how many
Two columns suit most newsletters on A4. Lines are a comfortable length and there is room for a picture to sit within a column. Three columns work for lists of short items, such as events, small adverts or a directory of local groups. Four to six columns are narrow on an A4 page, so they suit very short entries, such as an index or a list of names, or a landscape page.
Narrow columns and justified text can leave big gaps between words, especially with long words. Left aligned text in narrow columns usually looks neater. If you do justify, a slightly smaller font helps.
Spacing and the line between
The space between columns keeps text from running together. Too little and the eye jumps across; too much and the page looks broken up. A modest gap with a thin line down the middle gives a classic newspaper look and helps when the text is dense.
Column breaks
A column break ends the current column and starts the next one, even if there is room left. Use it to start a new article at the top of a column, or to balance two columns so they end at a similar height. Formatting marks, shown with Ctrl+Shift+8, label breaks on screen so you can see where they are. They never appear on paper or in a PDF.
Avoid using lots of empty paragraphs to push text into the next column. Any change to the text above moves everything, and the layout falls apart. Column breaks stay where you put them.
Columns in files from elsewhere
Word and RTF files that use columns are laid out in columns when you open them, rather than shown as one long run of text. A newsletter made in another program keeps its shape, and you can edit it and save it back.
When to move on to a layout program
Columns in a word processor are ideal for text-led documents: a monthly newsletter, a programme of events, minutes printed for a noticeboard. When a page needs boxes placed freely, text wrapping round shapes, and pictures crossing several columns, that is the territory of a desktop publishing program. Write's File menu has a Send to Page by Zaweba command for passing a document on for layout.
For most club and community printing, though, a few sections with columns, clear headings and the odd picture produce a tidy, readable page. Check it in print preview before printing a stack of copies, because the preview uses the same renderer as the printer and PDF export.
