Passing a document on for layout from Write by Zaweba
The File menu in Write by Zaweba can send the document you are writing on to Page by Zaweba, so finished text moves into a layout app for design.
There comes a point when a document needs more design than a word processor offers. A newsletter may need pictures placed freely across the page, a programme may need boxes and panels, a flyer may need text set around a shape. Write by Zaweba is built for writing and finishing documents, and its File menu has a command that hands a document on for that design work: Send to Page by Zaweba.
Writing first, design second
Separating writing from layout is an old and sensible habit. Writing is about words: getting the content right, cutting what doesn't help, checking spelling and facts. Layout is about the page: where things sit, how they balance, how the eye moves.
Trying to do both at once is distracting. You end up nudging a picture when you should be fixing a sentence, or rewriting a paragraph to fill a gap in a box. Writing the text in Write, with its spell check, styles and word count, and then sending it on for layout lets you concentrate on one job at a time.
How the command fits in
The command lives in the File menu, with the other ways of getting a document out of Write, such as saving, exporting PDF and HTML, and printing. Choosing it sends the document you are working on to Page by Zaweba for layout.
It is a one-way step in a workflow: finish the words, then send. Keep your Write document as the master copy of the text, so if the words need to change later, you have the edited source.
Preparing the text
A little tidying in Write makes the next stage easier.
Use styles for headings, body text and quotes, rather than formatting each one by hand. Consistent styles give the layout stage a clear structure to work with.
Remove empty paragraphs used for spacing. Formatting marks, shown with Ctrl+Shift+8, make them easy to see. Set spacing in the Paragraph dialog instead.
Check spelling before you send. Fixing a typo is quickest in the word processor, and once text has been flowed into a designed page, every change risks moving things about.
Watch the length. The status bar shows word count and reading time, and a layout often has a fixed amount of room. Trimming to fit is easier in Write than in a design.
When Write alone is enough
Plenty of documents never need a layout program. Write has newspaper columns, one to six per section, pictures that sit inline or wrap square, tight or top and bottom, tables with borders and shading, headers, footers and footnotes. A monthly club newsletter, a set of minutes, a CV or a report are all well within its reach.
Use the send command when the design is the point: when a page must look striking rather than simply tidy, or when elements need to sit in exact places that text flow can't give you.
A workflow that scales
For a regular publication, the pattern repeats well. Contributors send their pieces, you gather and edit them in Write, check the counts, and send the finished text on for layout. The words are settled before the design begins, and each tool does what it is best at.
