Alma College Publications
Alma College’s Marketing and Public Relations Office produces brochures, pamphlets, posters, flyers, newsletters, advertisements, and other printed materials for the College’s various constituents. Our services include consultation, editing, photography, and design. These services are provided free of charge to help you:
Successfully target, produce, and deliver your public information and marketing messages
Develop strong content and distinctive, high quality, cost-effective print materials that represent Alma College in a visually consistent, compelling, and accurate manner
The first step in the publication process is to submit the “Request for Publication Services” form available on the Marketing and Public Relations Web site:
The second step will involve a phone conversation or one-on-one meeting to discuss further details related to your publication.
Scheduling
Advanced planning enables the publications staff to schedule your publications for timely delivery. Project development timelines will vary, depending on:
- the scope and nature of your project and your timeline for delivery
- photography needs
- the prompt turnaround of content and conceptual materials that will require your approval
- office workload
In general, allow the following amount of time for publication delivery from the date text has been approved and all necessary photographs for your new project have been taken and processed. These estimated times include two weeks for printing:
- brochure, flyer, or poster 4-6 weeks
- multiple-page folders and booklets 5-8 weeks
- viewbook or annual report 3-6 months
Printing
Your project may require us to request bids from area printing companies. Generally, the economy of scale applies in determining printing costs. Because the per-piece rate decreases quickly with larger press runs, we may advise you to consider larger press runs and, when appropriate, content that will have a longer shelf life.
When the project is ready for printing, we will coordinate delivery of electronic files and photographs to the selected printer.
Publication text and format
Before design begins, your text should be completed and submitted electronically as a Microsoft Word attachment. If you wish to include graphs, tables and other graphic elements in your publication, these also must be submitted electronically in Microsoft Excel. If you would like to submit publication materials in other electronic file formats, contact our office in advance to address compatibility concerns.
When writing your text, we recommend that you follow these general guidelines:
- Write brief, accurate copy
- Use active verbs and consistent verb tense
- Organize information with appropriate headers and bullets
- Avoid redundancy of information and words
- Avoid overuse of descriptive modifiers
- Check facts, telephone numbers, name spellings, and Web and e-mail addresses
- Spell check and proofread after every revision
The Marketing and Public Relations Office reserves the right to edit copy to reflect appropriate style guidelines.
