4. Format the pages. The pages of a book should be formatted to make it look easy to read, attractive, interesting and as uncrowded as possible.
You may want to make a book with handwritten text when typewriters or computers are not available, or to give your book a more personal feel. Here are some things to keep in mind when you lay out pages using handwritten text:
Prepare a layout guide. Include lines across the guide to indicate where to write each line of text. Carefully plan how much space to leave between lines of text. Measure so that the lines are spaced evenly on the layout guide. Print the text carefully. Leave a space of at least two letters between words. Leave room for illustrations.
To use preprinted text:
Type the text. Remember to keep the text within the margin limits you have decided on, but you don't have to consider page length at this point.
A layout guide is used to prepare (lay out) book pages by hand. Placed under the page you need to prepare, it helps you produce pages that look neat and are consistently arranged. Tip: Use dark, heavy markings on the guide to make it easy to see through the page placed on top. Use a light table if the page you are laying out is made of paper too thick to see through to the markings.
Next, place the layout guide under a blank piece of paper. Decide where you will want to put illustrations within the text. Cut the text into pieces that will fit within the guidelines, leaving room for the illustrations. Line up the text carefully. Glue the text pieces onto the blank paper. Glue the illustrations in the appropriate places. Note: It's really important to leave sufficient margins on a page. Cluttered, overcrowded pages are difficult to read!
Guidelines for setting margins. Leave adequate margins for the size of book. Tip About 1 inch all around on 8 ½ x 11 paper is a good guideline. Margins on larger paper should be proportionally wider. Allow for trimming the finished book. Remember: When books are trimmed, part of the outside margins will be cut off. The thicker the book, the more margin you will lose. Allow for gutter margins , especially for side-bound books. If you are using a computer for designing and printing the text of your book, you have many text formatting options.
