Once you’ve created a design for your newsletter, your next step will be to customize a template to match it.  If you’re a new IMN user, follow these three steps to create a dynamic template that perfectly complements your corporate identity.   Even if you’re not a customer, you can follow these steps to fine-tune the look of your newsletter in ways you never knew were possible.

Step 1: Choose a layout

When you first log in to your IMN account, you’ll be taken through a series of steps that are necessary for the initial setup of your newsletter.  One of these steps will be choosing a layout.  Here you’ll have the choice between a three- or two- column layout.  Later, you’ll be able to reset this choice or choose a single column layout if you decide to change your overall design.  You’ll also be able to change the column size later on.  To save time in the long run, try to choose the layout that most closely resembles the design you have in mind. 

Step 2: Customize the entire page using the “page layout” button

Hint: Before customizing your page, put content like your banner, articles and surveys in your layout so you’ll be able to see what affect they have. Also, keep in mind that you can edit all the pages of your newsletter separately (article, topic, and cover pages), so it’s important to decide at this stage if you want these pages to be laid out in the same way or not.

There are several ways to customize the entire page:

• Use the “Column Properties” button to determine the size and color of the columns.
• Using the drop-down menu under “Default Text Styles,” select the unique fonts, styles and colors that match your design.  This can make a major difference in the look and feel of your newsletter.  The Default styles will be applied to all the articles that you later import and you will save tremendous amounts of time by defining the defaults now.
• Change the selections under “Page Properties” to alter the appearance of the entire page.  Here’s where you can center your page, put in a background color, or change the overall width.
• Use the “Border and Colors” selections to determine what the border and backgrounds of your page will look like. 

As you select these options, you can save your selections, view “Preview” on the Main Menu, and see how your template is progressing.  You may need to fine-tune your selections slightly until you get a look that matches your design. 



Step 3: Add, move, edit, and delete page elements

A “page element” refers to the box within your layout that is designated, much like a placeholder, for a particular type of content (e.g. articles, topic links, surveys, your page heading information).  Within your layout, elements can be added, moved, edited, and deleted.

More than likely, you won’t find yourself doing these four things in any particular order.  Instead, you’ll use all of these functions to reconstruct the elements of the page to match your design.  Some of the changes you’ll be able to make are…

• You can add additional elements for different types of content.  For example, you can add an element for custom links, streaming audio, or custom HTML.  You may find the custom HTML element particularly useful, because it allows you to select the “use editor” button to bring up our HTML editor.  Using the HTML editor, you can add images, text, and links that are not related to any particular article and that will then appear in the same location within your layout each time you publish an issue.  This is a great way to incorporate linked logos and other graphics into your layout.
• Using the arrow keys found at the bottom of each element, you can move the elements on the page from one section of the page to another or up and down within their columns.  When you move an element out of a column, the other parts of that column will automatically float to the top, so you won’t need to worry about empty spaces.
• You’ll find that the “edit” function will look a little different for each type of page element.  Nearly all of them will have selections for changing the text styles, background colors, and borders.  The edit function will also allow you to control almost everything that appears within the page element and to change how these things work.
• You can also remove page elements, but do so only when absolutely necessary.  If no content appears within an element, it will not appear in your finished product.  Also, most items within an element can be hidden so usually it is not necessary to remove the element altogether.

While you’re working, don’t forget to save!  If you don’t, your session could time out, and you could lose your changes.

There’s quite a bit that you can accomplish with the IMN layout editor and having a lot of choices can be overwhelming.  Just remember to stick to your plan and keep in mind that you can achieve the look you want in just a few steps.  If you need help, our user’s guide can be a great resource along the way.  Also, check out our knowledge base, a searchable library of FAQ’s, for some of those more off-the-beaten-path questions.