Publications Procedures
What CUA Publications Say About the University
The Catholic University of America is proud of its reputation as a community of scholars. We need to ensure that our name and logo are used consistently and that messages to our many external audiences — prospective students, parents, alumni, prospective faculty, clergy, religious, the academic community, the media, donors and the general public — are consistent and delivered at a uniformly high level of quality. This helps to solidify our identity and to raise our profile in a positive way among our audiences. For these reasons, the Office of Publications needs to review, design or oversee the design of all materials before distribution.
What Can You Expect from Publications?
The publications office designs, writes, edits and proofreads brochures, posters, invitations and advertisements, and oversees printing of these materials. We also review all printed materials produced by any CUA office that will be distributed off campus. Our services are free, but clients are responsible for the costs of all outside services, including scans, printing and mailing costs.
For advertising, call 202-319-5600 and ask to speak to Administrative Assistant Claudia Jones.
Need a Brochure? An Invitation? A Newsletter??
Allow at Least Six Weeks. Plan Ahead!
Our professional graphic designers make your publications the best they can be. But to do the job right, we need to communicate clearly from the very beginning of each job. To help with that process, please read all of the following procedures.
Note: All print materials going to an audience outside of the university must be produced through the Office of Publications, either using in-house staff or the services of an approved outside design firm or freelance graphic designer, at the discretion of the publications office. In the event an outside design firm or freelance graphic designer is needed, the publications office will select and oversee the firm or the designer.
1. Prepare the Manuscript.
Publications recognizes that you know what you need to say. However, if you want writing or editing help on any level — from simply editing your copy to writing it from your notes — our writer/editor is available to help.
Note: Allow extra production time if you need editorial or writing assistance.
The Finished Manuscript
- Include every word that is to appear in the final piece, including title pages, contents, covers, index, captions, return address, postal permit, copyright information and charts.
- Key in text flush left with no indents, tabs or any other coding.
- Indicate titles, headlines and subordinate headlines clearly and consistently.
- Single space between sentences. The final document should consist entirely of straight text. Indicate paragraphs by starting on a new line. Do not underscore copy.
- Be prepared to suggest any artwork (illustrations, photos, charts, etc.) to be included. Using the Photo Request Form, contact the university photographer to schedule any photos.
- Save text as a Microsoft Word document; we do not accept documents in MS Excel or other word processing programs.
When you have a manuscript ready to go into production, be prepared to provide an electronic MS Word file of the document either attached to an e-mail message or on a CD. Also provide a printout — a hard copy — of the document. Prior to going to a designer, your copy will be read for style and clarity by our writer/editor.
Keep In Mind While Writing
Who is the audience? What is the message?
2. Complete the Project Request Form.
3. Meet with Publications.
The Office of Publications will contact you after receiving your Project Request Form to arrange a meeting. At that meeting be prepared to discuss the project in full, including the budget, delivery date and location (if known) printed pieces are to be delivered, and the method of distribution (bulk mail, first class mail, hand delivered).
Allow at least six weeks for completion of the job (steps 3 through 9 — from meeting to delivery of printed piece). More complex jobs or those that require copywriting will require more than six weeks to complete, so plan ahead.
After the initial meeting, a designer will be assigned to the project. The designer will develop a production schedule and forward it to you for approval. In order for publications to be printed by the delivery date requested, all deadlines must be met by all parties in the process.
4. Review the Design and Proofread the First Proof.
After the designer lays out the text and graphics, you will receive a hard copy of it for review. This is called the first proof.
Note: At this time all decision makers should review the proofs and make final corrections. Delays are often caused when clients wait until late in the proofing process to show their supervisors the publication and the latter make substantive changes, leading to one or more additional rounds of proofs. Any major changes will affect the production schedule.
The designer will correct editorial errors and make other minor changes to the first proof when you return it. Substantial text additions, such as new paragraphs, should be submitted on a CD as a Microsoft Word document or via e-mail. Name each addition (e.g., "insert A") and mark on the proof where it is to be added. The designer will continue to submit proofs to the client for review until the design is final and all errors are corrected. Three proofs are standard. If a job requires more than three proofs, additional production time may be required.
After you have signed a proof indicating that no more changes are requested by you, our writer/editor and the associate vice president for public affairs review the proof one last time, "final editing." Thereafter, the proof is sent to the printer.
Note: This is your final opportunity to review and make corrections without incurring costs for the corrections.
6. Evaluate Printing Estimates.
For jobs costing more than $2,500, the designer will obtain bids from three printers. A Request for Requisition form with written bids attached will be sent to you so that you can use this information to obtain a Purchase Order number from the Office of Purchasing. No job costing more than $1,000 can be sent out until a Purchase Order number has been obtained and the client has signed an approval form stating the job is ready to be printed.
Jobs that can be printed for under $1,000 can be paid for with a CUA credit card and do not require PO numbers.
7. Print.
Most printers require eight to 15 business days to produce a publication, depending on quantity and complexity of production. This means that the publication will be delivered at least eight business days after you and the designer complete the design and proofing cycle.
8. Check the Printer's Proof.
During the printing process, the printer will provide you and the designer with an actual-size, color proof that shows photos and copy in the position and size they will appear in the final printed piece. This is the final proof before the publication is printed. Check it carefully. Correcting errors at this stage can be expensive, so try to make only the most important changes. In general, printer's proofs need to be returned to the printer within 24 hours in order to maintain the scheduled delivery date.
Remember, you are responsible for proofreading and approving the proof and your signature is required.
9. Deliver.
The printer will deliver the publication. Please tell the designer as soon as possible where the printed piece should be delivered.
10. Mail.
Although the designer will advise on size and paper weight — two concerns associated with mailing — you must develop mailing lists and work with the mail house of your choosing.
Whether you use CUA's indicia or another mail house, you must ensure funds are available to cover postage. Contact Linwood Dailey, CUA's manager of postal services, or your mail house representative for more information.
Other Services Provided by Publications
Reviewing All University Publications
University policy requires that the Office of Publications review all text before publication. After text is submitted, it will be edited according to university style. You will have an opportunity to review any suggested changes.
When setting up a production schedule for Web-based communications to be viewed beyond your office or the CUA campus, allow at least three days for a review by the Office of Publications. (The office usually does not need to review publications for which the audience is exclusively CUA faculty, staff and/or students.)
Projects must also be reviewed and approved by the associate vice president for public affairs, to whom the publications office reports. We pledge to try to keep jobs moving, but extensive editing or complex jobs will require more time. Please plan ahead.
What Do We Review?
We check for adherence to CUA style, factual accuracy, proper use of the CUA logo, grammar and spelling, and generally look over your publications with a fresh eye.
How About Photos?
Photographs can add an important dimension to any print publication. The university photographer is available to photograph official university events and individuals for university publications and publicity. As with design, writing and editing services, the photo department's services are provided to the university community for their publications at no cost.
Photos are scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis, and the photographer can be quite busy. Please think ahead and schedule the photographer as far in advance as possible.
To reserve your place on the photographer's schedule, submit a Photo Request Form. The form will be sent to the photographer automatically when you click Submit. The photographer will contact you.
If the university photographer is unavailable for your job, we can recommend a freelance photographer for the work. In most cases, you are responsible for contacting that photographer and paying for his or her services.
The publications office also maintains a stock photo library. Before scheduling new photography, check the library to see if something suitable for the project already exists. For information on how to do that, please contact our photographer.
CUA's photo department uses high quality digital equipment to produce high-resolution — hi-res — digital image files. These files can be used in print publications up to poster size. For Web site use, these files need to be reduced to low-resolution — lo-res — files to be downloaded and viewed quickly. The client is responsible for having their Web site manager edit the images.
NOTE: The Office of Publications reserves the right to review requests for photography services to ensure that the client has a specific need for photographs and that the photographer's time is used in a way that best serves the university's needs.
Professionals for a Professional Job.
Our graphic designers, photographer and writer/editor collaborate with you to bring your vision to life. Working in the latest electronic media, we lay out the publication for your approval. The design team has been professionally trained to ensure that printed pieces communicate clearly. We welcome suggestions concerning design, typography, photo selection and color to be sure that your vision is realized in the printed piece and is consonant with the university's visual identity. We look forward to working with you.
The publications office is part of the Office of Public Affairs and reports to
Victor Nakas |
Associate Vice President
for Public Affairs |
x5600 |
nakas@cua.edu |
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Any questions or comments? cua-publications@cua.edu
