How to get your first newspaper off to a great start

It's a great feeling to hold a newspaper that you’ve created in your hands, but printing one for the first time can be daunting. Don't worry – we're here to help! Here are 6 tips from our team to help you turn that blank page into a brilliant newspaper that you can share with the world:

1. Order (free!) samples
2. Get started with templates
3. Read our design guides
4. Check your PDF
5. Print a test copy
6. Ask us anything!

1. Order (free!) samples

Our free samples will help you get a feel for how your design might look in print. Use them to compare our digital and traditional printing and get your hands on our different paper stocks. They're also packed with inspiring examples from our creative customers around the world.

Samples are completely free and we can send them just about anywhere in the world – order yours today!

Get free samples

Top tip: Tabloid and broadsheet pages are BIG. Use a sample to get a sense of scale so your layout works on a bigger page.

2. Get started with templates

We've created blank templates for all our sizes that are compatible with the most popular design tools our customers use.  They’re set up to the right dimensions (including margins), so you can get started straight away.

Abobe and Scribus

You can download templates for Adobe InDesign and Scribus (a free, open-source alternative to InDesign) directly from the artwork guidelines for each size.

Canva

We also have templates for Canva, an easy-to-use online design tool that's popular with our customers. Use our blank templates to create a totally custom design, or speed things up with our themed templates (pictured above).

Microsoft Word

Finally, you can create a simple newspaper layout using Microsoft Word — see our guides for creating your own template on a PC or Mac.

3. Read our design guides 

Make sure to read our artwork guidelines and design guides before you start designing. They'll help you get the best results from your newspaper – and hopefully avoid having to make revisions to your artwork when you're ready to order (and on deadline). If you run into any unfamiliar printing terms, check out our glossary.

4. Check your PDF

When you're ready to print, upload your PDF to our website and our automatic PDF checker will flag up any printing issues. It will pick up problems with page set-up, low-resolution images, missing fonts and transparencies.

You can upload a file at any stage without having to order, so it’s a good way to check your design is on the right track (even if you have a few pages still to finish!)

5. Print a test copy

If you'd like to print a test copy of a digital tabloid or broadsheet, just place an order for a single copy through our website. If you then go on to print a larger run worth over £150/€200/$200, we'll give you a voucher for the value of the test copy towards your larger run - effectively making the test copy free. Just email us at support@newspaperclub.com before placing your order and we'll send you a voucher code.

If you would like to print a test copy of a digital mini, please get in touch as we do these slightly differently.

(We can't print test copies for traditional print runs because we use a high-speed industrial-scale newspaper press which can't be stopped before hundreds of copies have been printed.)

6. Ask us anything!

Our friendly customer support team has years of experience helping customers get their designs into print. If you're feeling stuck or have any questions, just get in touch at support@newspaperclub.com.