Certainly, there is quite a lot that goes into the successful creation and launch of an e-zine – the look, the content, the schedule – these are all very important considerations.  However, before you can even get to the sum and substance, you need to ask yourself:

Do I want my subscribers to be able to print and go; or only read it on a screen?

Why?

Because everything else you decide from that point forward will be different.

If You Choose Not To Print:

You can use an on line service to create and deliver your e-zine.  The reason your subscribers will not be able to print your ezine “as is” is because these newsletters are created using HTML code.   Printers don’t know HTML code, so they act just as they do when you print any web page, printing whatever is on screen on as many pages as is needed to capture the text and images.

You may also send out HTML e-zines from desktop resident software, but I do not recommend Outlook for this process.  Some ISPs believe that if you send out a message to a list of say… 2,000… you MUST be a spammer and will automatically shut down your account, turning off your internet connection.  Instead turn to software created for newsletter distribution, such as GroupMail by infacta.

If  You Choose To Print:

The best possible file type to deliver an e-zine which your users have the option to print is a .pdf.

This is because each of your subscribers has a different printer and unless you provide your file as a .pdf (which is the digital equivalent of a photocopy) – the printer definitions of the subscriber’s printer will take over the formatting of your e-zine, in most instances ruining it’s “look”.  If you’ve ever downloaded a Word form from the internet, and wondered why the text/formatting was all messed up, same reason.

You can still deliver your .pdf’ed e-zine electronically through e-mail, you merely contain some teaser/intro language and a link to the .pdf file (which you load to your website).

Want to see the difference?  Here’s one of my favorite Long Island attorney’s “on line” e-zine:  Law Office of Jeena R. Belil, PC Newsletter and here’s a recent issue of The Legal Connection E-zine, which is a .pdf.

Both are digital and delivered electronically, but Jeena’s is meant to be viewed on line whereas The Legal Connection is to both view and print.

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