Special Additions
Mini-mags, tip-ins, cutouts, pop-ups, foldouts, specially designed
covers and endsheets, postcards tucked in a pocket, individual photos
affixed to the cover, holograms—whatever your staff can imagine and
afford can probably be done. Before ordering special additions, however,
get estimates from the yearbook representative and check your budget
carefully.
Mini-mags are unique sections of yearbooks set aside for special top-
ics or subject matter. They come in many forms. Some mini-mags are
separate from the actual book and are stored in pockets inside the cover.
Others are bound into the book but use paper of a different color, weight
or finish for easy identification. Some are slightly smaller than the regu-
lar pages, which makes them easy to find. The content of a mini-mag
may be devoted to student life, current events or special features. The
design is usually similar to a news magazine, with lots of photos, graph-
ics and sidebars. The results of student surveys often add a personal ele-
ment to mini-mags.
Tip-ins are pages that are printed separately and attached to the
book later with narrow double-stick tape. Tip-ins are used for special
two- to four-page additions or for entire signatures. Books delivered in
the spring use tip-ins to add the spring sports and graduation pages to
books that are distributed before those events are completed. The tip-in
section is mailed to graduates and distributed to returning students in
the fall.
Pop-ups and multiple pages which fold out for viewing like the ones in
children’s books and greeting cards can be built into yearbooks. Because
of the difficulty of construction, pop-ups and foldouts are produced as
part of the book at the production plant. Individual photos, holograms
and other special effects are often added by the staff after the book is
delivered to save labor costs. Ask your yearbook representative about
creating any of these special effects for your book.Working with the Yearbook Representative
The yearbook representative is your special consultant and emissary,
the go-between for the staff and the yearbook company. It is the repre-
sentative’s job to make sure your school’s book looks the way your staff
wants it to when it arrives.
The representative will work with your staff to plan the book; offer
cover, color and endsheet options; and help you create special effects.
He or she will also help the staff set manageable deadlines and explain
company policies and production schedules. The company or represen-
tative will provide all the supplies necessary to complete the book, from
a blank ladder to layout sheets to computer software.
Yearbooks are the ultimate desktop publishing experience. Yearbook
companies have developed software to allow staffs to design their own
pages or to provide fill-in-the-blank templates. Each yearbook company
has its own software, so ask the representative to demonstrate the special
features available from the company.(^410) MIXED MEDIA
mini-mag
a special section of a yearbook
that is set aside for special
topics or subject matter
tip-in
pages in a yearbook that
are printed separately and
attached to the book later
with narrow double-stick tape