We are creative people with professional experience in planning, managing, writing, designing, and producing publications of all sizes. Staff members offer a wide range of skills, including those listed below.

Planning

By evaluating your past and current publications and discussing your goals for future pieces, we assess your overall needs and recommend a communications plan that stays within your budget.

Project Management

We manage your project by supervising the production of materials from concept through printing, including providing production schedules, adhering to schedules and budgets, and coordinating the work of outside vendors.

Writing and Editing

Whether you have existing copy or require new text, we help turn your thoughts and ideas into effective and concise communication. We edit all text that appears in your publication for style, spelling, grammar, punctuation, and length. We have developed a Carleton style guide to ensure consistency and unity in all Carleton materials. View the style guide online at: carleton.edu/campus/publications/ or request a printed copy from our office.

Design

Don't know a duotone from a telephone? We are skilled in selecting an appropriate typeface, color palette, and photography or illustration for your project. We enhance your message with these elements to create a visually pleasing piece that brings readers in and guides them through your publication. You play an active role in the design process from our first consultation through production.

Production

We maintain relationships with numerous print vendors and are knowledgeable about the newest innovations in the industry, which enables us to produce high-quality and cost-effective publications. We track and record specifications for each project and can compare production costs from year to year and advise you on options for reprinting, revising, or redesigning your publications.

Budget

We take your budget seriously and it influences our decisions regarding paper, photography, and printing. At your request, we can give you different options (amount of color, photography, paper quality, etc.) and solicit printing bids from multiple vendors.

Our services are free, but other expenses are charged to your department. They include printing and mailing costs and fees for new, project-specific photography or illustration. We will discuss costs with you early on to avoid surprising you later. The publications office maintains an archive of thousands of slide, print, and digital images of the College and its students, faculty, staff, and alumni. These images are available to you at no cost, but you may be charged for reprints, scans, and color correction.

Web Services

The publications office does not provide Web services. If your project requires a Web component, please let us know right away, and we will coordinate our efforts with the Office of Web Development. Or contact that office directly at x4438.

Use of Copyrighted Materials

The publications office and Carleton College comply with all relevant sections of U.S. copyright law pertaining to use of text, photographs, illustrations, digital images, video, audio, etc. Therefore, we cannot reproduce any copyrighted materials without the permission of the artist, author, or rights holder.

Standards to Uphold

Whether they originate in admissions or the religion department or the dean's office, Carleton publications should represent the College in a visually cohesive manner. The publications office uses the Chicago Manual of Style (for grammar and usage) and Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (for spelling) as its main style reference tools. Refer to the Carleton College Style Guide for frequently asked questions about style, including capitalization, abbreviations, and punctuation, and guidelines regarding color, fonts, and use of the College nameplate and seal. View the style guide or request a printed copy from our office.