Judy of the Woods
productivity, creativity, sustainability
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Page created:
14th April, 2008
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Foraging Guide - Print, Assembly and Use Instructions
You can view samples of the foraging guide by clicking on these two links. The rest of the page is instructions for test printing, and for printing the full guide and its use.
Don't be put off by this long page - much of the information is there to tweek the guide into the perfect guide for you, and much of it can be skipped if
you are not overly fussed by details.
The new foraging guide has been designed for ease of printing and assembling, as well as flexibility. The layout allows printing on one side of paper,
or double-sided printing on thicker paper or thin card. A generous margin on each side allows the use of a standard two-hole punch, if you wish to bind
the guide in a ring binder.The print is small in order to get as much information into a portable guide as possible. Some pages are a little denser than
others, which allows a more natural page split and keeps related information together. Fonts may also vary slighly for optimal readability in varying applications.
This is by design.
The test sheets are also samples of the guide to see what you are getting.
Printing
The test sheet should be used to test printer settings and positioning, as well as potential bleed-through, if double-sided printing is chosen. In the
.pdf print settings (File > Print....) make sure the size in Page Scaling is set to 'None' (in Adobe/Acrobat Reader) or 'Actual Size'
(in Foxit Reader) and not 'Fit/Shrink to Paper/Printable Area' in the drop-down menu. Also make sure the size is set to A4 (Properties >
Paper Options: > drop-down choice) . It is also recommended to test different print quality settings (Properties > Print Quality > drop-down choice)
and adjust the settings for paper types.
The sheets are individual .pdf files, so that they can be individually printed, which is particularly useful when printing double-sided or when printing is
interrupted through some misshap. Each sheet has four A6 (post card size) pages in landscape orientation which allows back-to-back printing with ease.
However, there is a small down-side to this - the printer settings have to be adjusted for each sheet, unless you can make default settings for those
choices in your system.
Single-sided Printing
If you have paper, and maybe don't like fiddelling about with double-sided printing, and don't want to wait, you can print this guide straight away. This is streight
forward, just open each .pdf file and print off, one by one, making sure the settings are adjusted as you go along if necessary. Single-sided printing is also
recommended, if your paper is too thin for double-sided printing (potential bleed-through). The following two links are the same as the links above.
If you want to save on paper or wish to have a more compact guide, the layout of the sheets allows double-sided printing. The A4 sheets are in landscape
orientation with four pages to a sheet. With most standard ink jet printers the sheet can be fed back in the way it emerged for double-sided printing. Just slip
it back under the luggs without flipping the page.
Each sheet is labeled 'a' for the front, and 'b' for the back (with the exception of a couple of sheets where either the front and back are the same, or only one
side is printed), and they come as individual .pdf files to aid careful printing.
When printing on both sides, a heavier paper is recommended, as the photographs can easily bleed through on light paper. Please use the above test sheet
to check for bleed. To test for correct orientation and layout, you can use the simple black and white test sheet below, and use a fast draft setting and use paper.
Please note that page numbers will always be on the right side of the page, which means near the binding edge for the reverse side of a double-sided page.
The sheets have a faint line through the centre, horizontally and vertically, to aid cutting, and 'a' and 'b' sides match in position, so that the page content is centred
if you choose to print back-to-back.There is an even and generous margin to allow binding according to your choice. If you want to stick with the A6 size, just cut
the page in four and you're done with cutting.
If you prefer a smaller booklet, the margins can be further trimmed, leaving just enough on the left for the binding of your choice.
If you get the guide wire or comb bound by a print shop, the left margin can be reduced too. Two-hole punches for ring binders typically punch fairly deep, for which there is
sufficient margin. If you don't have a marked paper trimmer, the easiest way to cut to your chosen size is with a cardboard template as a guide for a pencil line.
The printed lines are faint to be unobtrusive with double-sided printing and slight misalignment during printing, where front and back do not match exactly. For
single-sided printing, the lines are needed for all pages. Reducing the size is only of benefit if the guide is used as a pocket guid, though the post card size is
still portable enough. If you do get the guide bound in a print shop, you may also get it guillotened by them at little extra cost. However, this is best done for
trimming only, as the pages will have to be sorted after cutting through the middle, which requires a little care and time.
Please consider the binding method (some suggestions below) before cutting.
Assembling - More Flexible Choices
The guide comes in several sections; general information, which includes glossaries and various notes, the illustrated directory - some common plants featured in detail,
and the index with about 360 plants with names in alphabetical order, as well as an Latin-English converter. Some of the sections are in alphabetical order, and
can be arranged thus, others have page numbers with a prefix for that section, so that the sections can be arranged according to prefernece. For example,
the caution notes section are numbered with the prefix 'C', and pages in the informtion section have the prefix 'Info'. The caution notes are best placed
near the index
(the plant list) because the list will refer to notes in the caution pages, and the Latin-English converter is also best placed near the list for ease of cross-reference. Other
than that the layout is flexible, the info pages, directory, plant list, glossary etc. can be arranged in the order which best suits your use. If you frequently use the directory
section to identify plants you come across on a walk, then it should be near the front of the book. If you like to use the guide to seek out plants available at any given time,
then the caledar should be placed near the front, and perhaps the plant list with caution notes next to check details on known plants. For this reason, it may be best to
use the guide in loose-leaf form (like index cards) if you wish to permanently bind it, until you find the most convenient arrangement.
If undecided, here is a suggested arrangement:
Cover
Key to Plant Details - First Page
Key to Plant Details - Second Page
Glossary for Plant Description
Calendar
Directory
Information
Glossary of Medicinal Terms and Herbal
Caution Notes
Plant List
Latin-English converter
The first key page has a handy ruler for measuring plant parts, which helps identification, where a measurment is given in the guide or any accompaning field guide.
The download also includes blank templates for adding to the directory section or calendar for your own observations.
If you want to expand the guide with your own templates, or future additions from this website, or want to rearrange the content according to use, then a flexible
binding method would be best, like a cut-down ring binder, or loose binder rings, carabiners, treasury tags, twine, screw posts,
a disc binding system, or even the
Dirt Cheap Milk Binder System . You could also keep the pages loose in an index card box (4 x 6 inch box with deviders), or envelope or pouch when out and about.
If you prefer a really neat, but permanent binding method, one which allows the book to stay open and the pages to be turned 360 degrees, then wire binding, the type
used for calendars, is a cheap and acccessable method, if your local print shop offers this service. Some may not have equipment and material for anything larger
than a calendar, so its best to check with them first.
The cover can be card with the printed cover pasted to it (optional), or the printed page laminated, which would give the guide extra protection in the field.
Materials
For single-sided printing:
41 sheets of A4 paper, at least 27 of them suitable for detailed colour printing (photo paper is ideal), plus any extra sheets for template pages
extra paper for test printing
binding material or storage container of your choice
For double-sided printing:
21 sheets of A4 paper or thin card suitable for double-sided printing, of which at least 14 of them suitable for detailed colour printing, plus any extra
sheets for template pages
rest as above
Notes on Use
The calendar for availability is a rough guide, as timing can vary according to location, and climatic variability. In a sheltered spot in a mild year you
may find some plants early, whilst on an exposed site at slightly higher altitude plants may flower and fruit later, but also die down earlier in the autumn. If
your foraging territory takes in a few miles, this can extend the availability of plants.
Download
The download is sized for A4 paper and requires a .pdf reader, which is free from Adobe or Foxit.