How to get a holiday newsletter template for Pages?

Hi Jo,

There are several sources of templates online, many of them offering free templates.

Most are either PDF or MS Word format.

PDF files are usually images, which you can insert into a Pages document, expand to fit the page, then move to the Section Master where it will be behind the text you add to the page. You can add the text to the Document Body of a word processing document (you'll need to set wider top and bottom margins to keep the text from running over the border decorations), or you can create a Page Layout document by removing the Document Body (Document inspector, Document tab, uncheck Document body checkbox). then adding one or more text boxes to hold the text.

Pages can open MS Word files, but will give you a warning message and may lose some elements not supported in he same manner in Pages as in Word:

Despite the warning, I saw no large difference between the Pages document and the image of the template on the website. The font change applied only to text in the address block at the top of the page (where you'd replace it in the text box with your own address, an choose your own font) and to the "start text here" note you'd replace with the start of your letter.

I used DuckDuckGo to search for 'holiday letter template'

Regards,

Barry

"When I get a new Word document, attached to an email for example, I double click on it and Word opens in a Read-Only situation. There is no "open with . . ." command."

The operating system reads a double click as an instruction to 'open the file in its default application' (determined by the file extension). When you right-click (or control-click) on the file icon, you will get a menu list of actions tou can take. Here's one from a right click on the displayed .pdf file attached to an email in Mail:

The list for a Word (.doc or .docx) will differ, but should still include Pages.app.

If the Word document was saved as a template, the file extension will be (I think—I don't think I have one available to check right now) .dot or .dotx. If I recall correctly, saving the file to your hard drive, then changing the extension to .doc or ,docx (change only the t, don't add or remove the x) will allow the OS or Pages to recognize it as an openable file and ope it in Pages.

Regards,

Barry

The latest Pages 6.3.1 has far fewer templates and the templates are far cruder than Pages '09, because Pages 6.3.1 is vastly dumbed down, like virtually all of Apple offerings in the last 4-5 years.

Open any of your old (I assume Pages '09) newsletters in your new (I assume Pages 6.3.1) Pages App.

They will change somewhat because Pages '09 has over 100 features that Pages 6.3.1 lacks. Save As… to a new name and replace the contents.

You could also just keep using Pages '09 (?) it still works on even the latest System, being also vastly more compatible than the latest Pages. Unless you trashed it, it should still be in your iWork '09 folder in your Applications folder.

Peter

You can get iWork '09 very cheaply from Amazon, make sure you update it to v4.3.

And you can open Word documents in Pages.

Also if you don't want to pay Microsoft use LibreOffice [free].

Why didn't you just replace your old hard drive? If you don't want your old laptop, I'll have it. 🙂

Peter

"I can't edit Word documents, as I mentioned."

Why not?

Word documents can be opened in Pages, and edited there, then saved as Pages documents.

The open source Office applications (LibreOffice, OpenOffice, etc) can open Word documents, are capable editing applications, and are free to download and use (although they do request donations to support ongoing development).

Regards,

Barry

Hi TexJo,

You wrote:

I'll try editing the old newsletter in the new Pages.

Is that old newsletter a Word Processing document (with a text layer) or a Page Layout document (where text must be placed into Text Boxes or Shapes)?.

Please reply so that we can help you with editing that old newsletter in Pages 6.3.x.

Regards,

Ian.

Ian

All the Newsletters in Pages '09 are Layout documents.

Texjo's problem is that none of the Pages 6.3.1 can do what the Pages '09 templates can do. Which is why Apple's efforts at Newsletters in Pages 5 and 6 are so dismal. Almost as crude as those in MsWord for the same reasons.

Peter

right click on the Word file in Mail and Save Attachment...

or click on the document in Mail and drag it to your Desktop or wherever you want it.

Generally right click on the Word file and Open with > Pages

or drag the Word document onto the Pages icon

or in Pages File > Open > navigate to the Word Document

Peter

TexJo wrote:

It is a Page Layout document. Peter says you can't help me, but hope springs eternal! Please help if you can.

It is not that you can't convert the Pages '09 newsletter, it is that Pages 6.3.1 will change it and it will not work as previously because Pages 6.3.1 is missing a string of features that are in Pages '09 including captured pages and backward linking of Textboxes.

Peter