If you were to ask any of your non-yearbook friend, “What is the first thing you look for when you get your yearbook?” Their response will most likely sound something like “Me.”

This response rarely varies. In this respect, it matters little whether the book is beautifully designed and craftily written or hastily concocted and brazenly copyless. Include more students, more often, and more buyers happily find what they’re looking for in the end product.

“What’s your biggest pet peeve when you get your yearbook?”
These answers vary more widely, but here’s a big one: “Seeing my name misspelled.”

Index may not be on your current to do list, but it’s time to start to use this process as a tool to ensure great coverage and consistency.

Verify Master Name List
Start with the master school roster and set a deadline for corrections. Post the list in the building, on the web, or anywhere you want and allow students to submit corrections. Johnny knows his official school records list his name as John but wants to be called Johnny in the yearbook.

You staff member who is the biggest fan of Spell Check can correct the master list and add names to the dictionary in InDesign and eDesign. InDesigners save the master file as a .txt document and open InDesign. Choose Edit>Spelling>Dictionary>Import and navigate to .txt file. eDesigners place the list on index pages, highlight names, right click and choose Add to Dictionary.

Names not on your list will then come up in a spell check on only that computer for eDesign and by default also for InDesign. Repeat on other computers if you want. InDesigners may merge the name exception list into the document under dictionary preferences.

However, if you have Megan and Meghan, it’s still not smart enough to know if you have the correct version just as a regular spell check won’t stop you from, “I’m threw. Get me out of hear.”

Create an INgenius File
To take it a step further, here’s another tip to help ensure everybody’s name prints correctly. InDesign users create an INgenius file by opening your blank template and go to Window>Pages>Numbering and Section Options and start the page at an INgenius number, over the number of pages in your book. Flow the names on the pages and don’t worry about where the text is placed or its size. If there are two or more consecutive capitalized words HJ Index Builder will find them wherever they hide.

eDesign users can also easily create an INgenius file. Use your index pages to hold the master list names until after you have exported the final index file.

Run HJ Index Builder
Part of the magic of HJ Index Builder is that you can run it beginning with your first deadline — and it will remember any changes. Run HJ Index Builder before you submit your first batch of pages. You won’t have to look the names up again!

When merging you always know the spelling with your INgenius page number referenced is correct! Just make note of which pages have incorrectly spelled names and fix before you send them.

When you run HJ Index Builder the next time, it will add the page number to the correct name and eliminate the erroneous entry. More importantly, you decrease your chance for error because the name will be spelled correctly when the page first arrives at the plant.

Track Student Coverage
Instead of tediously creating a list of students who have appeared more often than your staff’s quota, HJ Index Builder can be used to help avoid overcovering the same students deadline after deadline. Get into the habit of indexing pages before shipping to confirm the correct spellings and you will always have a current INlist, listing page numbers for each student.

After each deadline have a staff member create a list of students who should not appear in candids or be randomly quoted again. The old 80-20 Rule usually applies in that 80% of activities are done by 20% of the student body. You know who they are. Anyone dedicated enough to be Student Council president, basketball team captain, National Honor Society secretary and a Pep Club member deserves a lot of coverage. But save the English and lunch candids for others.

To make it even easier to manage coverage, eDesign can sort by the number of times a student is referenced by simply clicking “usage.” Set quotas for who to cut off unless absolutely necessary and who to track down and include.

INcrease Yearbook Sales
Want to take this a step further to actually INcrease your yearbook sales? After indexing the portrait pages send green notes to everyone who bought a book to congratulate them on being covered on pages x, y, z. Send red notes to everyone who has not yet bought a book and remind them it’s not too late and they have good reason buy to since they are INcluded on pages x, y, z.