I'd appreciate some general advice.

1. We've been creating a publication for our 'public' to download - using a layout program called PagePlus11. The pdfs it generates are too large to be downloaded by dialups (or anyone). Yes, the publication is 40 or more pages with lots of color. Is there something we should be doing or can do to get practical, useful pdfs or can we expect the pdf approach to be hopeless? (Of course we could leave off color and break each issue into 10 sub-issues. :-))

2. So we thought of creating a "page-flipper" (a page flipping viewer using Flash) that would be on our website. No big files to download - our 'public' comes to our website and flips through the publication here. DOES COFFEECUP offer a package to do this which makes it easy for us (yes, we're definitely amateurs.)

3. Even if we do this, will the pages be big enough that our public can easily read an article of 3 or 4 pages - or will the eye strain be too much? Any practical experience or suggestions?

4. If we ALSO have to offer the content of each article as an HTML - webzine- type scrollable article - (Slate, virtually everyone) - does COFFEECUP offer a component or package to make it easy for us to create - and upload content - into this familiar kind of article-on-the-web?

5. Does COFFEECUP offer a general SLIDE-SHOW type display (without the page flipping, but various transitions - eg dissolves - and both automatic and with user (public) control of the display?)

6. Does COFFEECUP (or anyone else) offer a general package to make it easy for people like us who want to provide publications through the web (either to read on our website or download from our website) - since that is our general purpose. OK, we also have a radio show we record (but that's ANOTHER story.)

7. Thanks. Any general guidance on the "best way" of accomplishing our goals - since we are web and html amateurs - will be VERY MUCH appreciated. When I started I didn't know I'd run into trouble with pdf size, or even worry that a page-flipper alternative might be difficult to read ... as you can see, any general advice on how others are doing publications would be great help.

Thanks!

Byron

I'll try to answer some of your questions, since I don't have an answer for all of them:

Re #2: Coffeecup has no page flip book application.

Re #4: Coffeecup has two website creators: Visual Site Designer, short VSD, (WYSIWYG) and HTML Editor which can be used in 'code mode' for those who are familiar with html, and in 'visual mode' for those who are not. With VSD you can upload all the files you need (graphics, media etc) using the built-in FTP client. With HTML Editor you can upload the actual page you have open, but you need an external FTP client for uploading other files.

Re #5: Coffeecup has two applications with which you can make slide shows and various transitions; CC Photo Gallery (just appeared in an upgraded and updated version) and Flash Firestarter. Both have built-in ftp clients that makes sure that all the necessary files get uploaded.

Re #6: Take a look at here: http://www.coffeecup.com/software/ You can download as many of the applications as you like and try them for free for 21 days (just a hint: don't download them all at once, then 21 days are not enough to try and test over 25 programs!). If you click on the prog. name or 'read more', you can see what it can do and also see videos explaining various features. And if you still get stuck, we have these great user forums...