How To Create A Stunning Drop Capital Effect On Your Web Pages

Drop Capitals are frequently used in many newspapers, books and magazines in the offline world. You will frequently see the large capital letter sinking down into the first paragraph of articles, stories and chapters in the majority of publications you come across.

The drop capital gives the page a nice finishing touch, and certainly adds a more professional looking feel.

Online, the drop capital looks just as good on web pages as it does in print. The only drawback is that you can easily get the whole effect wrong, and end up with a less than appealing result.

The wrong way...

When most people attempt to create a drop capital effect on a web page, they usually just enlarge the first letter by a few font sizes and make it bold.

If you do this on your own web page, you will notice that instead of a 'drop' capital effect, you end up with an odd looking letter which sticks up above the rest of the paragraph, and just looks out of place.

The right way...

There are essentially, two parts to creating the drop capital effect.

Step #1 -

You need to create a drop capital image using some graphic software.

You can use any standard piece of graphic software like Paint Shop Pro, Fireworks, or Photoshop.

The drop capital image should ideally be big enough to drop down between 2-4 lines of text, depending on your preference.

You should ensure that the top of your drop capital image is level with the top of the text next to it. The bottom of the image should also be level with the bottom of the lowest text next to it.

This is really the hardest part of creating a drop capital effect. It can be very easy to make the image just a bit too big, or a bit too small. You may find that it will take a bit of trial and error to make it look just right. However, the extra effort will pay off, as the end result will be worth waiting for.

One thing to note: As with any image, a drop capital image can slow a web page if the file size is too big. To help reduce the file size you should save it as a '.gif' image. For even better results you should try to optimize the '.gif' image as well by reducing the amount of colors being used.

Step #2

This step is the easiest bit?

Once you have created the drop capital image, all you have to do now is to insert it into your web page. You just add the image to the web page in the same way that you would with any other image on your page.

When you place it at the beginning of the paragraph, make sure you remember to delete the first letter of the normal text. Otherwise you will end up starting the paragraph with two of the same letter.

Align the image to the left

Initially, you will notice that the drop capital image just sits on top of the first line, instead of dropping down into it. Not for long!

All you have to do now, is align the image to the left, and you will see it drop down instantly into the paragraph.

If you are using a web page editor to create your web pages like Microsoft FrontPage or Macromedias Dreamweaver, aligning the image to the left is pretty easy.

In FrontPage:

Select the drop capital image by left clicking it once. Then click on the align to the left short cut icon in the top menu bar. Alternatively, you can select Format, then Position from the top menu. In the pop up window, select Align Left under Wrapping Style.

In Dreamweaver:

Select the drop capital image by left clicking it once. Then in the properties window, click on the arrow in the drop down menu next to Align, then select Left

If you are using a different web page editor, you should have a similar align option in the menu area. Alternatively, you edit the HTML code directly yourself. Just add the following command in between the brackets of the image tag:

align="left"

Thats literally all there is to it!

If you have multiple pages on your website, youll probably going to need to create a number of different drop capital images for each letter of the alphabet. The extra effort will be worthwhile as you will end up with a much more professional looking website.

Copyright © 2004 Jason Lewis

About the Author:

Jason Lewis provides ready-made professionally designed drop capital images, as an instant solution for the busy website owner. Each design is available for immediate download and can be added to a website within a few minutes. To find out more: http://www.dropcapitals.com/cmd.asp?ad=93481

---

Hiring a Graphic Designer

You've come up with a great product. You've got the... Read More

How to Create a Great Landing Page for Your Website

The landing page or entry page of your visitors is... Read More

Tips For An Effective Website

A successful website is something that everyone venturing into the... Read More

Is Your Website Color As Inviting as Your Home? Does Color Really Matter?

We've all read the countless publications about effective web site... Read More

Power of Squeeze Pages for Realtors

Squeeze pages are a very hot topic in the internet... Read More

Technology vs. Usability

When JV Media Design was formed, the year was 1995... Read More

The Top 8 Website Sins Part Two

Sin #5Poor Spelling And GrammarWe all make mistakes when we... Read More

Testimonials Can Increase Your Web Traffic

We've all seen and read product testimonials. They're a very... Read More

Bad Design Characteristics For A Website

Making a poorly designed website is one of the easiest... Read More

Give People What They Want And Watch Your Profits Soar!

Do you know why the majority of people use the... Read More

What Is Your Websites Most Wanted Response?

You spend time and money promoting your website; but what... Read More

Eight Website Pitfalls, and How to Avoid Them

Clutter: Too much noise, too much text, and too little... Read More

The Ultimate Web Site Marketing Strategies That You Should Know

Most of us know that we need to advertise our... Read More

Becoming A Website Designer

The ability to create simple, attractive and functional web pages... Read More

Web Usability: The Basics

What is web usability & why is it important?Web usability... Read More

Low Cost Web Design In Birmingham

There are many companies who build websites, all of which... Read More

Looking For A Designer To Re-Design Your Website?

If you were like me and you have just started... Read More

Building Web Sites Using Web Templates

Gone are the days when you had to rely on... Read More

Understanding How HTML Color Codes Work

Ever wonder how HTML color codes are put together? For... Read More

Design vs Content: Who is KING?

Well it is not Elvis, that's for sure.I am a... Read More

Why Web Pages Appear in the Wrong Location after Uploading to my Website?

If your are a new web designer, you may face... Read More

How To Boost Your Chances at Having a Successful Web Site

New Web sites are springing up online by the millions.... Read More

6 Reasons Why A Website Is Crucial To Your Business

Since I'm a web designer, I have a tendency to... Read More

Should I Use Pop-Up Ads?

Web advertising has taken many forms, including those that appear... Read More

How To Use Unsafe Web Colors With Minimum And Safety And Maximum And Profit

Do you want to use unsafe web colors without offending... Read More

Developing Your Winning Web Site Strategy

Your web site is the key to your success on... Read More

You Had Me At the Search Engine

You've likely heard of the movie, Jerry Maguire, with its... Read More

Imitation, The Smartest Form Of Flattery

Unless you are an inventor, most likely you are selling... Read More

Why You Should Use CSS

It seems more and more webmasters are using CSS for... Read More

How to Avoid the Biggest Mistakes Member Sites Make in Their Marketing Copy

If you have a web site to which people pay... Read More

Website Woes: Top Five Offenders

I see a lot of mistakes, but here are the... Read More

Effective Website Design For Massive Traffic

STEP 1:Do your homeworkPlan and think about your content. Think... Read More

Fast Web Design For The Skint Webmaster

About two years ago, I had a go at commercial... Read More