How to write your rules in Word and print them on The Game Crafter

1. Create a LibreOffice document with the proper page size and margins.
2. Compose the instructions.
3. Save as a PDF.
4. Download the Gimp software
5. Convert the PDF to images.
6. Upload to TheGameCrafter.
7. Check page numbering.
8. Proof your pages.

The details

1. Create a LibreOffice document with the proper page size and margins.
   Note: I discuss using LibreOffice as the authoring tool because it's free and I use it, but the same technique works with Word, Google Doc or any tool that can produce a PDF.
   
   Set up your document page size per the booklet size you plan to use, as follows. This will eventually result in images of the size listed at the bottom of the table.
   

   Attribute	Small booklet	Medium booklet	Jumbo booklet
   Width	2.75"	3.25"	8.25"
   Height	3.75"	5.25"	10.25"
   Image size	825 x 1125	1125 x 1575	2475 x 3075

   You can set the margins to whatever you like. I would suggest 0.25 inches for all four.
   
   
2. Compose the instructions.
   Use LibreOffice to write the rules using whatever fonts, styles, images and formats you want.
   
   However, make sure that the number of pages is a multiple of 4: 4, 8, 12, 16 or 20.
   
   The first page will be the front cover so you may want to place some artwork there. The last page will be the back cover, often a good place to print player aide information for easy reference.
   
   
3. Save as a PDF.
   Use LibreOffice to save the document as a PDF.
   
   
4. Download the Gimp software
   Gimp stands for Gnu Image Manipulation Program, and is an open source image editor. Download this useful tool from www.gimp.org and install it on your laptop.
   
   By the way, if you have access to PhotoShop, that will probably work as well, but as I no longer use it, I'll leave those details to you.
   
   
5. Convert the PDF to images.
   This is the clever, but also the most complicated step. But not too bad once you get used to it.
   
   Setup
   1. Start up the Gimp software.
   2. Find your rules PDF on your laptop.
   3. Drag and drop the PDF onto the Gimp window.
   4. This causes the Gimp's Import from PDF window to pop up.
   5. At the bottom of it, find the Resolution field.
   6. By default, Resolution is 100. Change it to 300 and hit ENTER.
   
   Make the first page
   1. Near the top, find thumbnails of each of your booklet pages.
   2. Click on the first one at the top left.
   3. Click the Import button at the bottom.
      The popup goes down and the page appears in a temporary Gimp window.
   4. At the top left click on File.
   5. From the resulting menu choose Export As ....
      A popup appears.
   6. Change the name field to a PNG file that matches the page number, for example, for page 1: 1.png.
   7. Click the Export button.
      Another popup appears.
   8. Click the Export button.
      Gimp saves the image and the popup goes away.
   9. Destroy the temporary Gimp window.
   10. Check the pixel dimensions of your image file (On Windows 10, click the file once and hover over the file to display this information.) and verify that they match the size listed above.
   
   Make subsequent pages
   11. Drag and drop the rules PDF to the Gimp again.
   12. Click on the thumbnail of the next page after the one you just did.
   13. Return to step (c) and repeat all the steps until you have done every page in the document.
   
   
6. Upload to TheGameCrafter.
   
   1. Open up your game for editing at thegamecrafter.com.
   2. Navigate to the booklet and open it.
   3. Find the box labeled "Drag or click here to upload PNG or JPG images that measures exactly". [sic]
   4. Drag and drop all the PNG files you have just made into that box.
   
   
7. Check page numbering.
   TheGameCrafter software will assign a page number to each of your images. Make sure that these page numbers match the names of your files so that no pages are out of order. For example, page 1 should be called "1.png".
   
   
8. Proof your pages.
   Toward the top of the TheGameCrafter web page there is a button called Proof All. Click it to step through each page to make sure they look okay and click the Approve button to declare that they are.