How to Make a Free Catalog in Mac
By Nicole Vulcan
With the use of some of the tools that come loaded with most new Macs, you can create catalogs and do a number of other business-related tasks. Mac's iWork software includes Pages, which offers dozens of templates for doing everything from creating invoices to making a family newsletter. While it doesn't have a specific option for creating a catalog, it does have at least one template that could serve the purpose. By using this program, you won't have to incur any extra costs in downloading a catalog software program.
Step 1
Open Pages from the Mac Dock or simply type "Pages" into the Finder near the top right of your screen and then select "Pages" from the search results.
Step 2
Click "Miscellaneous" from the left hand menu of the Template Chooser, then click "Education Scrapbook" and click "Choose." While this template is designed for a completely different purpose you'll see that the design allows for customization that can turn it into a decent free catalog.
Step 3
Click on the image on the first page of the template. This is a dummy photo and can be easily replaced by the photo you want as your main image. Select a photo you want to use as your main image for your catalog and drag it into the space where you currently see the main classroom image.
Step 4
Click on the text below the main catalog image. Delete the text and type in the text you want to appear. If you want to alter the font, highlight the text you want to alter and then click the fonts dropdown menu from the grey menu area near the top of the Pages screen.
Step 5
Click on the catalog's second page from the left hand sidebar of the Pages program. This can be the page template for your catalog items. Drag new photos into the various boxes in the same way you replaced your main image on the front page. Click on the text below each image to type in the description and price for each catalog item. You can alter the font in the same way you did it on the main page, and if you want fewer items on the page, you can delete items by clicking the image and pressing "delete," or make some larger or smaller by clicking the image and then dragging the corners out or in.
Step 6
Click on the second page from the left hand sidebar of Pages, so that a yellow box surrounds the page thumbnail. If you need more than one page, you can duplicate your second page now. Click "Edit," from the menu at the top of the screen, and then click "Duplicate." You'll see your new page immediately after the original.
Step 7
Navigate to the last page of the catalog and replace the title, photos and description to your own materials. You can use this page to tell your company's story, add contact information, and instruct people on the types of payments you accept.
Step 8
Click "File" from the top menu, and then click "Save As" or "Print" to save or print your new catalog. If you want to save this catalog and perhaps alter it later you can also save your work as a template; to do this click "File," then select "Save As Template."
Tips
- If this or any of the other templates within the Pages program does not suit your needs you can also create a catalog from scratch using the tools available in Pages. The program allows you to insert photos, text boxes, and color effects to build the look you want from the ground up.
Writer Bio
Nicole Vulcan has been a journalist since 1997, covering parenting and fitness for The Oregonian, careers for CareerAddict, and travel, gardening and fitness for Black Hills Woman and other publications. Vulcan holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and journalism from the University of Minnesota. She's also a lifelong athlete and is pursuing certification as a personal trainer.