You’ve probably seen them floating around social media—those vintage-looking clippings or modern digital headlines that look just like the real thing. Maybe it was a prank about a friend winning the lottery or a "historical" document for a school project. Honestly, knowing how to create fake newspaper article layouts is a niche skill that’s surprisingly useful, but most people mess it up by using templates that look like they were made in 1998.
Realism matters. If the fonts are off or the kerning is weird, the illusion breaks instantly.
We aren't talking about spreading misinformation here; let's be clear about that. This is about creative storytelling, stage props, and localized jokes. Whether you're a DM running a tabletop RPG who needs a physical prop or a teacher trying to make the Great Depression feel "real" to a room of bored teenagers, the quality of your fake news matters. It's the difference between a "cool story" and a "whoa, where did you find this?" moment.
Why Most "Fake News" Generators Look Terrible
The internet is littered with low-effort tools. You know the ones. They have names like "Fodey" or "newspaper generator dot com." They’re fine for a quick laugh, but they usually output a low-resolution JPEG with a watermark. If you actually want to create fake newspaper article assets that pass a "squint test," you have to look at how real newspapers are built.
Newspapers use specific typography. Most classic broadsheets rely on serif fonts like Cheltenham, Franklin Gothic, or Imperial. If your generator defaults to Times New Roman, it’s going to look "off" to anyone who has ever picked up a copy of The New York Times or The Guardian.
Layout is another killer. Real articles use a grid system. They have "gutters"—that white space between columns—that are mathematically consistent. Most free tools just slap text in a box. It looks flat. It looks fake.
The Best Tools for High-Fidelity Mockups
If you want to move past the basic browser-based generators, you have a few real options.
1. Canva (The Low-Bar Professional Choice)
Canva is actually pretty decent for this, but only if you ignore their "newspaper" category and build from scratch. They have a massive library of fonts that mimic editorial styles. You can find "Old Newspaper" textures to overlay on your design, which gives it that tactile, grainy feel. Just remember to set your transparency to about 15% on the texture layer. It works.
2. Adobe InDesign (The Gold Standard)
If you’re a professional or a student with an Adobe Cloud subscription, InDesign is where the magic happens. This is what actual newspapers use. You can set up a 12-column grid, manage your baseline grid so every line of text across the entire page sits at the exact same height, and handle "hyphenation and justification" (H&J) settings like a pro.
3. Lucidpress (Now Marq)
This is the middle ground. It’s web-based but has much better layout controls than Canva. It’s great for when you need to create fake newspaper article layouts that require multiple pages or complex "wraparound" text around images.
The Secret Sauce: Writing Like a Journalist
You can have the best design in the world, but if the writing is bad, the jig is up. Journalists write in an "inverted pyramid" style.
The most important info goes at the top. Who, what, where, when, why. The middle of the article is for supporting details and quotes. The bottom? That's for the "nut graph" or background info that doesn't really matter if the editor trims it for space.
Basically, keep your sentences punchy. Use active verbs. Instead of saying "A decision was reached by the council," say "The council decided." It sounds more authoritative. It sounds newsy.
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Also, don't forget the dateline.
LONDON — Jan 17, 2026 That little bit of bold text at the start of the first paragraph adds 50% more credibility instantly.
Technical Specs for Printing
Let’s say you’ve finished your design. Now you want to hold it.
If you print on standard 20lb office paper, it’s going to feel like a flyer. To truly create fake newspaper article props, you need the right stock. Newsprint is thin. It’s acidic. It’s usually around 45 to 55 gsm. You can actually buy blank newsprint sheets on Amazon or at art supply stores. Most home inkjet printers can handle it, but be careful—the ink might bleed a little bit because newsprint is so porous.
Actually, that bleeding is a good thing. It adds to the realism.
If you're going digital, export as a PDF first, then convert to a PNG. This keeps the text sharp while allowing you to compress the image slightly to give it that "web-optimized" look common on news sites today.
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
- Perfectly white backgrounds: Real paper isn't #FFFFFF. It's slightly yellow or grey.
- Too much symmetry: Real newspapers are messy. They have "widows" and "orphans" (look those terms up in typography; they're basically lonely words at the end of paragraphs).
- Modern Photos: if you're making an "old" article, don't just use a black-and-white filter. Add a "halftone" effect. That's the tiny dots you see when you look at a newspaper photo under a magnifying glass.
Actionable Steps for Your First Project
Ready to get started? Don't overthink it.
First, pick your era. A 1920s broadsheet looks nothing like a 2026 digital news portal. If you're going vintage, find a high-res scan of an actual paper from that year on the Library of Congress website (it’s a goldmine). Use it as a reference for font sizes and column widths.
Second, draft your copy in a plain text editor. Get the "journalism voice" right before you touch the design. Use "The AP Stylebook" rules if you’re feeling extra nerdy—like spelling out numbers one through nine but using digits for 10 and up.
Third, focus on the "fold." In print journalism, the most important stuff is "above the fold." If your fake article is meant to be seen on a table, make sure the headline and the main photo are in the top half of the page.
Finally, weather the paper. If it's a physical prop, a little bit of tea staining goes a long way. Use a damp tea bag, rub it lightly over the printed page, and let it air dry. It’ll crinkle and yellow perfectly. Just don't overdo it, or it'll look like a pirate map from a kindergarten class.
Start with a template if you must, but break it. Change the fonts. Adjust the spacing. Real newspapers are the product of human editors fighting for space, and your "fake" version should reflect that slight, beautiful chaos.