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Personally, I agree this type of page numbering is outdated and unnecessary. It's one more thing that can go wrong. I very much doubt that lack of a chapter number would disturb anyone. Most users couldn't care less what chapter they're in - they just want the information.
The main reason why this numbering was originally used was for the convenience of the printers. Back when all docs were distributed in hard copy, the people who did printing and binding found it useful because they printed the docs in multiple runs, and it helped them collate the print runs into the final documents. This numbering is a holdover from the days when they had to physically change plates on the printing press. This is my grandfather's page numbering - he was a linotype operator. He used to work on hot lead machines, that actually cast molten lead into physical type as he worked the keys.
> From: Nancy Allison <maker -at- verizon -dot- net>
> Subject: Chapter-page numbering, reasons for
> To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> Date: Thursday, December 3, 2009, 10:00 AM
> Hi, all.
>
> I have been updating inherited templates. All of them use
> chapter-page numbering (1-1, 2-1, 3-1, etc.)
>
> I can think of only one reason for this technique, and it's
> outdated. When I was a wee temporary secretary putting
> myself through graduate school much too long ago, I
> sometimes was asked to insert change pages, which came
> through the US mail, into such industry publications as
> massive regulation documentation sets that were many volumes
> long with thousands of pages in three-ring binders. I
> physically tossed the old pages and stuck the new ones in.
> The chapnum-pagenum system made it possible to replace only
> the pages until the end of just that chapter and preserve
> correct page numbering.
>
> (Even then, the change pages sometimes were given alpha
> subnumbers. If, in an immense doc set, you replaced page
> 1,356 to 1,362 with 10 new pages, the new page numbers
> included 1,362a, 1,362b, 1,362c, and 1,362d.)
>
> Now that we send out updated PDFs and nobody physically
> replaces pages, is there any compelling reason to keep using
> chapnum-pagenums? I know from experience is it a major
> source of grief for writers who are less skilled with
> FrameMaker (and I remember my own painful experiences
> vividly!) I have spent a lot of time coaching people, time I
> could have better spent on other tasks.
>
> Is it worth doing? Do you do it? If you made the changeover
> in your company, did you get any objections?
>
> Thanks!
>
> --Nancy
>
>
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