Non-standard page sizes

["Kathleen T. Alt" <Kathleen_Alt_at_SRA-ROCKVILLE -at- SMTPLINK -dot- SRA -dot- COM>]

     Hello all:

     Please accept my apologies in advance for any mistakes that I make.  I
     have been on the technical writer list for only one day.  So, I don't
     know if you have discussed page sizes recently.

     My question is about standards for non-8.5 by 11 documents. My client
     wants to use a PC-sized book for all their user's guides instead of an
     8.5 by 11-sized book.  They asked me to investigate and make
     recommendations. The idea is to incorporate the new page size into the
     automated templates and styles that I set up in WordPerfect for
     Windows 6.0/6.1.

     Here are the my concerns:

     1. Does a standard page-size for PC books exist?  For example, 7 in.
     by 9 in. or 5 in. by 8 in?

     2. Should I define a new paper size definition to the print driver or
     should I set the page size by narrowing the WordPerfect margins?  The
     problem with defining the paper size to the print driver is that the
     new definition only applies to that individual print driver.  I would
     have to add that paper size definition to all print drivers.  The
     client has many print drivers.  Nightmare situation!  Is there
     another alternative?

     3. The client will probably send the books out to a print shop for
     reproduction.  Are there any print shop considerations?  For in-house
     printing, we will use an 8.5 by 11 page size.  However, we will only
     print on a portion of the page.  Can the print shop use the 8.5 and 11
     page and reproduce on the smaller PC-sized page? Do I have to do
     anything special?

     As you can tell, I am a real neophyte (to discussion lists and page
     sizes.  Again apologies.).  Thanks in advance.  It's tough being the
     only writer on a contract!

     Kathleen Alt
     kathleen_alt -at- sra -dot- com
     Rockville, Maryland