Re: Non-standard Manual Sizes

[Kathy Marshall <kmarshall -at- MODACAD -dot- COM>]

All of our manuals are 7" X 8.5" (I chose this because it half the size
of legal paper and I figured it would cut down the cost of trimming the
pages.)

We use FrameMaker, so all I do is create a new document, select the
"Custom" option, and type in the page dimensions. We send it to the
printer in PostScript form. FrameMaker also allows you to print
registration marks (which identify where exactly the paper is to be
trimmed). I print these, again, to make the printer's life easier.

You probably have a similar option in Word (File-->Page Setup-->Paper
Size). All you need to do is custom design the page and then explain to
the printer how you want it (be very explicit; send sample pages if need
be). However, I'm not sure Word has a registration marks option. I would
recommend getting this professionally done, although for mockup
purposes, you could print onto legal size paper and just cut it in half.

my $.02,
Kathy

> ----------
> From:         Marie C. Paretti[SMTP:mparetti -at- RRINC -dot- COM]
> Reply To:     Marie C. Paretti
> Sent:         Tuesday, July 29, 1997 11:01 AM
> To:   TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU
> Subject:      Non-standard Manual Sizes
>
> A brief intro: I am the entire documentationand training department
> for a
> small software company.  We have some manuals, all written by very
> nice,
> well-meaning programmers, so I am basically starting from ground zero
> and
> creating a whole new set of documentation (which will include user
> manuals,
> system administrator/technical support manuals, and system integration
> manuals).  Right now it's all on Word 97 (though from what I've read
> on the
> list and the potential size of the docs, I may work on trying to sell
> Frame
> to the powers the be).  And yes, I'm tired already, but I really like
> my job!
>
> Here's my question: my boss asked me the other day about doing the
> manuals
> on something other than 8 1/2 x 11, so I searched the techwr-l
> archives
> this a.m. and discovered that, in fact, there seems to be a trend
> toward
> something more like 7 x 9.  Great.  But for those of you who churn out
> these smaller manuals, how the heck do you physically produce the
> things?
> Do you need to have non-standard size manuals printed professionally?
> Or
> is there actually a company out there that will sell me 7 x 9 paper to
> feed
> into my printer?  Or is there some other handy solution I'm missing?
>
> Thanks in advance.
>
> Marie
>
>
> Marie C. Paretti
> Department of English                           Recognition Research,
> Inc.
> University of Wisconsin - Madison        Blacksburg, Virginia
> mparetti -at- facstaff -dot- wisc -dot- edu                        mparetti -at- rrinc -dot- com
>
>                Sometimes I feel like a dog
>                standin' on a tool box
>                in the back of a pickup truck
>                doin' 90 round a corner
>                just tryin' to hold on for dear life.
>                                                       James Bonamy
>
> ~~
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