Re: Printed Docs vs. PDF Files

Subject: Re: Printed Docs vs. PDF Files
From: David Knopf <david -at- KNOPF -dot- COM>
Date: Tue, 16 Sep 1997 14:54:57 -0700

Carl Stieren wrote:

...

> But in a bar in Dublin, I heard this sad tale from another tech writer. I
> have her email address, so I can forward any of your solutions.
>
> Her company moved from print documentation to PDF files (they were sold to
> everyone as "printable documentation", from which the user could print out
> individual pages or the entire manual if necessary.) Marketing was assured
> that if they really needed printed and bound copies of the docs, they could
> make them, no sweat, from the PostScript files produced from FrameMaker.
>
> Then - horror of horrors - one of the products had incredibly high sales.
>
> Marketing came and said, "We need printed manuals".
>
> However, in the shift to FrameMaker and PDF, the FrameMaker templates had
> been designed for 8.5 x 11 inch pages, and guess what - Marketing had 25,000
> copies of the OLD printed covers, which were 7 x 9 inches! Marketing
> couldn't afford either the time or the money to redo the covers, so they
> wanted a conversion to 7 x 9 inch manuals.
>
> Now, if this book were largely text and smaller graphics, there wouldn't be
> any problem. But the software is for Unix and has a UI with small type on
> menus, and it's 50-50 whether the screen shots will be legible at 7 x 9.
>
> Also, this poor lassie designed synoptic pages for each major step of the
> software (it's a complex package), so that she needs Step 1 (left page) with
> graphic and summary across from Step 1 (right page) with screen shot and
> procedure steps. If she shoots down hard copy to 81%, she loses legibility.
> If she reformats, her synoptic 2-page modules disappear in a snaking trail
> of two-and-a-half page units.
>
> What advice should I give her?

Well, I think she should start by picking up a bottle of 18 year old
Macallan whisky, 'cause this ain't gonna be fun.

A few more serious suggestions:

1. I doubt it's 50-50 whether the screen shots will be legible at the
smaller size; either they will or they won't. The first step, I think,
is to test that in the actual production environment that will be used
to print the books. If they aren't legible at the smaller size, there's
going to be some major reworking to do.

2. It probably won't work to reduce either the page images or the copy
to 81% for readability reasons, as you suggest. As a result, I'm afraid
the facing-pages layout will be a casualty of marketing's failure to
anticipate the need for printed manuals.

3. It's going to be necessary to create a new set of FrameMaker
templates for the 7 x 9 page size, apply those templates to the existing
manual(s), and run a pre-production proof and check it from start to
back.

4. It's worth considering the possibility that redoing the manual covers
will be the fastest, cheapest, and best solution.

FWIW, I think there are a few lessons that all of us can learn from this
story, which is not so different from the stories I hear from many of
our clients. Here are the important lessons, in my opinion:

1. PDF is wonderful, truly, but don't let anyone tell you that
"printable" manuals are an acceptable substitute for real manuals. PDF
manuals are cheaper and they reduce the cost to produce a product. Some
users are satisifed with them, but few will accept that PDF files can
completely replace printed documentation. Almost none will print and
bind their own manuals.

2. When your company tells you they're going to "abandon print" and do
"only" PDF, make sure you have a plan in your back pocket for what do
when the prevailing winds change. Companies that opt out of printing
documentation often change their minds a year or two later.

3. Don't write in spreads. In fact, as much as possible, write so as to
minimize your reliance on a specific layout or presentation style. These
days, much of what we write ends up (or soon will end up) being
published in a variety of media--printed, displayed on a Web site,
included in an online help system, etc. If your copy is tightly
integrated with the layout in one of these media, it will probably not
work well in other media. We can't solve this problem completely because
we can't completely detach writing from presentation, but we should do
as much as we can in this regard.

4. The 8-1/2 by 11 page size is almost always the wrong one to use.

I'm afraid I've overspent my $.02 budget this time, but hope this
information ie helpful to someone.

Regards,

- David Knopf


------------------------------------------------------------
David Knopf Tel: 415-731-8398 david -at- knopf -dot- com
Knopf Online Fax: 415-731-8399 http://www.knopf.com/
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