Re: Single Sourcing

[Rebecca Merck <Rebecca -dot- Merck -at- ONESOFT -dot- COM>]

I don't find single-sources to be... well, possible.

Frankly, the information that you present and how you present it is
different between online doc, online help, and paper doc.  They may start
from the same source information, but I think there is ALWAYS going to be a
point where the paths diverge, and where you have to do custom work to set
up the help, custom work to set up the print document, and custom work to
generate and hyperlink an online document.

I am very specifically turned off by any product that tries to multipurpose
the same content in all three locations.  I think people have different
expectations of the different media, and to give them the same thing in all
three places -- well, it frustrates the bejeebers out of ME when it happens.
Ask me how I feel about the FrameMaker online help sometime.  :)

I'm confused, though, about what your print vendor said about printing from
Word costing more.  We are turning our docs over to the printer in .pdf
format, and none of our quotes changed between turning over Frame files
versus .pdf -- I'd be inclined to check into that a little more, and get
them to tell you how you can turn it over to them that will be most
efficient.

Just a little story -- back a few years ago, we did a large documentation
project where we had to postscript the files, turn over the postscript files
(which we couldn't view) and get back bluelines and make individual page
corrections.  Now, we can .pdf the files, see EXACTLY how it's going to be
printed, and turn over the .pdf file to the printer.  Makes the review cycle
with the printer shorter and much less stress-laden.  It's one of the
greatest things that ever happened to me.  I wonder if this might help your
situation with your printer?

-Rebecca

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