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I am nearly done writing a 140 page user manual for my company's hardware &
software combination. Now, I want to compare some "packaging" options. I've
considered a number of options, but am interested in your ideas, comments,
and warnings. In the past, all of our manuals were printed on 8.5" x 11"
paper and spiral bound. This look, while functional, certainly left
something to be desired in the professionalism area.
What suggestions do you have for presentation of my manual?
Here are my constrants:
1) We also distribute this manual in *.pdf format. I want the same manual
that goes to the printers to be what I Distill into *.pdf (no reformatting,
please).
2) The price to print cannot be exponentially higher than the current method
of spiral binding. I may be able to go to something that is 2x higher in
cost, but that's about it.
3) The manual should be able to lay flat when open. Book binding, like on
paperbacks, isn't really good for my manual as people need to lay the book
flat on a bench while working with electrical wiring.