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----- Original Message -----
From: Mark L. Levinson <markl -at- gilian -dot- com>
> in
> response to my query about laminated manuals, there was no one to
> say "Damn right, the user should be able to prominently sign or
> inkstamp a manual right there on the cover."
Only because I didn't see the original message. I agree that there
should be a way to mark ownership on manuals and other documents.
I've been a victim of doc thieves myself, and understand the need to
mark territory <smile>.
Magic marker works well for items that will never change
ownership---department copies that are passed from person to person,
for example. When I bring personal copies of books into a corporate
office, I write my name in magic marker across the top edge of the
pages. It can't be erased that way, or easily torn out. If the doc
is too thin for that, I stamp (or stick on an address label) the
inside front cover and one of the interior pages.
> Our graphic designer calls it lamination, but it's
> not the sticking-on of a plastic sheet, it's just a coat of
varnish
> from the printshop.
Talk with the printer. There are varnishes that protect against
water, stains and fingerprints but can be written on with ordinary
ballpoint pens. Don't remember what the special varnishes are
called, but I used one a few years ago for a diagnostic test wall
chart for hospital laboratories. Water, alcohol and body fluids
beaded up and didn't stain the paper, but the med techs could
scribble notes all over it.