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This may not directly address your questions, but our experience may be of help. We switched from 8.5x11 tape bound manuals to 7x9 perfect bound manuals when we switched from Word to FrameMaker about three years ago. The perfect bound manuals are duplicated on a Docutech and single pages glued into a cover rather than traditional signatures that are imposed, folded, and cut. This method requires the page edges on the binding side to be scored to accept the glue. This reduces the finished page width to about 6 7/8. Also, the pages being tightly bound together also requires a bit more inside margin to keep text in the gutter comfortably visible. So, in designing the layout, I added a bit to the inside margins. The layout in Frame is actually 8.5x11 and when we reduce the final output for the PDF we send to the printer by 82% which yields a page size of almost exactly 7x9. This makes it easier to work with, print, and edit.
As far as designing the layout, I started by reducing our existing layout by 82% and making adjustments from there. Along with the inside margins, the outside, top, and bottom margins seemed a bit crowded, so they were increased a bit.
Obviously there was concern for font size and the legibility of screen shots in a smaller format. We increased the font size (in the 8.5x11 layout) a bit, but not a lot. The smaller format lends itself to a small font size in relation to the 8.5x11 layout. For example, we were using Verdana at 10 point in the 8.5x11 layout, reducing it by 82% makes it roughly 8 point. A bit too small. But, if we increased the fonts size to 12 it reduced to 10 point and it was a little large for the smaller layout. Increasing it to 11 point yielded about 9 point at 82%, which looked good with the smaller layout. The added benefit was font size looked good both in the 8.5x11 and the 7x9 formats. We use this same format at 100% for 8.5x11 coil bound training manuals.
The size of the final output can have a significant impact on the cost. Our vendor duplicates our manuals two-up on 14x9 paper. When I inquired about increasing the width of our manuals to 7.5 or 8 inches, I was told that jumping to a larger page size would require a larger size sheet that would: 1) slow the duplicator down, and 2) require additional cutting. Together they would significantly increase the cost. You might want to check with your vendor about what sizes are going to be the most cost effective.
> My company is moving toward perfect binding: We currently
> produce courseware
> manuals that are 8.5x11" and are three-ring bound. We want to
> produce these
> manuals in book form, so I'm wanting to move the page size to a 7.5x9"
> format, to match the current standard for book sizes. I'd
> like to know if
> there are other resources to help me determine the best page
> layout for our
> new format. For example, what's an ideal left and right margin for
> perfect-bound books? I've scoured the Internet, but the
> information out
> there mainly pertains to printers, and doesn't help much with
> page-layout
> suggestions.
Steve Shepard
Technical Communications Manager
Yardi Systems, Inc.
819 Reddick Ave.
Santa Barbara, CA 93103
805.966.3822
steves -at- yardi -dot- com
www.yardi.com
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