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On Monday 20 January 2003 09:43, Sean Brierley
wrote:
> I suggest a poll:
> How many technical writers are creating output
> for:
> Offset press 2+ colors via electronic files
> Offset press 1 color via electronic files
> Offset press 1 color via camera-ready copy
> printed locally Xerox docutech or other
> large-capacity laser-type printer Low-volume
> office-size color laser printer Low-volume
> office-size one-color laser printer Not
> delivering printed output to the customer, only
> online (PDF/online Help/etc.)
Well, while we wait to be asked...
We produce and sell specialized, relatively
high-ticket items, and not in huge quantities.
Because product revisions happen every few
months, and somehow-or-other the customer
documents never survive a product update
unscathed, we don't get ANY offset printing done
(well, we get some marketing collateral printed
offset, but that's not my bailiwick).
I deliver two PDFs per document. One has no
crop-marks, and does have the PDF navigation
stuff. The other has crop-marks for 7.5 x 9 inch
pages.
Occasionally, the "print" PDF gets sent to
black'n'white Docutech. The rest of the time, our
production department uses the "CD" version PDF
and just prints it on 8.5 x 11 for comb binding.
I've been lobbying for coil binding, but ...
We don't have GUI tools yet, so I don't get to
write Help (thus making me less and less salable
in today's market??). That may change, but
probably not this year.
The only time we got any customer technical
documents offset printed, since I've been here,
we ended up tossing 3/4 of the print run, due to
obsolescence. And that was single color.
Only our document covers and some single-sheet
documents get color. Everything major gets
black'n'white laser printing, in-house, or
black'n'white Docutech.
When Docutech'd, my manuals cost from $12 to
$20 apiece, printed and spiral bound. If we wanted
ANY color, that rises to $70 to $100+ per copy.
Doesn't matter if it was process or spot color.
So, on a thirty-thousand-dollar unit, my documents
can either be bland-but-functional and add less
than $100 to the product cost... or they could be
lovely and colorful with the ease of navigation
that color can impart... and add $1000 or more.
I think that's one of those self-making decisions.
I use some color in my FM docs, and the PDFs
have color. It's somebody else's choice to print
them in black'n'white, and I can't argue with
economic reality.
Depressed yet? :-)
/kevin
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
A new book on Single Sourcing has been released by William Andrew
Publishing: _Single Sourcing: Building Modular Documentation_
is now available at: http://www.williamandrew.com/titles/1491.html.
Help Authoring Seminar 2003, coming soon to a city near you! Attend this
educational and affordable one-day seminar covering existing and emerging
trends in Help authoring technology. See http://www.ehelp.com/techwr-l2.
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