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RE: InDesign -opinions and long document template?
Subject:RE: InDesign -opinions and long document template? From:"tech.writer" <tech -dot- writer -at- insightbb -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com> Date:Fri, 21 Jan 2005 11:25:04 -0600
I use both FrameMaker (FM) and InDesign(ID). I can tell you that ID is
not the best tool for longer docs because it is missing important tools
such as cross references, automatic numbering figures, tables and such,
and running headers and footers. FM handles long docs much better. Using
ID will increase the cost of longer docs by perhaps 10 to 20% over doing
them in FM (in my experience). Having said that, ID is FAR superior to
Word for long docs. The biggest problem that I encountered in ID is
keeping figure numbers, and references to them, straight. I recently
finished 4 manuals, 36 pages each, and later found that a reference to a
figure in one doc was wrong because the client had me add a chapter at
the last minute, which changed my figure numbering scheme.
As for templates, in all of my research, most of the templates out there
are for brochures and newsletters. I did not find any useful
"instruction manual" templates.
Tim Lewis
Lewis Communications
Writer -at- lewiscomms -dot- com
www.lewiscomms.com
> We just got InDesign in the office (were using Microsoft Word) and are
> just starting to go thru and play around with the software. My
> preliminary concern is the lack of (or my inability to find) a
template
> for a long document. Building from scratch would be ideal, but as
usual
> we're in a time crunch with looming deadlines. Anyone have an example
> they are willing to share (off list is fine)? Adobe's Studio site did
> not seem to have much as far as templates for procedural type
templates.
<snip>
> - Victoria Nuttle
>
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