TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
>Amanda wrote: I hate the idea of making documentation flashy, but I do
>understand the
>reasoning and have seen other companies "throw away docs". I saved my
HR
>packet from Disney for years. It was a design straight out of an art
>student's portfolio.
>
>I just cringe at the idea of giving up the text exclusion capabilities
of
>Framemaker.
I never used InDesign before my current position and have always been a
FrameMaker proponent. However, after using it a bit (not an expert of
all its features by any means) I can see the allure of it.
We use Frame for our larger technical docs (installation guides,
operations manuals) usually over 50 pages. Our end user docs (like
viewer's guides), datasheets, and white papers are done in InDesign. I
like IDs flexibility for page layout and graphics and once you learn
some of the basics of master pages, text frames, layers, and story
editor, it doesn't seem that difficult to me.
I found page numbering difficult in ID, but easy in Frame. (Could be a
user thing, not a software thing.) I like the book feature of Frame, and
haven't found anything similar in ID. (Could be my inexperience there,
too.)
I know there is a lot that InDesign does that I'm not familiar with, but
I do like it for layout, and feel it is a good tool for documents that
need more of a marketing flair. For more plain technical documentation
(not to mention single-sourcing and WWP features), I'd still stay with
FrameMaker.
Now Shipping -- WebWorks ePublisher Pro for Word! Easily create online
Help. And online anything else. Redesigned interface with a new
project-based workflow. Try it today! http://www.webworks.com/techwr-l
---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as:
archiver -at- techwr-l -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Send administrative questions to lisa -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot- Visit http://www.techwr-l.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.
