RE: Partial Screenshot Indicators

["Margaret Cekis" <margaret -dot- cekis -at- comcast -dot- net>]

Lesli Ritchie sked, "....Are there any rules for indicating that the
screenshot is partial? I don't like the look of a jagged edge, but wonder
what other folks do in this situation.
__________________________________________________________
Lesli:

My approach to this situation is to use a 1-pt border around all screenshots
to give them a crisp edge in print (or onscreen in PDF docs read online). In
the old versions of Word and Windows (2003 and earlier), I'd adjust my
desktop colors to shades of blue that would show good color gradations in
screenshots even in B&W printouts. In the newer versions, the user has a lot
less control over the screen's appearance, and shades of light grey
reproduce poorly, so making the edges clear is even more important.
I've always indicated partial screenshots by using a dashed border on the
edges where the screenshot has been cropped. For instance, in describing a
toolbar or tabs at the top of a screen, I'd use the dashed line on the
bottom edge. If the upper left part of the screen is shown, the right and
bottom edges are dashed. A pop-up or a close-up of one field's roll-down
menu may have all four edges dashed. I think dashed borders are subtle, but
make the partial screenshot's relation to the full screen clear to the users
without distracting them from what you want them to recognize.
Margaret Cekis, Johns Creek GA

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