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.
Subject:Re: page breaks From:"Brown, David W [RV]" <dwb3 -at- PO9 -dot- RV -dot- UNISYS -dot- COM> Date:Wed, 11 Jan 1995 15:56:00 PST
|We have differing opinions in my office and I'd like to hear from this
group.
| When do you force page breaks in a technical (printed) manual?
IMHO, page layout (of which page breaks are a part) should be carefully
considered because it affects readability. I can't generalize about where
page breaks should be, but I have a sense of where they should not be, if
possible. Some of my pet-peave guidlines:
- I don't like to have a page break split a paragraph in two. If the
paragraph is too long to avoid this, then I take a closer look at the
paragraph to determine if it is too long in the first place.
- I like to have illustrations appear on the same page as the supporting
text. If this is not possible, the illustration should be on a facing page
in a bound manual (text on left-hand page, illustration on right-hand page).
-I'm not afraid of creating white space to meet these objectives. So what
if the page is only 3/4 full. I think pages that are very dense with
material are discouraging to the reader. Plus, paper is cheap compared to
the reader's time. I read a great quote from someone on this list: "White
space never lies."
