Re: Formatting Question

[Stuart Reynolds <stuartr -at- DIRECT -dot- CA>]

>One reason that a two-column format is used for, e.g., journal articles or
>technical reports is that figures or tables that are cited in the text can be
>placed closer to the citation and, therefore, closer to the text that discusses
>them. I don't know whether that's a consideration in the proposal that you're
>working on.

Y'know, there is also a design/layout  side to this... Which my (I own it)
company does a lot of... When serving the general public, you have to try
and accomodate as many people as you can.  This includes the "I want it easy
to read" (I call 'em lazy) crowd.  Depending on what the content is, and who
the "main audience" is, has a big (I wouldn't go so far as to say profound)
influence.  A "tech" oriented doc., that is going mainly to "techies" on a
mailling list, is OK to have long horizontal lines of text (a single column
format), as they will read it looking for "key" words..  Joe/Jane <is that
PC? woah sweating now....> public won't.  You want them to read tech stuff,
you need to break it up.  Two - three columnar layout, maybe pull a quote or
two.  In a user's guide, in general at least, as there are always exceptions
to the rule, it is not USUALLY good format to have a multi-columnar page.
Most pages in  a "guide/manual" get broken up, with screen captures or other
graphics and as such, multi-columnar layout can be both confusing and
iritating.  If you are not sure, sit back and ask yourself a couple of
questions, What kind is the content, what kind is the "projected" audience?
Take it from there.  Ask the opinion of a layout person<PC..? YEHAAS!!!
:)>/typesetter.  Doing layout as thier main occupation, they are..."in the
know" about that sort of thing.

Stui