Re: Word Problems

["Sevigny, Josee" <joseey -at- M3ISYSTEMS -dot- QC -dot- CA>]

Hi Kelly,

Before being proficient in Word I was a WordPerfect power-user. So when
tries Word 2 I wanted to throw it out the windows (pun unintended). Coming
here I had to learn Word 6 and guess what I don't use WP for anything else
but envelopes.

>     The files are HUGE!!!! Specifically, I have a 51-page
>     chapter (yes, it has graphics). The first time I saved it, it was 23
>     Mb (that's not a typo). The next time I saved it, it *amazingly*
>     shrunk down to a mere 11 Mb.
There might be two "problems" here:
1. your graphics are saved with the document -- try to link them instead
'cause otherwise, the size of each bitmap increases your document size by
that much.
2. maybe your graphics have a lot of white space included as part of the
graphics and you're cropping them in Word. Though it works, that is not the
way to go. Crop them with a graphic tool (load .bmp to Paintbrush, use the
selection tool to select the exact image, then use Copy To to save the file
(under the same name).

>     The second main problem I have with it is that it is virtually
>     impossible to set things *exactly* where you want them (including, but
>     not limited to, headers and footers).
From this comment I'm wondering if you're using styles or just applying
attributes manually? You're not saying enough here to allow me to help you.

>     I am writing this for the sole purpose of
>     warning tech writers who are deciding what to use.
It would have been nice to know which one you like to use. My intent here is
not to discredit any other so called DTP over Word, but Word can do the job
quite well if you know it inside and out. Of course, real DTPs like Frame
and Interleaf probably have solutions for all types of problems we need to
deal with but then they're not as easily transferable.
              \\|//
              (o o)
----------oOO--( )--OOo----------
Josee Sevigny     Technical Writer
joseey -at- m3isystems -dot- qc -dot- ca
M3i Systems Inc., Longueuil, QC
----------oOO-------OOo----------