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: focus so deeply on DTP. From:David Blyth <dblyth -at- QUALCOMM -dot- COM> Date:Mon, 6 Nov 1995 11:56:41 -0700
Hi All;
>I long for the days when I can give my copy to DTP so they can perform their
>magic on it. As it is now, I am forced to spend my time worrying about fonts,
>point sizes, white space, rather than on the content.
My heart bleeds. It takes _far_ less time for a writer to set up a template
than it does for DTP to untangle the work of a writer who refuses to
use one. Templates are reusable. DTP cleanup is constantly repeated.
Which is more cost effective?
I've been in companies which do things both ways. Believe me, I'd
_much_ rather have to write and use my own templates then to force
DTP to clean up after me. It's more cost effective for me _and_
for the department. You only have to set things up right the first time.
IMHO, the bottom line is that good tech writing is bi-cognitive. Thus,
a writer must be familiar with the tools of their trade, especially
with on-line documents.
David (The Man)
o Technical Writer
o Graphics Artist
o DTP expert
o Editor
o Web Page designer
Standard disclaimers apply. QUALCOMM and I don't speak for eachother.