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:What keeps me up at night From:Gwen Barnes <gwen -dot- barnes -at- MUSTANG -dot- COM> Date:Wed, 21 Feb 1996 20:58:32 GMT
My current caffeine-analog is "Printing company suggessted we give them
electronic output instead of camera-ready art to meet tight production
deadline and save us money ..."
1. Consulted with production manager weeks ahead of time to set up print
driver properly for PostScript output to disk.
2. Sent test pages to confirm the graphics and fonts would print okay.
3. One font didn't, resent the font and another test page.
4. Nobody said it didn't work, so I went ahead with the rest of the
output, recorded it on CD and Fedex'd it.
5. Saleshuman from the printing company calls to say "where's the hard
copy? We have to have hard copy" I say "WTF for? You wanted
Postscript files, I sent you postscript files." "We have to have hard
copy to check the page breaks." "Print it yourself, then. You have
the $# -at- * files, don't you?" Attempted unsuccessfully to explain
that postscript files formatted for output on a Lino are not going
to have teh same page flow as the same pages formatted for output
on the LaserJet 4 down the hall <sigh>
6. Production manager calls back. Font still isn't printing. I generate
and send a replacement (converting a cheap TrueType font into
PostScript Type 1 for downloading from a Sparcstation to a Lino isn't
as straightforward as I thought <sigh> Truetype won't work, Prod.Mgr.
is no help on what he actually needs ...
7. Currently scrambling to print 1500 pages of camera-ready on a
hirez laser printer I hijacked from our art department, by 4 pm
today so Fedex can pick it up for AM delivery tomorrow. Laser
printer crashes every now and then and requires reboot, but this is
smooth sailing compared to the above clusterexpletive.
8. Production manager calls back again. Font still still isn't printing.
"What about the one I sent you yesterday?" "Uh, oh yeah." "I'll send
it again ..." His modem line answers, but does not receive data. I
try again. I try again. I phone, he says "Oh, oops". I try again,
send the file. I know know where Beavis and Butthead work after they
got canned from Burger World.
Went home last night and indulged in one of the "occupational hazards"
of a position that is usually exciting and rewarding, but filled at
times with stress and angst over stupid things I can't control.
Considered Jack Black and Food 4 Less house white, opted for the house
white on the grounds that a vicious hangover was preferable to massive
stomach irritation.
Cheers, 805-873-2500
Gwen gwen -dot- barnes -at- mustang -dot- com
MSI * Connecting the world WWW, Telnet, FTP: bbs.mustang.com
@DISCLAIMER@ ` Free speech online `
