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Subject:Re: Binders vs. Books From:Lynn Gottlieb <lynndeg -at- U -dot- WASHINGTON -dot- EDU> Date:Wed, 5 Mar 1997 08:57:00 -0800
I guess I should have made it clear in my answer to the original post that
all my clients and I have been employees of the same corporation. I
realize that puts a different spin on things like cost and corporate
policy.
On Wed, 5 Mar 1997 jsokohl -at- CAMPBELLSOFT -dot- COM wrote:
> I weigh in heavily _against_ binders...mostly because I consider the
> design a throwback to the '80s. Also, there are usability &
> connotative objections to binders, esp. 9x12 (inch) ones--most people
> don't have desk space sufficient to use them.
>
> Perfect-bound books do have usability issues (can't lay flat easily,
> unless you use "lay-flat" binding, which is even more expensive).
> That's why we settled on wire-o binding. Books lay flat, yet they're
> bound. Being bound provides permanence and a sense of authority to me,
> while binders imply that the documentation's less "real" (these are
> aesthetic judgments of mine, not researched results). Anyway, the 7x9
> (or 7x8.5) inch design seems to work. Also, I like having our
> documentation simulate (to a certain physical space degree) or evoke
> "commercial" doc--so many people now have computers in their homes as
> well as work areas that they're used to some form of paper
> documentation appearing.
>
> Long ramble to say I'd vote against binders. And I'd vote against
> change bars. And our motto here is, "Use point pages (38.1, 38.2,
> 38.3, etc.), go to jail--it's the law!"
>
> joe
> Joe Sokohl
> Manager of Documentation
> Campbell Software, Inc.
>
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