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Subject:Re: Hard Copy Manuals: Who does layout? From:Jennifer Kraus <jlkraus -at- AMETEKWATER -dot- COM> Date:Wed, 11 Jun 1997 10:26:41 -0500
Where we work, the graphics department does layout and design for manuals, sell-
sheets, etc. While I miss the design work, the situation works out well for us. I can
give them suggestions about formatting, and I get to choose the way the information
is organized, but they do the actual DTP work. After they're finished, I check the document for accuracy, widows, orphans, and give my suggestions on any kind of design element that impedes communication. Then I check the blue-lines when the manuals come back from the printer. The key to the success of our situation is that I still have the freedom to change the manual and okay the final product, even after it's gone to graphics.
The situation does have its drawbacks. The time constraint is one, when we get a 3 week-lead time to revise a given manual and we aren't always able to make the changes we want. But that's not entirely a result of the graphics department; any changes we make have to be translated into Spanish, and then the Spanish and English must be laid out across from each other on the manual. The other drawback is that I often need to review the document more often than I would otherwise, because changes I mark are often overlooked.
Overall? The situation works for us because we produce fairly short manuals (25 p. tops) and a good deal of single page layouts. In addition, our graphics department is the only department with Macs, which printers accept more readily. It also frees up time for me to work on our website, which helps satisfy my desire to design.
Don't know if this helped at all...
Jennifer Kraus
jlkraus -at- ametekwater -dot- com
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