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Subject:Downside of PDF and Online vs. Print From:"Wing, Michael J" <mjwing -at- INGR -dot- COM> Date:Thu, 17 Dec 1998 13:23:54 -0600
> Remember that PDF is not online help. There are much better tools for
> online help. PDF is a format that allows you to ensure that the
> formatting of a document will be maintained when printed.
>
> The assumption behind PDF is therefore that the user will print it. PDF
> has nothing to do with saving trees - it's about passing the cost of
> printing onto the customer, or, more charitably, allowing the customer
> to print as many copies as they require.
>
IMO, it's more than a "who has to print the thing issue". It also has to do
with production schedules. How many of you work for outfits that actually
freeze the design in plenty of time before P-load, and, thus, allow time to
document last minute changes and get the thing printed? Now, how many of
you work for outfits that are more likely to change design/specs/features
until the day of shipment? If you have to produce a document for these
products, which document is more likely to be accurate concerning these late
changes? The one sent to the print shop a month ago or the electronic one
that was changed concurrently with the design?
Another issue is updating. Like the freeze-vs.-last-minute-changes factor,
often a product goes out only to meet unforeseen situations. To handle
these situations, many companies release hot fixes. Sometimes these fixes
affect documentation. With a bound and printed document in the customer's
hands there are possibly areas where the written word they hold is no longer
true. Now, the manual could be reprinted and redistributed at some cost and
some time delay (hey, we don't want to be perceived as cheap now, do we?).
This may be fine ... well ... at least until hot fix number 2. Whereas,
with the "cheap and lazy" electronic method, thousands of customers can
receive up-to-date documentation with a keystroke.
> Where PDF breaks down is that the user will usually choose to skip the
> printing.
>
... and where it picks up is in revisions, product previews, new material,
and so forth. Instead of reshipping a revised manual or errata sheets, the
user can download the latest copies. They can then print out only the pages
that are affected.
> In my experience, if you put any tiny obstacle between the reader and
> the reading, you lose a percentage of the readership. Printing out a PDF
> document is rather a large obstacle to many readers.
>
I see this as yes and no. Yes it is an obstacle in that a user just
learning the product has the onus of printing the thing out or reading from
the screen. Especially if there is much comprehensive material in the
document. No, its not an obstacle if the user is receiving add-ons,
upgrades, and corrections. In these cases, they may only be interested in
printing the changes. Furthermore, reference material may be better suited
for on-line. What with full-text search, context sensitivity, electronic
indices, hyperlinks, and what have you. Especially since the alternative is
the thumb and finger planted in the index while pages are flipped looking
for the appropriate section(s).
> Therefore, going the PDF route means you find it acceptable to lose a
> segment of your readership.
>
Hogwash! I find this attitude more prevalent with WRITERS who don't want to
convert their documents, learn new tools, and develop new techniques than I
do with CUSTOMERS. In the early days of WinHelp, I heard (mostly from
computer-phobic writers) how customers do not want on-line help. Instead,
they would rather use a written reference guide and look stuff up manually.
Now, if the customer can't press F1 and get instant access to applicable
information, they bemoan opening up the book and hunting without assistance.
But, again, much of the acceptance or rejection of online documentation
depends on the type of product, type of document (reference, theory of
operation, procedural, and so forth). I, myself, like to read an overview,
get a working idea how to perform a task(s), attempt the task, and then
return to the documentation to enhance or correct my techniques. In this
approach, I only print out the pages containing the information pertinent to
the task at hand.
