RE: Manuals in InDesign

Subject: RE: Manuals in InDesign
From: "Claire Conant" <Claire -dot- Conant -at- Digeo -dot- com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Date: Tue, 16 Aug 2005 10:08:51 -0700


>Amanda wrote: I hate the idea of making documentation flashy, but I do
>understand the
>reasoning and have seen other companies "throw away docs". I saved my
HR
>packet from Disney for years. It was a design straight out of an art
>student's portfolio.
>
>I just cringe at the idea of giving up the text exclusion capabilities
of
>Framemaker.

I never used InDesign before my current position and have always been a
FrameMaker proponent. However, after using it a bit (not an expert of
all its features by any means) I can see the allure of it.

We use Frame for our larger technical docs (installation guides,
operations manuals) usually over 50 pages. Our end user docs (like
viewer's guides), datasheets, and white papers are done in InDesign. I
like IDs flexibility for page layout and graphics and once you learn
some of the basics of master pages, text frames, layers, and story
editor, it doesn't seem that difficult to me.

I found page numbering difficult in ID, but easy in Frame. (Could be a
user thing, not a software thing.) I like the book feature of Frame, and
haven't found anything similar in ID. (Could be my inexperience there,
too.)

I know there is a lot that InDesign does that I'm not familiar with, but
I do like it for layout, and feel it is a good tool for documents that
need more of a marketing flair. For more plain technical documentation
(not to mention single-sourcing and WWP features), I'd still stay with
FrameMaker.

Just my (as another tech-wrler says) $0.12934 <G>

Claire

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