Re: Office 2007 question
Subject:
Re: Office 2007 question
From:
BBEGIN -at- aol -dot- com
To:
techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Date:
Wed, 20 Feb 2008 09:21:45 EST
I am working (independently) with a group to develop training using
Microsoft Office. One person switched from Office 2003 to Office 2007 when she bought
a new computer. Now when we share documents bulleted lists, alignment and
other things get out of whack. Those of us who installed the converter haven't
had many problems.
Any suggestions? Other experience?
TIA,
Beth Lisberg Najberg
Beginnings
Chicago
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---
Today's Topics:
1. RE: Tech communication ethics (was Re: Ambiguous words and
Phrases) (Dori Green)
2. Need printer suggestions (Cardimon, Craig)
3. OT? Community and tech writing in real life (was Re:
Ambiguous words and Phrases) (Tim Mantyla)
4. Beginning topic titles with "How to..." (Deborah Slutzky)
5. Tech communication ethics (was Re: Ambiguous words and
Phrases) (Tim Mantyla)
6. Re: Double meanings (Tim Mantyla)
7. Beginning topic titles with "How to..."? (Geoff Hart)
8. Re: FOSS like FrameMaker (Ethan Metsger)
9. Re: Need printer suggestions (Pro TechWriter)
10. Re: Need printer suggestions (Suzette Leeming)
11. RE: Beginning topic titles with "How to..."? (Dori Green)
12. Beginning topic titles with "How to..."? (take II) (Geoff Hart)
13. Re: Need printer suggestions (al -dot- geist -at- geistassociates -dot- com)
14. Re: Need printer suggestions (al -dot- geist -at- geistassociates -dot- com)
15. RE: OT? Community and tech writing in real life (was Re:
Ambiguous wordsand Phrases) (Combs, Richard)
16. Re: Beginning topic titles with "How to..." (Janice Gelb)
17. RE: OT? Community and tech writing in real life (was Re:
Ambiguouswordsand Phrases) (Dan Goldstein)
18. RE: Need printer suggestions (Cardimon, Craig)
19. Re: Beginning topic titles with "How to..." (Wanda Phillips)
20. RE: Need printer suggestions (Lauren)
21. Re: Beginning topic titles with "How to..." (Yves JEAUROND)
22. RE: OT? Community and tech writing in real life (was Re:
Ambiguous wordsand Phrases) (Lauren)
23. RE: Need printer suggestions (John Hedtke)
24. Re: Need printer suggestions (Suzanne Chiles)
25. RE: OT? Community and tech writing in real life (was Re:
Ambiguouswordsand Phrases) (Lauren)
26. Re: OT? Community and tech writing in real life (was Re:
Ambiguouswordsand Phrases) (Bill Swallow)
27. a suggestion for the list (Bill Swallow)
28. Seminar ideas for advanced practitioners (john -at- garisons -dot- com)
29. Re: Seminar ideas for advanced practitioners (John Hedtke)
30. RE: Seminar ideas for advanced practitioners
(WilliamFLawrence -at- eaton -dot- com)
31. know your ... who? (McLauchlan, Kevin)
32. RE: OT? Community and tech writing in real life (was Re:
Ambiguouswordsand Phrases) (Combs, Richard)
33. RE: know your ... who? (technical writing plus)
34. RE: know your ... who? (Lauren)
35. RE: know your ... who? (Gause_Brian -at- emc -dot- com)
36. Your sentence of the day? (Nancy Allison)
37. RE: Need printer suggestions (Sam Beard)
38. RE: Seminar ideas for advanced practitioners (Connie Giordano)
39. RE: know your ... who? (Combs, Richard)
40. RE: know your ... who? (McLauchlan, Kevin)
41. Re: Beginning topic titles with "How to..." (Janice Gelb)
42. RE: Need printer suggestions (Pinkham, Jim)
43. Re: know your ... who? (jlshaeffer -at- aol -dot- com)
44. RE: know your ... who? (Lauren)
45. RE: Need printer suggestions (Al Geist)
46. censorious persnickety flibbertigibbets; was, "Re: know your
... who?" (LCP)
47. RE: Need printer suggestions (Lauren)
48. Re: know your ... who? (Pro TechWriter)
49. RE: censorious persnickety flibbertigibbets; was, "Re: know
your ... who?" (Lauren)
50. Why are the lines of the quoted message only one word long?;
was, "censorious persnickety flibbertigibbets" (LCP)
51. Re: Why are the lines of the quoted message only one word
long?; was, "censorious persnickety flibbertigibbets" (Jan Cohen)
52. RE: Need printer suggestions (Al Geist)
53. RE: know your ... who? (Lauren)
54. Re: OT? Community and tech writing in real life (was Re:
Ambiguous words and Phrases) (Ned Bedinger)
55. RE: Need printer suggestions (Pinkham, Jim)
56. RE: Need printer suggestions (Al Geist)
57. RE: Need printer suggestions (Pinkham, Jim)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Message: 1
Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 08:48:49 -0500
From: "Dori Green" <dgreen -at- associatedbrands -dot- com>
Subject: RE: Tech communication ethics (was Re: Ambiguous words and
Phrases)
To: <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Message-ID:
<B3ECDE119347404A8604DE7D54921F13A99B8A -at- SDCEX -dot- associatedbrands -dot- ca>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Ethical rule #1: don't volunteer other people.
Dori Green
________________________________
From: Tim Mantyla [mailto:TimMantyla -at- nustep -dot- com]
Sent: Monday, February 18, 2008 4:25 PM
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Cc: Dori Green
Subject: Tech communication ethics (was Re: Ambiguous words and Phrases)
Dori has started a list and a discussion of ethics, I hope. I like that!
Any additions or suggestions?
--Tim
> From: "Dori Green" <dgreen -at- associatedbrands -dot- com>
> If writing ambiguously on purpose is not prohibited in the STC's Code
of
> Ethics for Technical Writers, it should be. If STC does not have a
Code
> of Ethics for Technical Writers, it should.
> Dori Green
> From: Peter Neilson <neilson -at- windstream -dot- net>
>
> The concern in writing marketing materials or sales scripts is not
that
> information be conveyed accurately or completely, but that an
emotional
> environment conducive to a sale be created.
>
> Andrew Warren wrote:
> > V Suresh wrote:
> > ...
> >> It actually leaves a customer helpless if they ever get into
> >> a hassle with the bank.
> >>
> >> If you ask me, the Banks by using such ambiguous words can
> >> easily get away from any tight corners.
> >
> > I don't see that. The loan isn't approved until the bank
> > says it is; "approved in principle" is no more harmful to
> > the applicant than "nearing approval", "not yet approved",
> > or "awaiting approval".
> >
> >> Isn?t there a need to give more clarity to a customer than
> >> that?
> >
> > The sentence only lacks clarity if the reader is unfamiliar
> > with the phrase "in principle". If the reader knows the
> > phrase, it actually ADDS clarity.
> > I guess the bank could simplify the language in the loan-
> > approval letter, but the customer's eventually going to
> > have to read the loan docs, and the language is MUCH more
> > complicated there. Simplifying the letter isn't going to
> > do much to improve a customer's overall comprehension of
> > the system.
> From: Ned Bedinger <doc -at- edwordsmith -dot- com>
> In general, when a business sector characteristically obscures
important
> information with ambiguous words, I don't like it. I take a dim view
of
> it. Sometimes I might see that the ambiguity hss been introduced by a
> writer who doesn't understand the subject matter, but that's a
different
> matter.
...
> The financial industry in the United States has been under fire in
> recent years for creating consumer documentation that requires, in the
> words of Senator Carl Levin, a 27th-grade education to comprehend.
>
> At Sen. Levin's request, the General Accounting Office (GAO) undertook
a
> study of the credit card industry, and found that the terms of credit
> card agreements are written at a 10th-12th grade level, well above the
> 8th-grade level at which half of US adults read.
>
> See the full report, which discusses the results found by readability
> consultants:
>
> http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d06929.pdf
>
> BTW, Sen. Levin's committee held hearings about this and other credit
> card practices. One public hearing featured credit card company
> executives in attendance to answer question, and it was a spectacle
> worthy of the Roman forum. Levin read, for a solid minute, from the
> text of an agreement from a major credit card company, and then asked
> one of the executives if he believed that credit card holders knew
what
> it meant. The exec stated that yes, he thought most of them did. The
> audience erupted in gales of derisive laughter.
>
> TW tie-in: This might be a good example of how to make document
reviews
> more popular and entertaining, but not if you're prone to blushing.
>
> Ned Bedinger
> doc -at- edwordsmith -dot- com
------------------------------
Message: 2
Date: Mon, 18 Feb 2008 15:31:51 -0500
From: "Cardimon, Craig" <ccardimon -at- M-S-G -dot- com>
Subject: Need printer suggestions
To: "Techwr-l" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Cc: Craig <cardimon720 -at- yahoo -dot- com>
Message-ID: <19C7D9BC73C7914BAB5D21A6C05F2AD78B29A0 -at- Delmar2 -dot- m-s-g -dot- com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Techwhirlers,
Our old HP d135 All-In-One is dying. It isn't pretty. The scanner is
dead and the rest of it is looking a bit pale. The colors are way off,
as well.
We have two computers. An old Dell from 2002 (5300?) that keeps on
ticking and a newer Sony Vaio. When our printer gets a bit more pitiful,
I'm going to get a new one and try, again, to rig up a home network.
I have tried before, without success, to create a network. I think our
Dell is just too old. I tried making a network disk using its 3.5 slot
(!). The Sony wouldn't read it and said the disc needed to be formatted,
which I already did in the Dell.
We need a decent home office printer that produces good text and good
photos. High output is not necessary. We have a "home office" but no
home business or anything like that just yet. Reading from camera memory
cards would be nice, but we don't need it. Network ready would also be
nice.
I was thinking about the Epson Stylus Photo RX595 Photo All-in-One
Printer, which got a nice review at
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/13/technology/circuits/13printer.html
<http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/13/technology/circuits/13printer.html>
, and is available at Amazon
(http://www.amazon.com/Epson-Stylus-Photo-RX595-Printer/dp/B000SDW62O/re
f=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1203356560&sr=8-1
<http://www.amazon.com/Epson-Stylus-Photo-RX595-Printer/dp/B000SDW62O/re
f=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1203356560&sr=8-1> )
If anyone has an opinion, I would love to hear it. No, really.
-- Craig
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------------------------------
Message: 3
Date: Mon, 18 Feb 2008 14:03:57 -0500
From: Tim Mantyla <TimMantyla -at- nustep -dot- com>
Subject: OT? Community and tech writing in real life (was Re:
Ambiguous words and Phrases)
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Message-ID:
<OF0250AE03 -dot- 2789D432-ON852573F3 -dot- 0060F6EA-852573F3 -dot- 0068BBAC -at- nustep -dot- com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
This is one thread that's spilling over into "real life" issues, a
tendency which some readers on this list abhor. I'd like to comment on
spill-over in general, since it is and will always be an issue on lists
dedicated to a particular topic area.
I understand and agree that this is a tech writer list. It is devoted
primarily to tech writer topics--which spill over into other issues
occasionally. Sure, it's a balancing act to keep it on topic. But the fact
is, technical communication shares most of its ground with other kinds of
communication.
Also, if we all acted as tech-write-bots every moment of every day, we
wouldn't be part of a community--which is *also* an unstated purpose of a
tech writer list. We would instead be "Mr. Smith" in The Matrix, a machine
so overly efficient and incapable of empathy that it kills by
default--kind of how humanity acts in some places and some ways. The fact
is, we each have ideas, experiences and feelings that may (and should at
times) spill onto the list and even offend others from time to time. So
long as it's polite and sticks to the topic in some remote way, I hope we
encourage that kind of exchange, but in a limited way. Who defines those
limits? All of us, in essence, which means they'll always be fuzzy.
I support "real life" spillover occasionally, since our own lives revolve
in "real life" as well as our "tech writer life" bubble at work. The fact
that the ambiguous marketing writing referenced below is not obviously or
overtly technical in nature does not make the comments inappropriate,
IMHO. Clarity is a primary issue in any kind of writing.
Clear writing usually provides the best customer service and is one of the
most needed writing deliverables. Ethics demand it in certain areas, such
as when money is exchanged, as reflected in contracts. (The convoluted
credit card language Sen. Levin examined is simply terrible customer
service!) Because tech writers communicate about organizations'
intentions, efforts, products and views, clarity and ethics both fall
within the tech writer's scope.
Why not explore more on the ethics of communication? Some corporations try
to weasel out of responsibility or into your pocketbook using ambiguous
language. This has real life implications and brings up issues of morality
apropos to technical and other communication. Writers have a
responsibility to the larger community, not just their employer, IMHO.
Corporations should, too, but some don't because many laws governing
corporations aren't tough enough to protect consumers from some
profiteering, inhumane corporate leaders.
The purpose of this list is to serve the tech writer community's needs.
Communities encompass people (and sometimes other creatures) with
overlapping as well as disparate needs and goals. Ken's (for example)
needs or interests may not coincide exactly with yours in this particular
area. With that in mind, does it make sense that he has a right--perhaps
even a duty, arising from his inner self, intuition or other impulse known
only to him--to offer the tech writer community his unique experience here
nonetheless? I found his post refreshing and stimulating, and saw in it a
useful comment on tech writing issues.
I love the TV spot with James Lipton (Inside the Actor's Studio) speaking
for a customer who mentions her phone experience with customer service:
"Ahhh. Humans...acting humanly." Part of being human is to constantly push
boundaries and expand experience; so list topics spill over into real life
issues. Next year we may see a list devoted to ethical issues in tech and
other writing as part of that expansion. And if some thoughts from that
list spill over here, I won't mind one bit.
To paraphrase Devo: Are we not men--and women?? We are tech writers...
Happy Monday, Week, Year and Lifetime,
Tim / Tech Writer +++++
The Bigger Picture: If each of us considered our larger community in many
of our activities, would we have collectively created the gap between rich
and poor that now threatens too much of humanity? Would Exxon glut itself
in the largest corporate profit ever by contributing to global warming,
while many are losing their homes, some 15,000 homeless struggle to
survive in Detroit's sub-zero temperatures this winter and Darfur's 3.5
million refugees cringe in fear of rape and murder at any given moment?
Let's think about ourselves as cells in a community body called humanity:
It's impossible for the whole body to thrive while other vital organs are
dying. Sooner or later, those with the least ability and greatest need
will bring us all down, unless we care for each other.
> From: "Dan Goldstein" <DGoldstein -at- riverainmedical -dot- com>
> Hi Ken,
>
> This is a tech writing e-mail list.
>
> Happy Friday,
>
> Dan
> From: poshedly -at- bellsouth -dot- net
> ...the medical director of
> one insurance company during a videotaped deposition for a lawsuit
> where he acknowledged that while his signature is at the bottom of
> one particular letter, his "signature" is really only on a rubber
> stamp used by others to do what they will. In other words, HE
> doesn't / didn't actually deny or agree to anything -- it was the
> beancounters issuing "medical" decisions with his "signature".
> It's like years ago when they said you know it's going to be a bad
> day when you find Mike Wallace and the "60 Minutes" film crew
> awaiting your arrival at your office.
>
> -- Ken in Atlanta
> > V. Suresh wrote:
> >
> > Isn't there a need to give more clarity to a customer than that?? What
> > do you say?
------------------------------
Message: 4
Date: Mon, 18 Feb 2008 11:32:47 -0500
From: "Deborah Slutzky" <Deborah -dot- Slutzky -at- datacore -dot- com>
Subject: Beginning topic titles with "How to..."
To: <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Message-ID:
<419630999F5B9D41A602A1A79DC81442B05D89 -at- mail2 -dot- datacoresoftware -dot- com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Hello All,
I need some opinions. Just wondering how folks feel about beginning
topic titles with "How to..." I'm used to beginning them with a gerund,
but the shop that I am now working for has an assorted bag of formats
and I run into this once in a while. Personally, I don't care for it
because I think the entire Help is a How to.....but I'd like some
thoughts from others.
Deb Slutzky
DataCore Software
Sr. Technical Writer
954/377-6028
Deborah -dot- Slutzky -at- datacore -dot- com <mailto:Deborah -dot- Slutzky -at- datacore -dot- com>
------------------------------
Message: 5
Date: Mon, 18 Feb 2008 16:25:09 -0500
From: Tim Mantyla <TimMantyla -at- nustep -dot- com>
Subject: Tech communication ethics (was Re: Ambiguous words and
Phrases)
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Message-ID:
<OF41A031BF -dot- EFA6D137-ON852573F3 -dot- 00606461-852573F3 -dot- 0075A8B9 -at- nustep -dot- com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Dori has started a list and a discussion of ethics, I hope. I like that!
Any additions or suggestions?
--Tim
> From: "Dori Green" <dgreen -at- associatedbrands -dot- com>
> If writing ambiguously on purpose is not prohibited in the STC's Code of
> Ethics for Technical Writers, it should be. If STC does not have a Code
> of Ethics for Technical Writers, it should.
> Dori Green
> From: Peter Neilson <neilson -at- windstream -dot- net>
>
> The concern in writing marketing materials or sales scripts is not that
> information be conveyed accurately or completely, but that an emotional
> environment conducive to a sale be created.
>
> Andrew Warren wrote:
> > V Suresh wrote:
> > ...
> >> It actually leaves a customer helpless if they ever get into
> >> a hassle with the bank.
> >>
> >> If you ask me, the Banks by using such ambiguous words can
> >> easily get away from any tight corners.
> >
> > I don't see that. The loan isn't approved until the bank
> > says it is; "approved in principle" is no more harmful to
> > the applicant than "nearing approval", "not yet approved",
> > or "awaiting approval".
> >
> >> Isn?t there a need to give more clarity to a customer than
> >> that?
> >
> > The sentence only lacks clarity if the reader is unfamiliar
> > with the phrase "in principle". If the reader knows the
> > phrase, it actually ADDS clarity.
> > I guess the bank could simplify the language in the loan-
> > approval letter, but the customer's eventually going to
> > have to read the loan docs, and the language is MUCH more
> > complicated there. Simplifying the letter isn't going to
> > do much to improve a customer's overall comprehension of
> > the system.
> From: Ned Bedinger <doc -at- edwordsmith -dot- com>
> In general, when a business sector characteristically obscures important
> information with ambiguous words, I don't like it. I take a dim view of
> it. Sometimes I might see that the ambiguity hss been introduced by a
> writer who doesn't understand the subject matter, but that's a different
> matter.
...
> The financial industry in the United States has been under fire in
> recent years for creating consumer documentation that requires, in the
> words of Senator Carl Levin, a 27th-grade education to comprehend.
>
> At Sen. Levin's request, the General Accounting Office (GAO) undertook a
> study of the credit card industry, and found that the terms of credit
> card agreements are written at a 10th-12th grade level, well above the
> 8th-grade level at which half of US adults read.
>
> See the full report, which discusses the results found by readability
> consultants:
>
> http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d06929.pdf
>
> BTW, Sen. Levin's committee held hearings about this and other credit
> card practices. One public hearing featured credit card company
> executives in attendance to answer question, and it was a spectacle
> worthy of the Roman forum. Levin read, for a solid minute, from the
> text of an agreement from a major credit card company, and then asked
> one of the executives if he believed that credit card holders knew what
> it meant. The exec stated that yes, he thought most of them did. The
> audience erupted in gales of derisive laughter.
>
> TW tie-in: This might be a good example of how to make document reviews
> more popular and entertaining, but not if you're prone to blushing.
>
> Ned Bedinger
> doc -at- edwordsmith -dot- com
------------------------------
Message: 6
Date: Mon, 18 Feb 2008 16:31:44 -0500
From: Tim Mantyla <TimMantyla -at- nustep -dot- com>
Subject: Re: Double meanings
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Message-ID:
<OFDB00CBA1 -dot- A4901D30-ON852573F3 -dot- 0075FAD9-852573F3 -dot- 00764312 -at- nustep -dot- com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
You are absolutely unique, a one-of-a-kind individual--just like everybody
else.
Hmmm...snowflakes, anyone?? ;-]
Tim
> From: "Sandy Harris" <sandyinchina -at- gmail -dot- com>
> On Feb 14, 2008 4:02 AM, Dori Green <dgreen -at- associatedbrands -dot- com> wrote:
>
> > And my own all-time personal favorite:
> >
> > "All those not fired with enthusiasm soon will be."
>
> One of the American revolutionaries"We must all hang together or we
> will certainly all hang separately"
>
> Or Dorothy Parker's: "A good man is hard to find. And vice versa."
>
> --
> Sandy Harris,
> Nanjing, China
------------------------------
Message: 7
Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 09:38:46 -0500
From: Geoff Hart <ghart -at- videotron -dot- ca>
Subject: Beginning topic titles with "How to..."?
To: techwr-l List <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>, Deborah Slutzky
<Deborah -dot- Slutzky -at- datacore -dot- com>
Message-ID: <8F9964DD-60CF-449A-B99B-ABDA4851A0C9 -at- videotron -dot- ca>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed
Deborah Slutzky wondered: <<... how folks feel about beginning topic
titles with "How to..." I'm used to beginning them with a gerund...>>
Although the phrasing isn't wrong, there are two strikes against "how
to": First, it's two words longer than necessary. It's not the length
that's an issue, since deleting "how to" and adding "ing" to the verb
only saves you 3 to 4 characters. Instead, it's the need to mentally
prune out the two words. Again, not a huge concern, but why bother?
The large issue is that if you standardize on "how to X", all topics
begin with "how to", not with the verb. That looks really bad in a
table of contents because the repetition creates rivers of white
space and draws attention towards the repeating pattern and away from
the actual verb.
Gerunds have become the standard because they're simple,
straightforward, and effective. Why mess with success?
----------------------------------------------------
-- Geoff Hart
ghart -at- videotron -dot- ca / geoffhart -at- mac -dot- com
www.geoff-hart.com
--------------------------------------------------
***Now available*** _Effective onscreen editing_
(http://www.geoff-hart.com/home/onscreen-book.htm)
------------------------------
Message: 8
Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 09:33:34 -0500
From: "Ethan Metsger" <emetsger -at- obj-sys -dot- com>
Subject: Re: FOSS like FrameMaker
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Message-ID: <op -dot- t6rz18tmp2vmmn -at- dell -dot- linuxdev -dot- us -dot- dell -dot- com>
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; delsp=yes;
charset=iso-8859-15
On Mon, 18 Feb 2008 19:30:10 -0500, technical writing plus
<doc-x -at- earthlink -dot- net> wrote:
> [1] Glad that someone remembered Lyx-I couldn't remember the name,
> earlier
> today. I knew it was a short computer-esque sounding name.
I'll also recommend it as a handy tool. It'll take some getting used to,
but I've used it both academically (on my thesis) and in the workplace. I
personally find it easier to use than Frame, but I'm not really a tech
writer. With some additional tools it can be used reasonably for
single-sourcing (e.g., through plastex or some other conversion tools).
> [2] I was going to suggest Latex as a very close approximation, in the
> FOSS
> world, to Framemaker. I think that most technical publications people
> would
> not know of Latex simply because it is academically-oriented.
> [3] By the way, what is an 'overlay'?
Their website is http://www.lyx.org -- it may provide a little more
information. Long and short of it is that LyX provides a nice GUI
interface to writing latex documents.
Style editing in latex (and therefore LyX) can be difficult, but there are
plenty of choices prepackaged in any latex distribution. I've found it
more convenient not to have to define my own styles, actually, but I'm
probably a little less motivated than some of you. ;)
Best,
Ethan (emetsger -at- obj-sys -dot- com)
http://uppertank.net/ethanm
------------------------------
Message: 9
Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 10:08:02 -0500
From: "Pro TechWriter" <pro -dot- techwriter -at- gmail -dot- com>
Subject: Re: Need printer suggestions
To: "Cardimon, Craig" <ccardimon -at- m-s-g -dot- com>
Cc: Craig <cardimon720 -at- yahoo -dot- com>, Techwr-l
<techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Message-ID:
<6b35bddb0802190708t8a55ca3k172ece9713c0af8b -at- mail -dot- gmail -dot- com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Hi Craig, Techwhirlers:
We have an Epson for printing directly on CDs (I am a musician and we
produce our own music CDs), but have avoided getting one for daily use. Why?
The ink cost is extremely high. For one model, the ink cartridge was $54!
The printer was on sale for $34, but I put it back when I realized the ink
cost more than the printer! :-\
My Mom just got a new HP All-in-one (no Fax), and the inks (both color and
black) are only 14.99. It's fast and easy to use. I've used it, and the
print output is very good. It has a smaller footprint than my Canon (see
next).
I have an older Canon Multipass MP390 (with a photo card printer slot) that
scans, copies, faxes, and prints, all very well. It's a bit noisy, but it is
older. It prints very nice photos, and is very fast for text. This one does
not have a sheet feeder for faxing (due to the flatbed scanner) but I don't
send multiple pages that often. It's my second Canon Multipass, if that
tells you anything. The first one lasted about 8 years, and I think this one
is nearly 5. I think the ink pack (2 blacks and 1 color) are about $24 to
$28 depending on what brand and where purchased.
I hope this helps, and will be interested to see what other comments you
get.
PT
On Feb 18, 2008 3:31 PM, Cardimon, Craig <ccardimon -at- m-s-g -dot- com> wrote:
> Techwhirlers,
>
>
>
> Our old HP d135 All-In-One is dying. It isn't pretty. The scanner is
> dead and the rest of it is looking a bit pale. The colors are way off,
> as well.
>
>
>
> We have two computers. An old Dell from 2002 (5300?) that keeps on
> ticking and a newer Sony Vaio. When our printer gets a bit more pitiful,
> I'm going to get a new one and try, again, to rig up a home network.
>
>
>
> I have tried before, without success, to create a network. I think our
> Dell is just too old. I tried making a network disk using its 3.5 slot
> (!). The Sony wouldn't read it and said the disc needed to be formatted,
> which I already did in the Dell.
>
>
>
> We need a decent home office printer that produces good text and good
> photos. High output is not necessary. We have a "home office" but no
> home business or anything like that just yet. Reading from camera memory
> cards would be nice, but we don't need it. Network ready would also be
> nice.
>
>
>
> I was thinking about the Epson Stylus Photo RX595 Photo All-in-One
> Printer, which got a nice review at
> http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/13/technology/circuits/13printer.html
> <http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/13/technology/circuits/13printer.html>
> , and is available at Amazon
> (http://www.amazon.com/Epson-Stylus-Photo-RX595-Printer/dp/B000SDW62O/re
> f=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1203356560&sr=8-1
> <http://www.amazon.com/Epson-Stylus-Photo-RX595-Printer/dp/B000SDW62O/re
> f=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1203356560&sr=8-1> )
>
>
>
> If anyone has an opinion, I would love to hear it. No, really.
>
>
>
> -- Craig
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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------------------------------
Message: 10
Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 10:16:06 -0500
From: "Suzette Leeming" <suzette -dot- leeming -at- gmail -dot- com>
Subject: Re: Need printer suggestions
To: "Pro TechWriter" <pro -dot- techwriter -at- gmail -dot- com>
Cc: "Cardimon, Craig" <ccardimon -at- m-s-g -dot- com>, Craig
<cardimon720 -at- yahoo -dot- com>, Techwr-l <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Message-ID:
<86656a5c0802190716h7b4ded91wc998537cdec567c1 -at- mail -dot- gmail -dot- com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Inkjet cartridges can be quite expensive, but I have found a great place
online to order compatible cartridges - www.atlanticinkjet.com. I have no
affiliation with them, only as a satisfied customer. I have purchased ink
for many epson models, and a couple of hp models, and the quality is as good
as eom cartridges, at a fraction of the price.
Just thought I'd throw that in.
Suzette Leeming
Stouffville, Ontario
On Feb 19, 2008 10:08 AM, Pro TechWriter <pro -dot- techwriter -at- gmail -dot- com> wrote:
> Hi Craig, Techwhirlers:
>
> We have an Epson for printing directly on CDs (I am a musician and we
> produce our own music CDs), but have avoided getting one for daily use.
> Why?
> The ink cost is extremely high. For one model, the ink cartridge was $54!
> The printer was on sale for $34, but I put it back when I realized the ink
> cost more than the printer! :-\
>
> My Mom just got a new HP All-in-one (no Fax), and the inks (both color and
> black) are only 14.99. It's fast and easy to use. I've used it, and the
> print output is very good. It has a smaller footprint than my Canon (see
> next).
>
> I have an older Canon Multipass MP390 (with a photo card printer slot)
> that
> scans, copies, faxes, and prints, all very well. It's a bit noisy, but it
> is
> older. It prints very nice photos, and is very fast for text. This one
> does
> not have a sheet feeder for faxing (due to the flatbed scanner) but I
> don't
> send multiple pages that often. It's my second Canon Multipass, if that
> tells you anything. The first one lasted about 8 years, and I think this
> one
> is nearly 5. I think the ink pack (2 blacks and 1 color) are about $24 to
> $28 depending on what brand and where purchased.
>
>
--
"What I like to drink most is wine that belongs to others." - Diogenes
Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail
Need affordable web hosting? I recommend 1 & 1 - that's where I'm hosted!
http://www.1and1.com/?k_id=6815038
------------------------------
Message: 11
Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 10:24:15 -0500
From: "Dori Green" <dgreen -at- associatedbrands -dot- com>
Subject: RE: Beginning topic titles with "How to..."?
To: "techwr-l List" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Message-ID:
<B3ECDE119347404A8604DE7D54921F13A99B94 -at- SDCEX -dot- associatedbrands -dot- ca>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
"How to Wash Parts" beats "Parts Washing Procedure" all hollow. IMNSHO.
Whenever possible I engage final users in the creation of instructions,
and I usually let them select the title. We have a few conventions for
titles:
Start with "Associated Brands..." if the document applies to all
departments.
Start with the department or area name if the document applies to one
department or area, for example: "Mixing Pre-Operation Checklist".
"How to..." and "Instructions for..." and "Guidelines for..." can all be
used for instructions. I let the users choose. Guidelines and
Instructions/How To are subtly different and when necessary we spend
some time on discussing and understanding that difference. <in case it
isn't obvious, "Guidelines" = "Should do it this way, helpful hints" and
"Instructions/How To" = "Do It This Way Or Risk Disciplinary Action".
If there is any risk of personal or equipment or product damage, it's
got to be an instruction/how to.
The word "procedure" is so badly misunderstood and abused here that I do
not allow it. We had a QC (not QA) person who insisted on creating
"protocols" instead of "test plans" but she is no longer here. She
wasn't wrong but our user population has no clue that a protocol is a
test plan.
We have process overviews or descriptions, instructions, checklists,
forms, and supporting documents (charts, photos, illustrations,
examples, etc.). Any reasonably intelligent person can obtain their own
working list of documents that apply to their area with a simple title
search of the database because I am ruthless about the accuracy of
document titles so that the title list becomes pretty much
self-indexing.
Dori Green
I tossed this reply out without editing and I'm on painkillers. Take
what you like and leave the rest.
------------------------------
Message: 12
Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 10:29:29 -0500
From: Geoff Hart <ghart -at- videotron -dot- ca>
Subject: Beginning topic titles with "How to..."? (take II)
To: Dori Green <dgreen -at- associatedbrands -dot- com>, techwr-l List
<techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Message-ID: <C6885DBF-4119-4D4F-8F71-A16CD489759C -at- videotron -dot- ca>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed
Dori Green noted: <<"How to Wash Parts" beats "Parts Washing
Procedure" all hollow. IMNSHO.>>
True, but that's not what I or the original poster suggested. Using a
gerund, the heading would become "Washing parts".
----------------------------------------------------
-- Geoff Hart
ghart -at- videotron -dot- ca / geoffhart -at- mac -dot- com
www.geoff-hart.com
--------------------------------------------------
***Now available*** _Effective onscreen editing_
(http://www.geoff-hart.com/home/onscreen-book.htm)
------------------------------
Message: 13
Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 07:41:36 -0800 (PST)
From: al -dot- geist -at- geistassociates -dot- com
Subject: Re: Need printer suggestions
To: "Techwr-l" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Message-ID:
<61212 -dot- 12 -dot- 152 -dot- 229 -dot- 254 -dot- 1203435696 -dot- squirrel -at- webmail -dot- geistassociates -dot- com>
Content-Type: text/plain;charset=iso-8859-1
Cardimon, Craig wrote:
"I was thinking about the Epson Stylus Photo RX595 Photo All-in-One
Printer, which got a nice review...."
We purchased a RX595 several months ago for my wife's home office and it's
great. Ink cartridges are inexpensive and unlike the HP printers, the
paper doesn't have to make a U-turn on it's way to the print head. (I have
several HP printers prior to buying an Epson Stylus Photo R1800 for myself
and have never had the feed problems I experienced with the HP products.)
As for ink usage and output quality, an important consideration for those
of us who do a lot of printing....the newer generation of Epson printers
(including the RX595) sip ink, the printed outputs are spectacular and
when printed on Epson or Ilford inkjet photo paper, the prints can last up
to 150 years without fading.
As for networking capabilities, all printers will be available to the
computers connected to your home network if they are set up to share. You
can also look at getting a print server module to connect it directly to
the network versus going through a computer. There are plusses and minus
to both methods. You can always pick up an inexpensive book on networking
basics (a Dummy or Idiot's Guide come to mind) that would answer most of
your questions.
BTW..We have a Microsoft peer-to-peer network (hardwire and wireless mix)
with two XP Pro systems and one XP Home, two printers, several scanners
and a cat.
Hope this helps.
Al Geist
Technical Publications Mgr.
SUSS MicroTec
Tel: 1-802-244-5181 ext 296
Mobile: 802-578-3964
al -dot- geist -at- suss -dot- com
al -dot- geist -at- geistassociates -dot- com
www.suss.com
This e-mail may contain confidential or privileged information. If you are
not the intended recipient (or received it in error) please notify the
sender immediately and delete this e-mail. Unauthorized copying,
disclosure or distribution of the material in this e-mail is strictly
forbidden.
------------------------------
Message: 14
Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 07:51:48 -0800 (PST)
From: al -dot- geist -at- geistassociates -dot- com
Subject: Re: Need printer suggestions
To: "Suzette Leeming" <suzette -dot- leeming -at- gmail -dot- com>
Cc: "Cardimon, Craig" <ccardimon -at- m-s-g -dot- com>, Craig
<cardimon720 -at- yahoo -dot- com>, Techwr-l <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Message-ID:
<63872 -dot- 12 -dot- 152 -dot- 229 -dot- 254 -dot- 1203436308 -dot- squirrel -at- webmail -dot- geistassociates -dot- com>
Content-Type: text/plain;charset=iso-8859-1
Suzette Leeming wrote:
> Inkjet cartridges can be quite expensive, but I have found a great place
> online to order compatible cartridges - www.atlanticinkjet.com. I have no
> affiliation with them, only as a satisfied customer. I have purchased ink
> for many epson models, and a couple of hp models, and the quality is as
> good as eom cartridges, at a fraction of the price.
>
>
There are diffent ways to measure quality. One is price versus number of
pages. This works if you are printing material where longevity is not an
important issue. I also produce high quality art prints that are displayed
in galleries and entered in juried art shows. My quality standards stress
consistant color matching and print longevity. I follow Wilhelm Imaging
Associates (http://www.wilhelm-research.com/) suggestions. They are the
standard for testing color imagery (film, ink jet, etc.). So, before you
purchase non-factory ink jet cartridges, determine what you are looking
for in your output. Off brand ink cartridges may work for you and they
will reduce your operating costs. They just won't work for me.
Al Geist
Technical Publications Mgr.
SUSS MicroTec
Tel: 1-802-244-5181 ext 296
Mobile: 802-578-3964
al -dot- geist -at- suss -dot- com
al -dot- geist -at- geistassociates -dot- com
www.suss.com
------------------------------
Message: 15
Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 09:59:22 -0700
From: "Combs, Richard" <richard -dot- combs -at- Polycom -dot- com>
Subject: RE: OT? Community and tech writing in real life (was Re:
Ambiguous wordsand Phrases)
To: "Tim Mantyla" <TimMantyla -at- nustep -dot- com>,
<techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Message-ID:
<AABEB232F95338499DF8F513EE2B2C78A69D86 -at- WSTEXCH00 -dot- westminster -dot- polycom -dot- com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Tim Mantyla said:
cliches from the 60s>
Including:
> Communities encompass people (and sometimes other creatures)
> with overlapping as well as disparate needs and goals. Ken's
> (for example) needs or interests may not coincide exactly
> with yours in this particular area. With that in mind, does
> it make sense that he has a right--perhaps even a duty,
> arising from his inner self, intuition or other impulse known
> only to him--to offer the tech writer community his unique
> experience here nonetheless?
You want OT? I'll give you OT.
If we have a right and duty to blurt out whatever our "inner self" wants
to blurt out, I'm compelled to note the irony of your criticizing Exxon
Mobil for "contributing to global warming," while in the same sentence
you lament the suffering of the homeless in "sub-zero temperatures."
And speaking of Exxon, here's something to remember while you're
sneering at "the largest corporate profit ever": Exxon paid $30 billion
in corporate taxes in 2007, a tax rate of more than 40%. In fact, Exxon
paid more in income taxes than the bottom 50% of individual taxpayers!
According to Tax Foundation data cited in Investor's Business Daily,
from 1977 to 2004, U.S. oil companies' average corporate income tax rate
(federal and state) was 45%.
The remaining after-tax profits of companies like Exxon Mobil are
distributed among their shareholders, and that's just about everyone
with a pension, IRA, 401k, or any equity mutual fund investment. Those
record profits you so despise are helping many of us prepare for the
future and are a vital source of income for countless retirees.
Of course, your thinly-veiled closing reference to the commie slogan
"From each according to his ability, to each according to his need"
makes it pretty clear what you think of individuals taking
responsibility for themselves.
"Cells in a community body" have no autonomy or individuality or free
will. How revealing that you chose that metaphor.
Obligatory TW tie-in: You communicate not just with what you say, but
with how you say it. And with what you omit.
OK, I've had my say -- time for the admin OT warning. ;-)
Harrumph!
Richard
------
Richard G. Combs
Senior Technical Writer
Polycom, Inc.
richardDOTcombs AT polycomDOTcom
303-223-5111
------
rgcombs AT gmailDOTcom
303-777-0436
------
------------------------------
Message: 16
Date: Wed, 20 Feb 2008 04:08:59 +1100
From: Janice Gelb <Janice -dot- Gelb -at- Sun -dot- COM>
Subject: Re: Beginning topic titles with "How to..."
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Message-ID: <47BB0D2B -dot- 9000909 -at- sun -dot- com>
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset=ISO-8859-1
Deborah Slutzky wrote:
> Hello All,
> I need some opinions. Just wondering how folks feel about beginning
> topic titles with "How to..." I'm used to beginning them with a gerund,
> but the shop that I am now working for has an assorted bag of formats
> and I run into this once in a while. Personally, I don't care for it
> because I think the entire Help is a How to.....but I'd like some
> thoughts from others.
>
I prefer "To" to "How to" because I think that "How" is
just another word to have to skip in the title to get to
the actual distinguishing verb and text.
As for Geoff's suggestion of changing to a gerund, we use
gerunds in heads for conceptual sections and infinitives
for procedure heads.
-- Janice
***********************************************************
Janice Gelb | The only connection Sun has with
janice -dot- gelb -at- sun -dot- com | this message is the return address
------------------------------
Message: 17
Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 12:14:22 -0500
From: "Dan Goldstein" <DGoldstein -at- riverainmedical -dot- com>
Subject: RE: OT? Community and tech writing in real life (was Re:
Ambiguouswordsand Phrases)
To: <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Message-ID:
<0ADA9A22B5BC2147B360A22FD2BAD25CFE5590 -at- RMGBEX01 -dot- rmg -dot- local>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Combs, Richard
> Sent: Tuesday, February 19, 2008 11:59 AM
> To: Tim Mantyla; techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> Subject: RE: OT? Community and tech writing in real life (was
> Re: Ambiguouswordsand Phrases)
>
> ... You want OT? I'll give you OT....
>
No, Richard. No, Tim. None of us want politics on TECHWR-L. Please take
it to one of the *thousands* of e-mail lists that specialize in that
sort of thing.
This message contains confidential information intended only for the use of
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you have received this message by mistake, please notify us, by replying to the
sender, and delete the original message immediately thereafter. Thank you.
------------------------------
Message: 18
Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 10:33:24 -0500
From: "Cardimon, Craig" <ccardimon -at- M-S-G -dot- com>
Subject: RE: Need printer suggestions
To: "Al Geist" <Al -dot- Geist -at- suss -dot- com>, "Techwr-l"
<techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Message-ID: <19C7D9BC73C7914BAB5D21A6C05F2AD78B2A3A -at- Delmar2 -dot- m-s-g -dot- com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Thanks much, Al. I appreciate your input.
I have tried several times to set up a home network. Right about now I
think I need a book for idiots or dummies. Sigh.
Craig Cardimon
Technical Writer
Marketing Systems Group
ccardimon -at- m-s-g -dot- com
******************************************************************************
***********************************************************
Information contained in this e-mail transmission is privileged and
confidential. If you are not the intended recipient of this email,
do not read, distribute or reproduce this transmission (including any
attachments). If you have received this e-mail in error, please
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******************************************************************************
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------------------------------
Message: 19
Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 09:35:25 -0800
From: "Wanda Phillips" <wanda -dot- jane -at- gmail -dot- com>
Subject: Re: Beginning topic titles with "How to..."
To: TECHWR-L <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Message-ID:
<dbc6f0cc0802190935s7629b8a4g1481fad2e9661e38 -at- mail -dot- gmail -dot- com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Let's see... we had a long series of conversations about this when we
moved to DITA, as part of creating this decade's "gold standard" for
our docs.
1) We moved away from How to... and went with the gerund... How to
export became Exporting (what from where).
- How to became a bit of a monster in terms of repetition. With the
gerund leading the title, scanning the TOC became easier (at least for
our test audience of, um, us.).
- I believe there was input from our translation team about this
and they were okay with the gerund (especially since it wasn't really
replacing anything, simply shortening what was already there).
- Our budget bunny loved it (a penny saved is a penny saved and a
feather in my cap.) And when you envision budget bunny, think wizard
Tim and his dire warnings.
- Moving to DITA meant that we smoothed a bunch of *clone and own*
content into shared content. We simplified the titles (in part to make
it easier for us to find the content).
2) We also moved away from About ... About Waveform Data became Waveform
Data.
We cluster content:
Waveform Data
- Adding Data Points
- Measuring Two Points on a Single Waveform
- Comparing Points on Two Waveforms
Where we may end up with some need for refinement is in the titles for
concepts and reference. Using the waveform topic to carry on, there is
the basic concept of what the user can graph in a waveform display,
some rudimentary information on where the waveforms appear, and some
navigational aids. Then, there are reference topics which may, as in
the case of waveforms, be on that edge between concept and reference
(and if you think it's hard to define, try defining it for non-tech
writers doing a mass conversion for you, taking old content and
carving it up into DITA topics... madness, I tell you!).
Waveform Data (why, when, where)
- Adding (how)
- Measuring (how)
- Comparing (how)
Waveform Data Options (what in detail)
And then there is the index!
</opinion ... try our rambling reduced product line for a quick
overview of life>
Wanda
--
Few people are capable of expressing with equanimity opinions which
differ from the prejudices of their social environment. Most people
are even incapable of forming such opinions.
Albert Einstein
------------------------------
Message: 20
Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 11:26:07 -0800
From: "Lauren" <lauren -at- writeco -dot- net>
Subject: RE: Need printer suggestions
To: "'Cardimon, Craig'" <ccardimon -at- M-S-G -dot- com>, "'Techwr-l'"
<techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Cc: 'Craig' <cardimon720 -at- yahoo -dot- com>
Message-ID: <20080219192712 -dot- C994A832DE -at- web -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
I have an HP PhotoSmart C6180 and I like it. The newer models come with
duplexers and touch screens. I think that the comparable newer model is the
C7280. I can add a duplexer (if any are still available) to mine and the
printer has built-in wireless router. The ink is great because I can
replace one color at a time. It's still less expensive to buy all of the
colors in a pack, but I only replace them when they run out. The ink is a
little more water resistant than other types of ink. The printer has a
multi-card reader and USB port. The fax, scanner, and copier all work great
and I have abused this thing for over a year, so far. Photos are good too.
Lauren
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Cardimon, Craig
> Techwhirlers,
>
>
>
> Our old HP d135 All-In-One is dying. It isn't pretty. The scanner is
> dead and the rest of it is looking a bit pale. The colors are way off,
> as well.
>
------------------------------
Message: 21
Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 14:29:02 -0500 (EST)
From: Yves JEAUROND <jingting -at- rogers -dot- com>
Subject: Re: Beginning topic titles with "How to..."
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Message-ID: <816990 -dot- 68219 -dot- qm -at- web88315 -dot- mail -dot- re4 -dot- yahoo -dot- com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
In a nutshell, isn't it all about:
a topic ("x"+ing) and a sub-topic (To "x"/About "x"+ing)?
One can use "To..." as a sub-head for a procedure, but
numbered steps function just as well, to indicate a procedure.
About...? <grin> That has to go. Everything in a topic should
be about that topic, or else <duh> it's off-topic.
Regards,
YJ
Wanda Phillips <wanda -dot- jane -at- gmail -dot- com> a ?crit :
[...] We moved away from How to... and went with the gerund... How to
export became Exporting (what from where).
[...]
We cluster content:
Waveform Data
- Adding Data Points
- Measuring Two Points on a Single Waveform
- Comparing Points on Two Waveforms
------------------------------
Message: 22
Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 11:28:51 -0800
From: "Lauren" <lauren -at- writeco -dot- net>
Subject: RE: OT? Community and tech writing in real life (was Re:
Ambiguous wordsand Phrases)
To: "'Tim Mantyla'" <TimMantyla -at- nustep -dot- com>,
<techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Message-ID: <20080219192955 -dot- CFDC883E5B -at- web -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
> From: Tim Mantyla
> Happy Monday, Week, Year and Lifetime,
Monday?
Lauren
------------------------------
Message: 23
Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 11:39:15 -0800
From: John Hedtke <john -at- hedtke -dot- com>
Subject: RE: Need printer suggestions
To: "Lauren" <lauren -at- writeco -dot- net>,"'Cardimon, Craig'"
<ccardimon -at- M-S-G -dot- com>, "'Techwr-l'" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Cc: 'Craig' <cardimon720 -at- yahoo -dot- com>
Message-ID: <6 -dot- 2 -dot- 3 -dot- 4 -dot- 2 -dot- 20080219113407 -dot- 0469ee90 -at- mail -dot- hedtke -dot- com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed
Speaking of printers, I've just bought an HP Photosmart D7460 for
$99 and am looking into replacing my venerable HP LJ 4M+ with a Xerox
860S. Both have duplexing options, both have large paper tray
options, but the Xerox 860S has cost for black-only copies that's
basically the cost of the paper (black ink is free for life from
Xerox), while the HP LJ4M+ costs about .01-.02 for toner depending on
the cost of the cartridge. In addition, the Xerox does 1200dpi (as
opposed to 600dpi for my HP) and it's a good deal faster. Oh, and
the Xerox does really good color printing and the HP... well, it's from 1994.
I've used the HP for AGES because it's a great, dependable unit that
is a benchmark for "workhorse" but it's time to retire it. I'll
probably be getting the Xerox in the next 3-9 months. They're
available used for $500 or so.
Yours truly,
John Hedtke
Author/Consultant/Contract Writer
www.hedtke.com <-- website
Region 7 Director, STC
541-685-5000 (office landline)
541-554-2189 (cell)
john -at- hedtke -dot- com (primary email)
johnhedtke -at- aol -dot- com (secondary email)
At 11:26 AM 2/19/2008, Lauren wrote:
>I have an HP PhotoSmart C6180 and I like it. The newer models come with
>duplexers and touch screens. I think that the comparable newer model is the
>C7280. I can add a duplexer (if any are still available) to mine and the
>printer has built-in wireless router. The ink is great because I can
>replace one color at a time. It's still less expensive to buy all of the
>colors in a pack, but I only replace them when they run out. The ink is a
>little more water resistant than other types of ink. The printer has a
>multi-card reader and USB port. The fax, scanner, and copier all work
great
>and I have abused this thing for over a year, so far. Photos are good too.
------------------------------
Message: 24
Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 11:49:00 -0800
From: "Suzanne Chiles" <suzchiles -at- gmail -dot- com>
Subject: Re: Need printer suggestions
To: "Cardimon, Craig" <ccardimon -at- m-s-g -dot- com>
Cc: Craig <cardimon720 -at- yahoo -dot- com>, Techwr-l
<techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Message-ID:
<4ffdafbf0802191149w5ad8a947xed253efc6c735975 -at- mail -dot- gmail -dot- com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
I have a Canon Pixma MP530 that I've been quite pleased with. It
offers separate ink tanks for colors, which I like. It also offers
automatic double-sided printing, which I really like. It's also
relatively thrifty in terms of inks and so forth.
You might want to look at the Canon Pixma MX 700, which is an upgrade
to mine and is network capable and has the memory card feature for
printing pictures, which mine doesn't have. The Canon Pixma MP 830
looks pretty cool too.
http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ProductCatIndexAct&fcategoryi
d=123
Suzanne
--
Suzanne Chiles
suzchiles -at- gmail -dot- com
------------------------------
Message: 25
Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 11:47:55 -0800
From: "Lauren" <lauren -at- writeco -dot- net>
Subject: RE: OT? Community and tech writing in real life (was Re:
Ambiguouswordsand Phrases)
To: <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Message-ID: <20080219194900 -dot- 3208683BDC -at- web -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
> OK, I've had my say -- time for the admin OT warning. ;-)
The admin doesn't need to warn you that your post is inappropriate. You
already know that your post is inappropriate. The fact that you posted it
anyway is simply rude to the list.
I imagine that for some people, the technical writing discussions got dull,
so there were a few OT posts by different people. It seems like there is
some defensiveness about being told that different posts are OT and now
conversations are getting political.
This is a technical writing list, hence the name, techwr-l. I enjoy the
occasional OT segues that come out of technical writing discussions, but I
wouldn't want to see this list turn into something other than a technical
writing list.
Lauren
------------------------------
Message: 26
Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 15:02:13 -0500
From: "Bill Swallow" <techcommdood -at- gmail -dot- com>
Subject: Re: OT? Community and tech writing in real life (was Re:
Ambiguouswordsand Phrases)
To: Lauren <lauren -at- writeco -dot- net>
Cc: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Message-ID:
<375e3cb30802191202x7cf01f88ka7f9a523373c232a -at- mail -dot- gmail -dot- com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
I like monkeys.
On Feb 19, 2008 2:47 PM, Lauren <lauren -at- writeco -dot- net> wrote:
> > OK, I've had my say -- time for the admin OT warning. ;-)
>
> The admin doesn't need to warn you that your post is inappropriate. You
> already know that your post is inappropriate. The fact that you posted it
> anyway is simply rude to the list.
--
Bill Swallow
HATT List Owner
WWP-Users List Owner
Senior Member STC, TechValley Chapter
STC Single-Sourcing SIG Manager
http://techcommdood.blogspot.com
------------------------------
Message: 27
Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 15:04:15 -0500
From: "Bill Swallow" <techcommdood -at- gmail -dot- com>
Subject: a suggestion for the list
To: TECHWR-L <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Message-ID:
<375e3cb30802191204i747ac5f0l6b9eca5e4510b144 -at- mail -dot- gmail -dot- com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Can the off-topic list address be published in the footer of list
messages? This way if folks feel the need to go on a side rant they
have the correct address at which to do so right at their fingertips?
--
Bill Swallow
HATT List Owner
WWP-Users List Owner
Senior Member STC, TechValley Chapter
STC Single-Sourcing SIG Manager
http://techcommdood.blogspot.com
------------------------------
Message: 28
Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 15:05:09 -0500 (EST)
From: john -at- garisons -dot- com
Subject: Seminar ideas for advanced practitioners
To: "TechWrl list" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Message-ID: <1280 -dot- 130 -dot- 189 -dot- 206 -dot- 150 -dot- 1203451509 -dot- squirrel -at- garisons -dot- com>
Content-Type: text/plain;charset=iso-8859-1
If you were a senior- or principal-level tech comm professional, and you
could attend a two-day intensive seminar, what topic(s) would be most
compelling to you?
DITA?
Advanced tools?
AJAX?
Non-fiction writing techniques?
Creative writing for technical writers?
Online navigation techniques?
Something all together different?
Please let me know ... and if possible who you would pay to hear deliver
the seminar.
<disclosure>
I will use this information for STC preconference seminar content planning.
</disclosure>
Thanks...
JG
------------------------------
Message: 29
Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 12:18:49 -0800
From: John Hedtke <john -at- hedtke -dot- com>
Subject: Re: Seminar ideas for advanced practitioners
To: john -at- garisons -dot- com,"TechWrl list" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Message-ID: <6 -dot- 2 -dot- 3 -dot- 4 -dot- 2 -dot- 20080219121543 -dot- 04788c90 -at- mail -dot- hedtke -dot- com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed
Things I might find interesting in this list are:
* DITA
* Structured FrameMaker
* fiction writing
I'd also be interested in a seminar on where to go to buff one's
skills after all these years. IOW, you're already a senior or master
writer, now what do you do to improve your skills?
Yours truly,
John Hedtke
Author/Consultant/Contract Writer
www.hedtke.com <-- website
Region 7 Director, STC
541-685-5000 (office landline)
541-554-2189 (cell)
john -at- hedtke -dot- com (primary email)
johnhedtke -at- aol -dot- com (secondary email)
At 12:05 PM 2/19/2008, john -at- garisons -dot- com wrote:
>If you were a senior- or principal-level tech comm professional, and you
>could attend a two-day intensive seminar, what topic(s) would be most
>compelling to you?
>
>DITA?
>Advanced tools?
>AJAX?
>Non-fiction writing techniques?
>Creative writing for technical writers?
>Online navigation techniques?
>Something all together different?
------------------------------
Message: 30
Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 15:25:50 -0500
From: <WilliamFLawrence -at- eaton -dot- com>
Subject: RE: Seminar ideas for advanced practitioners
To: <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Message-ID:
<5D07264B5F3E18498DB3389F673141DE0153182C -at- CLEOHSMB04 -dot- napa -dot- ad -dot- etn -dot- com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
I'd like to see something about how to leverage InDesign, Version Cue,
InCopy, Adobe work flow management, and XML in a technical publishing
environment. A number of professional publishing houses are using this
tool chain, and they are the only models I have.
Cheers,
Bill
------------------------------
Message: 31
Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 15:42:49 -0500
From: "McLauchlan, Kevin" <Kevin -dot- McLauchlan -at- safenet-inc -dot- com>
Subject: know your ... who?
To: <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Message-ID:
<979DB57738E1C2439A15E6B67CE1B6C0BD1E49 -at- bel1exch002 -dot- sfnt -dot- local>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Whenever people (on this list and elsewhere) earnestly utter "know your
readers/users", I have to chuckle.
On the days when I need a break from the techy stuff, it amuses me to
wonder how I would go about knowing them.
I will never meet them. I will never talk to them. I will never
correspond with them via e-mail.
If/when they visit our location, they are business people and very
senior engineers, not the technical grunts (who stay back home in
Europe, India, Korea, Australia, Japan, working in their labs and server
rooms), and they meet with selected staff members here for specific
business purposes.
With one exception that I know, none of the customers has a branch
office in my city. Well, the banks and some governments do, but not the
technical kind of branch offices... I do not have a travel allowance.
We don't have the types of product that are conducive to just borrowing
people off the street (or out of school) to act as documentation
Guinea-pigs, while we (ok, while I) stand behind them with a clipboard
watching where they hesitate or start to break things.
"Hello, Mr. President of <multi-national-banking-conglomerate>.
I understand that you are busy, especially lately with all that
sub-prime mortgage fallout, but could you see your way clear to pointing
me at the people (in whatever part of your far-flung, worldwide
organization) who are likely to be using my company's products? While
you are at it, could you also command-and-compel them to cooperate
enthusiastically and forthrightly with me in determining how my product
documentation could be made better and more readable? As you can
imagine, the better my docs are, the more quickly your people can
complete the (relatively minimal) parts of their jobs that involve our
products, and get on with being productive at whatever they really do
within your company. I wouldn't bother you, but my bosses would like to
minimize the number of phone calls that your engineers and technicians
make to our support line. I'm sure that's a very strong motivation for
you to assist me.
Thanks ever-so, and tah for now. Hope those obscene profits resume
flowing into your coffers momentarily.
Respectfully,
WordMangler -at- MyCompany -dot- com"
Truth be told, I've had exactly one experience (in more than 20 years of
this game) with user-testing of documents, and that one product was
killed before those lovely docs went out the door. Some months later,
the entire corporate division was axed. (This was a
previous-previous-previous employer.) I think the final straw was when
the documentation department incurred the expense of a couple of days of
getting students and mall-walkers in for sessions of opening packages
and setting up product using the documentation that they found inside
the packages. Perhaps it was the deli snacks and pastries that we
provided that broke the budgetary back... We may never know. But
anyway, no company since has been willing to fund such an event, even on
a one-off basis.
So, other than the makers of commodity consumer goods, and the makers of
products that are developed in conjunction with your major customers
(aerospace?), how do technical companies with narrow-niche, expensive
product get their tech-writers to know their customer-users.
How do you writerly folk, who work for companies that make esoteric,
tens-of-thousands-of-dollars-per-unit products for technical users who
live on the other side of the world, ever manage to become intimately
acquainted with those users and their documentation needs?
Just curious.
Kevin
The information contained in this electronic mail transmission
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------------------------------
Message: 32
Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 13:46:43 -0700
From: "Combs, Richard" <richard -dot- combs -at- Polycom -dot- com>
Subject: RE: OT? Community and tech writing in real life (was Re:
Ambiguouswordsand Phrases)
To: "Lauren" <lauren -at- writeco -dot- net>, "Tim Mantyla"
<TimMantyla -at- nustep -dot- com>, <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Message-ID:
<AABEB232F95338499DF8F513EE2B2C78A69D8A -at- WSTEXCH00 -dot- westminster -dot- polycom -dot- com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Lauren wrote:
> > From: Tim Mantyla
>
> > Happy Monday, Week, Year and Lifetime,
>
> Monday?
Hey, for those of us who celebrated (or at least observed) Presidents'
Day, it's functionally Monday.
Sorry if this is off-topic. ;-)
Richard
------
Richard G. Combs
Senior Technical Writer
Polycom, Inc.
richardDOTcombs AT polycomDOTcom
303-223-5111
------
rgcombs AT gmailDOTcom
303-777-0436
------
------------------------------
Message: 33
Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 14:52:23 -0600
From: "technical writing plus" <doc-x -at- earthlink -dot- net>
Subject: RE: know your ... who?
To: "'McLauchlan, Kevin'" <Kevin -dot- McLauchlan -at- safenet-inc -dot- com>,
<techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Message-ID: <000c01c87339$54321e80$2101a8c0 -at- ThomJames>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Methink that this mantra means know what your readers are like in the sense
of knowing what the audience is like -- and not that the writer should know
them personally. Altho there is a benefit to the latter. But it can hardly
ever be arranged, of course.
Yours was a humorous message though.
Jim Jones
-----Original Message-----
Whenever people (on this list and elsewhere) earnestly utter "know your
readers/users", I have to chuckle.
On the days when I need a break from the techy stuff, it amuses me to
wonder how I would go about knowing them.
I will never meet them. I will never talk to them. I will never
correspond with them via e-mail.
If/when they visit our location, they are business people and very
senior engineers, not the technical grunts (who stay back home in
Europe, India, Korea, Australia, Japan, working in their labs and server
rooms), and they meet with selected staff members here for specific
business purposes.
With one exception that I know, none of the customers has a branch
office in my city. Well, the banks and some governments do, but ...
------------------------------
Message: 34
Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 13:02:06 -0800
From: "Lauren" <lauren -at- writeco -dot- net>
Subject: RE: know your ... who?
To: "'McLauchlan, Kevin'" <Kevin -dot- McLauchlan -at- safenet-inc -dot- com>,
<techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Message-ID: <20080219210312 -dot- D3CF08309D -at- web -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
> From: McLauchlan, Kevin
> Whenever people (on this list and elsewhere) earnestly utter
> "know your
> readers/users", I have to chuckle.
<...>
> How do you writerly folk, who work for companies that make esoteric,
> tens-of-thousands-of-dollars-per-unit products for technical users who
> live on the other side of the world, ever manage to become intimately
> acquainted with those users and their documentation needs?
I thought that one of the cardinal rules of *any* writing is to know one's
audience. "Knowledge" doesn't imply intimate knowledge, such as a
person-to-person meeting or becoming "intimately acquainted" with users. It
is knowledge of the user of the document as in knowing the user's skill
level, the user's purpose for having the document, and the user's general
language skill. Additionally, "audience" (or "readers" or "users") does not
imply a specific person or specific group of persons, but "audience" is a
general class of person that the writer should know.
For example, a document prepared for recent high school graduates should be
written for that audience, so the writer should know how to write for high
school graduates. Such documentation should not contain complex terms that
require a college education to understand. A writer doesn't need to meet
every high school graduate that uses the document to know how to write for a
high school graduate. So I really don't understand the issue here. Writers
must know the audience of their documents.
Perhaps audience knowledge is one of the factors that encourages hiring
writers with a developer background in the technology being documented.
Those people have a better knowledge of the audience than somebody who does
not have that background.
Lauren
------------------------------
Message: 35
Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 16:12:20 -0500
From: Gause_Brian -at- emc -dot- com
Subject: RE: know your ... who?
To: <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Message-ID:
<FEA8D40A7473E64A95AFE058FC897C38033F9E1C -at- CORPUSMX20B -dot- corp -dot- emc -dot- com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
You could get to know your readers by creating a page on your company
website where customers can gather and talk in a forum.
Or you could create a email distribution list where customers and
writers can share ideas.
Or you can create an email account in your domain for users to send
documentation feedback.
If your company is large enough, you might have an annual tech
conference where customers and employees interact. If your company is
not large enough, you might still attend a tech conference relating to
your industry.
There are definitely ways to interact with your users. I've listed four
that quickly come to mind.
When you use words like "I will never", then your words becomes
self-fulfilling. "I will never meet them. I will never talk to them. I
will never correspond with them via e-mail."
Well, not with that attitude, you won't...
I know you're chuckling to yourself about others who talk about "know
your reader", but I'm shaking my head at writers who should know better
than to use words like "never", and give up on customer-contact before
it even begins.
Maybe your message was intended to be funny, but what it says about your
work habits and creativity is a dispiriting notion, indeed.
Brian Gause
Technical Writer
-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+gause_brian=emc -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
[mailto:techwr-l-bounces+gause_brian=emc -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On
Behalf Of technical writing plus
Sent: Tuesday, February 19, 2008 12:52 PM
To: 'McLauchlan, Kevin'; techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Subject: RE: know your ... who?
Methink that this mantra means know what your readers are like in the
sense
of knowing what the audience is like -- and not that the writer should
know
them personally. Altho there is a benefit to the latter. But it can
hardly
ever be arranged, of course.
Yours was a humorous message though.
Jim Jones
-----Original Message-----
Whenever people (on this list and elsewhere) earnestly utter "know your
readers/users", I have to chuckle.
On the days when I need a break from the techy stuff, it amuses me to
wonder how I would go about knowing them.
I will never meet them. I will never talk to them. I will never
correspond with them via e-mail.
If/when they visit our location, they are business people and very
senior engineers, not the technical grunts (who stay back home in
Europe, India, Korea, Australia, Japan, working in their labs and server
rooms), and they meet with selected staff members here for specific
business purposes.
With one exception that I know, none of the customers has a branch
office in my city. Well, the banks and some governments do, but ...
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Create HTML or Microsoft Word content and convert to Help file formats
or
printed documentation. Features include support for Windows Vista & 2007
Microsoft Office, team authoring, plus more.
http://www.DocToHelp.com/TechwrlList
True single source, conditional content, PDF export, modular help.
Help & Manual is the most powerful authoring tool for technical
documentation. Boost your productivity! http://www.helpandmanual.com
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------------------------------
Message: 36
Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 16:10:33 -0500
From: "Nancy Allison" <maker -at- verizon -dot- net>
Subject: Your sentence of the day?
To: <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Message-ID: <00d701c8733b$de140da0$6402a8c0 -at- diablosmudge>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Here's mine:
When provisioning reports are generated, for each record for which the
FamilyID was successfully retrieved from the GetResponseAccount XMP
document, the printed record shall contain the FamilyID element.
--Nancy
------------------------------
Message: 37
Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 15:23:30 -0600
From: "Sam Beard" <sbeard -at- oico -dot- com>
Subject: RE: Need printer suggestions
To: "Cardimon, Craig" <ccardimon -at- M-S-G -dot- com>, "Techwr-l"
<techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Cc: Craig <cardimon720 -at- yahoo -dot- com>
Message-ID: <B638F332A8CC2141985CBEA2A4D2FEC8213ED8 -at- oicmail -dot- oico -dot- com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Craig,
In addition to the excellent suggestions already mentioned, you
should look at a printer that uses separate cartridges for each color.
Any printer that uses a single cartridge for the colors means a waste of
money and ink: when one ink runs out, you have to replace the entire
cartridge, even though the other two still have ink. Single-color
cartridges remove this problem.
Also, as Al hinted at, be careful with off-brand inks. Sometimes,
these inks will clog the printer heads and cause serious problems.
Printer makers usually (if not always) say this is now your problem and
won't honor any sort of warranty when using other inks. Also, with the
advanced ink heads and the extremely small sizes of ink put out by these
heads, they can clog quite easily. If you don't plan on printing at two
or three pages, using each color, at least once a week or so, the heads
can easily clog. Some of the other brands, those by reputable,
well-known manufacturers, probably don't have this problem.
Also, depending exactly on your needs, you might want to get a
printer that uses more than four colors. Some of the photo-quality
printers now have black, an off-black sort-of color (can't remember the
exact name for it), light cyan, cyan, light magenta, magenta, and
yellow. These are designed to produce the most accurate color renditions
possible. And some of them also have multiple "blacks" designed to
replace the colors for outstanding B&W prints. Again, Al can probably
tell you more about these.
Once more, depending on your needs, you might look at a decent color
laser printer. These have come down quite a bit in price and now a
decent model can be had for a relatively low price, under $500. B&W
laser printers are considerably cheaper than inkjets in price-per-page,
but I'm not sure if that still holds true for color. However, you
wouldn't have to worry about the clogging issue, either. Considering the
costs of some of the inkjet cartridges out there, I'm thinking that it's
a good possibility the color lasers are still cheaper, considering just
how many more pages you get out of a cartridge compare to an inkjet.
I have an old HP LaserJet 4MP that I'd like to get going again. It
needs a new cartridge, but otherwise is still an excellent printer and
has held up well. However, the cost of a new cartridge is quite high
(~$90) and a new printer is, at times, only about $100. From what I've
heard, though, new laser printers tend to have cartridges that have only
about half the normal lifespan of a cartridge. I'm guessing that's so
that the manufacturers can price them low to hook you in and then price
the cartridges higher and make up any loss on the printer by making you
buy a new cartridge sooner than you really should need to. The only
exception to this, that I've heard before and it now may have changed,
is Brother, who puts a full cartridge in their printers.
Good luck and I hope you get a printer you're happy with!
Samuel I. Beard, Jr.
Technical Writer
OI Analytical
979 690-1711 Ext. 222
sbeard -at- oico -dot- com
-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+sbeard=oico -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
[mailto:techwr-l-bounces+sbeard=oico -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On Behalf
Of Cardimon, Craig
Sent: Monday, February 18, 2008 2:32 PM
To: Techwr-l
Cc: Craig
Subject: Need printer suggestions
Techwhirlers,
Our old HP d135 All-In-One is dying. It isn't pretty. The scanner is
dead and the rest of it is looking a bit pale. The colors are way off,
as well.
We have two computers. An old Dell from 2002 (5300?) that keeps on
ticking and a newer Sony Vaio. When our printer gets a bit more pitiful,
I'm going to get a new one and try, again, to rig up a home network.
I have tried before, without success, to create a network. I think our
Dell is just too old. I tried making a network disk using its 3.5 slot
(!). The Sony wouldn't read it and said the disc needed to be formatted,
which I already did in the Dell.
We need a decent home office printer that produces good text and good
photos. High output is not necessary. We have a "home office" but no
home business or anything like that just yet. Reading from camera memory
cards would be nice, but we don't need it. Network ready would also be
nice.
I was thinking about the Epson Stylus Photo RX595 Photo All-in-One
Printer, which got a nice review at
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/13/technology/circuits/13printer.html
<http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/13/technology/circuits/13printer.html>
, and is available at Amazon
(http://www.amazon.com/Epson-Stylus-Photo-RX595-Printer/dp/B000SDW62O/re
f=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1203356560&sr=8-1
<http://www.amazon.com/Epson-Stylus-Photo-RX595-Printer/dp/B000SDW62O/re
f=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1203356560&sr=8-1> )
If anyone has an opinion, I would love to hear it. No, really.
-- Craig
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Message: 38
Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 16:29:37 -0500
From: "Connie Giordano" <connie -at- therightwordz -dot- com>
Subject: RE: Seminar ideas for advanced practitioners
To: <john -at- garisons -dot- com>, "'TechWrl list'"
<techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Message-ID: <004a01c8733e$887402d0$995c0870$ -at- com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
I get tools stuff from lots of places, so I'd be looking for something I
couldn't get elsewhere. As a principal, I would love to get more business
management topics:
-advanced proposal development (where I am the proposer of this technical
communications service stuff)
-partnering with other specialist firms to go after big accounts
-how next-generation technology will impact technical communications and how
to get ahead of the curve.
-managing and contributing to cross-functional product development teams
Connie P. Giordano
The Right Words
Communications & Information Design
?
http://www.therightwords.com
connie -at- therightwords -dot- com
?
(704) 540-9985 (office)
(704) 957-8450 (mobile)
?
"It's kind of fun to do the impossible." - Walt Disney
-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+connie=therightwordz -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
[mailto:techwr-l-bounces+connie=therightwordz -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On
Behalf Of john -at- garisons -dot- com
Sent: Tuesday, February 19, 2008 3:05 PM
To: TechWrl list
Subject: Seminar ideas for advanced practitioners
If you were a senior- or principal-level tech comm professional, and you
could attend a two-day intensive seminar, what topic(s) would be most
compelling to you?
DITA?
Advanced tools?
AJAX?
Non-fiction writing techniques?
Creative writing for technical writers?
Online navigation techniques?
Something all together different?
Please let me know ... and if possible who you would pay to hear deliver
the seminar.
<disclosure>
I will use this information for STC preconference seminar content planning.
</disclosure>
Thanks...
JG
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------------------------------
Message: 39
Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 14:35:11 -0700
From: "Combs, Richard" <richard -dot- combs -at- Polycom -dot- com>
Subject: RE: know your ... who?
To: "McLauchlan, Kevin" <Kevin -dot- McLauchlan -at- safenet-inc -dot- com>,
<techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Message-ID:
<AABEB232F95338499DF8F513EE2B2C78A69D8B -at- WSTEXCH00 -dot- westminster -dot- polycom -dot- com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
McLauchlan, Kevin wrote:
> Whenever people (on this list and elsewhere) earnestly utter
> "know your readers/users", I have to chuckle.
>
> On the days when I need a break from the techy stuff, it
> amuses me to wonder how I would go about knowing them.
I agree with Lauren and Jim. We don't need to literally *know* our
audience, we just need to know some things *about* them.
I've learned about my audience from technical support staff, field
engineers, and sales engineers, and just from studying the nature of
their operations. Admittedly, it's not perfect and we're all aiming at a
moving target. Recently, one of our senior support people informed us
that a customer was using Feature X in a clever and interesting way that
bore no relationship to what we were thinking when designing (and
documenting) it. Hmm...
Stuff like that keeps things interesting, don't you think?
Richard
------
Richard G. Combs
Senior Technical Writer
Polycom, Inc.
richardDOTcombs AT polycomDOTcom
303-223-5111
------
rgcombs AT gmailDOTcom
303-777-0436
------
------------------------------
Message: 40
Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 16:36:50 -0500
From: "McLauchlan, Kevin" <Kevin -dot- McLauchlan -at- safenet-inc -dot- com>
Subject: RE: know your ... who?
To: "Lauren" <lauren -at- writeco -dot- net>, <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Message-ID:
<979DB57738E1C2439A15E6B67CE1B6C0BD1EE3 -at- bel1exch002 -dot- sfnt -dot- local>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Lauren replied to Kevin:
> > Whenever people (on this list and elsewhere) earnestly utter
> > "know your
> > readers/users", I have to chuckle.
>
> <...>
>
> > How do you writerly folk, who work for companies that make esoteric,
> > tens-of-thousands-of-dollars-per-unit products for technical users
who
> > live on the other side of the world, ever manage to become
intimately
> > acquainted with those users and their documentation needs?
>
> I thought that one of the cardinal rules of *any* writing is to know
one's
> audience. "Knowledge" doesn't imply intimate knowledge, such as a
> person-to-person meeting or becoming "intimately acquainted" with
users.
> It
> is knowledge of the user of the document as in knowing the user's
skill
> level, the user's purpose for having the document, and the user's
general
> language skill. Additionally, "audience" (or "readers" or "users")
does
> not
> imply a specific person or specific group of persons, but "audience"
is a
> general class of person that the writer should know.
>
> For example, a document prepared for recent high school graduates
should
> be
> written for that audience, so the writer should know how to write for
high
> school graduates. Such documentation should not contain complex terms
> that
> require a college education to understand. A writer doesn't need to
meet
> every high school graduate that uses the document to know how to write
for
> a
> high school graduate. So I really don't understand the issue here.
> Writers
> must know the audience of their documents.
>
> Perhaps audience knowledge is one of the factors that encourages
hiring
> writers with a developer background in the technology being
documented.
> Those people have a better knowledge of the audience than somebody who
> does not have that background.
So, you seem to be saying:
"Be one of the people to whom your documentation is addressed"
OR
"Make educated guesses, based on assumptions about the people to whom
your documentation is addressed."
Is that a good summary?
One way that we've acquired developer knowledge of customers' needs is
by hiring the occasional developer away from a customer. But that works
only for a while (knowledge gets stale when you leave an environment),
and addresses only a segment of our total audience for a given product.
We always had to have other reasons to hire that developer (i.e., they
knew crypto stuff and were highly proficient in the required languages).
Even so, it doesn't do me any good (as the lone writer for this division
(and its product lines) to hire a writer from one of our customers.
Given that they'd be replacing me, and would take time to learn the
parts of our world that they didn't already know, that doesn't do a lot
for my bottom line, and it doesn't do a lot for my employer to just
replace one writer with another and suffer a brief dip in productivity
during ramp-up.
Besides, we have customers for each of our products who are in sometimes
vastly different spaces, and we can't hire one writer from each major
customer "specialty"
(banking-financial/DRM/gov-spook/military/web-ecommerce-transaction-secu
rity/....). Nor can we reasonably hire one-fifth or one-sixth of a
writer from each space (at least, it's not reasonable to me to push
myself out of a job in such a pursuit) - besides, we'd then need an
editor to keep them all writing with the same "voice".
Nor do we want to hire engineers or technicians away from our customers
and turn them into writers (if nothing else, goes back to that replacing
one general-purpose bod with many specialist bods).
As well, I mentioned that most of them live in other countries, and
there'd be the problem of getting them here with work permits and all
that.
Ok, maybe I'm being a tad facetious. But the general idea seems to
apply.
So, what did you really mean? :-)
Kevin
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------------------------------
Message: 41
Date: Wed, 20 Feb 2008 08:58:05 +1100
From: Janice Gelb <Janice -dot- Gelb -at- Sun -dot- COM>
Subject: Re: Beginning topic titles with "How to..."
To: Yves JEAUROND <jingting -at- rogers -dot- com>
Cc: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Message-ID: <47BB50ED -dot- 2060905 -at- sun -dot- com>
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset=ISO-8859-1
Yves JEAUROND wrote:
> In a nutshell, isn't it all about:
> a topic ("x"+ing) and a sub-topic (To "x"/About "x"+ing)?
>
> One can use "To..." as a sub-head for a procedure, but
> numbered steps function just as well, to indicate a procedure.
>
Numbered steps do not appear in a table of contents, plus
a given topic might encompass several procedures or sets of
steps, so headings are useful to indicate the purpose of
each set of steps.
-- Janice
***********************************************************
Janice Gelb | The only connection Sun has with
janice -dot- gelb -at- sun -dot- com | this message is the return address
------------------------------
Message: 42
Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 16:04:06 -0600
From: "Pinkham, Jim" <Jim -dot- Pinkham -at- voith -dot- com>
Subject: RE: Need printer suggestions
To: "Cardimon, Craig" <ccardimon -at- M-S-G -dot- com>, "Techwr-l"
<techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Cc: Craig <cardimon720 -at- yahoo -dot- com>
Message-ID:
<2BF7198089C96C438F66C74B3F43DD5E02A148E9 -at- apls0111 -dot- euro1 -dot- voith -dot- net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
I just got the HP 8180 and absolutely love it -- six individual inks,
great photo quality, ability to scan slides and negatives, amazing
96-bit scanner with 9600 dpi optical resolution, ability to read/write
to and from Lightscribe CDs and DVDs, able to be used wirelessly through
802.11, Bluetooth, or Ethernet, so a natural for home networking, very
fast, too. A wireless networking wizard is built in, so setup looks
easy. Runs $300 to $400, depending on sale prices. As others have said,
beware off-brand inks -- very often unreliable, can lead to
disappointing quality, diminished fade resistance in photos, and voiding
of the warranty. HP sells two value packs for its 02 inks, both of which
are very cost-effective. Purchased individually, they run about $10 per
color and $19 for the black, at least in our area. If you don't need all
these features, the 6280 and 7280 are excellent HP six-ink alternatives.
-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+jim -dot- pinkham=voith -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
[mailto:techwr-l-bounces+jim -dot- pinkham=voith -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On
Behalf Of Cardimon, Craig
Sent: Monday, February 18, 2008 2:32 PM
To: Techwr-l
Cc: Craig
Subject: Need printer suggestions
Techwhirlers,
Our old HP d135 All-In-One is dying. It isn't pretty. The scanner is
dead and the rest of it is looking a bit pale. The colors are way off,
as well.
We have two computers. An old Dell from 2002 (5300?) that keeps on
ticking and a newer Sony Vaio. When our printer gets a bit more pitiful,
I'm going to get a new one and try, again, to rig up a home network.
I have tried before, without success, to create a network. I think our
Dell is just too old. I tried making a network disk using its 3.5 slot
(!). The Sony wouldn't read it and said the disc needed to be formatted,
which I already did in the Dell.
We need a decent home office printer that produces good text and good
photos. High output is not necessary. We have a "home office" but no
home business or anything like that just yet. Reading from camera memory
cards would be nice, but we don't need it. Network ready would also be
nice.
I was thinking about the Epson Stylus Photo RX595 Photo All-in-One
Printer, which got a nice review at
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/13/technology/circuits/13printer.html
<http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/13/technology/circuits/13printer.html>
, and is available at Amazon
(http://www.amazon.com/Epson-Stylus-Photo-RX595-Printer/dp/B000SDW62O/re
f=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1203356560&sr=8-1
<http://www.amazon.com/Epson-Stylus-Photo-RX595-Printer/dp/B000SDW62O/re
f=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1203356560&sr=8-1> )
If anyone has an opinion, I would love to hear it. No, really.
-- Craig
************************************************************************
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Message: 43
Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 17:10:29 -0500
From: jlshaeffer -at- aol -dot- com
Subject: Re: know your ... who?
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Message-ID: <8CA415B5F7DCCA9-1674-1CC6 -at- MBLK-M02 -dot- sysops -dot- aol -dot- com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Lauren wrote:
For example, a document prepared for recent high school graduates should be
written for that audience, so the writer should know how to write for high
school graduates. Such documentation should not contain complex terms that
require a college education to understand. A writer doesn't need to meet
every high school graduate that uses the document to know how to write for a
high school graduate. So I really don't understand the issue here. Writers
must know the audience of their documents.
End quote
Sounds good, but for many questions that are answered on this list with a
"know your audience," that model does not work.
For example:
Does the recent high school graduate prefer a textual link or an iconic
button?
Does the recent high school graduate use the Index or the Table of Contents
or the Search button first?
Does the existence of 4 or more heading levels help them follow the material?
Which is proper, "an SQL ..." or "a SQL ... ?
I'm running out, but I'm sure there are even better counter-examples in the
archives.
Jim Shaeffer
________________________________________________________________________
More new features than ever. Check out the new AOL Mail ! -
http://webmail.aol.com
------------------------------
Message: 44
Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 14:21:48 -0800
From: "Lauren" <lauren -at- writeco -dot- net>
Subject: RE: know your ... who?
To: <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Message-ID: <20080219222253 -dot- 40D9883FC2 -at- web -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
My rudimentary example of "knowing an audience" does not encompass *every*
example of what a writer needs to know about an audience. There is not
enough bandwidth to share *every* example and other examples are not
"counter-examples" as you state.
The "model" I described requires that the writer learn about the audience
and your examples do not counter the model, but they further illustrate
issues that require knowing one's audience.
Lauren
> From: jlshaeffer -at- aol -dot- com
> Lauren wrote:
>
>
> For example, a document prepared for recent high school
> graduates should be
> written for that audience, so the writer should know how to
> write for high
> school graduates. Such documentation should not contain
> complex terms that
> require a college education to understand. A writer doesn't
> need to meet
> every high school graduate that uses the document to know how
> to write for a
> high school graduate. So I really don't understand the issue
> here. Writers
> must know the audience of their documents.
> End quote
>
>
> Sounds good, but for many questions that are answered on this
> list with a "know your audience," that model does not work.
>
> For example:
>
> Does the recent high school graduate prefer a textual link or
> an iconic button?
> Does the recent high school graduate use the Index or the
> Table of Contents or the Search button first?
> Does the existence of 4 or more heading levels help them
> follow the material?
> Which is proper, "an SQL ..." or "a SQL ... ?
>
> I'm running out, but I'm sure there are even better
> counter-examples in the archives.
>
> Jim Shaeffer
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> __________
> More new features than ever. Check out the new AOL Mail ! -
> http://webmail.aol.com
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>
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> Vista & 2007
> Microsoft Office, team authoring, plus more.
> http://www.DocToHelp.com/TechwrlList
>
> True single source, conditional content, PDF export, modular help.
> Help & Manual is the most powerful authoring tool for technical
> documentation. Boost your productivity! http://www.helpandmanual.com
>
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------------------------------
Message: 45
Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 17:33:58 -0500
From: "Al Geist" <al -dot- geist -at- geistassociates -dot- com>
Subject: RE: Need printer suggestions
To: "'Pinkham, Jim'" <Jim -dot- Pinkham -at- voith -dot- com>, "'Cardimon, Craig'"
<ccardimon -at- M-S-G -dot- com>, "'Techwr-l'" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Cc: 'Craig' <cardimon720 -at- yahoo -dot- com>
Message-ID: <6F92A8D46CF446A49D77674910E485EE -at- GADESKTOP>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
I agree with everyone stressing individual ink cartridges. My Epson R1800
has seven cartridges plus a Gloss Optimizer which eliminates the different
reflective values of each ink, making the output look like a true photograph
rather than an ink jet print. (This, obviously, works with photo paper and
not with standard ink jet paper.) The output from my R1800 is 5700+ dpi
which is good because my Nikon Coolscan's resolution is 4000 dpi and I
always scan at maximum resolution. I can also print on printable CDs. While
my printer is awesome for color images, the Epson 2400 is better for
printing black and white prints because it uses slightly different ink
combinations.
My wife's Epson RX595 also uses individual cartridges, and offers scanning,
copying and faxing. It's more of an office type system, but it does have
true 1200 x 2400 optical resolution. (I never use interpolated resolution
because they are based on algorithms and are often not as sharp or as
accurate as straight hardware (optical) resolution.) It doesn't scan slides,
but after fumbling around with an old HP Scanjet that had slide scanning
capabilities, I can say without a doubt that a flatbed scanner just can't do
them justice.
One thing the RX595 does not have is networking; although, that is not a
problem, because we have all of our computers working during the day.
Someone suggested looking at a color laser printer. The problem with color
laser printers is you are limited to the weight of the paper you use. We
print high quality art prints, note cards, draft manuals, stories....you
name it and it probably has gone through one of our printers. You can't run
good card stack or anything other than 8x10 (or 8x10 up 11x17) paper through
a laser printer. I may be wrong, but I don't think they like 4x6 photo card
stock, or envelopes.
So, which one is best? HP, Epson, Canon, Brother.... I suggest getting an
idea of what you are looking for in output and your price range. Put a few
samples of what you print on a CD and head over to Circuit City, Best Buy or
a local computer store and see if they will print them out for you. I'm
happy with Epson. Others swear by HP or some other brand. What you need is
the one that suits your needs best for the price you can afford.
Al Geist
Technical Writing, Help, Web Design, Video, Photography
Office/Msg: 802-872-9091
Cell: 802-578-3964
Website: www.geistassociates.com
See Also:
Fine Art Photography
Website: www.geistimages.com
"...I walked to work, quit my job, and kept walking. Better to be a pilgrim
without a destination, I figured, than to cross the wrong threshold each
day." (Anon.)
------------------------------
Message: 46
Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 14:45:16 -0800 (PST)
From: LCP <lporrel -at- yahoo -dot- com>
Subject: censorious persnickety flibbertigibbets; was, "Re: know your
... who?"
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Message-ID: <607272 -dot- 95107 -dot- qm -at- web57703 -dot- mail -dot- re3 -dot- yahoo -dot- com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
I have recently rejoined Techwr-l after a hiatus of several years. Techwr-l
used to be a helpful and cordial list for professional writers. It saddens me
to see it degraded, even only in part, into a venue for "censorious
persnickety flibbertigibbets".
----- Original Message ----
From: Lauren <lauren -at- writeco -dot- net>
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Sent: Tuesday, February 19, 2008 2:21:48 PM
Subject: RE: know your ... who?
My
rudimentary
example
of
"knowing
an
audience"
does
not
encompass
*every*
example
of
what
a
writer
needs
to
know
about
an
audience.
There
is
not
enough
bandwidth
to
share
*every*
example
and
other
examples
are
not
"counter-examples"
as
you
state.
The
"model"
I
described
requires
that
the
writer
learn
about
the
audience
and
your
examples
do
not
counter
the
model,
but
they
further
illustrate
issues
that
require
knowing
one's
audience.
Lauren
----- Original Message ----
From: "Gause_Brian -at- emc -dot- com" <Gause_Brian -at- emc -dot- com>
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Sent: Tuesday, February 19, 2008 1:12:20 PM
Subject: RE: know your ... who?
...Maybe
your
message
was
intended
to
be
funny,
but
what
it
says
about
your
work
habits
and
creativity
is
a
dispiriting
notion,
indeed.
Brian
Gause
______________________________________________________________________________
______
Be a better friend, newshound, and
know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now.
http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ
------------------------------
Message: 47
Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 14:49:53 -0800
From: "Lauren" <lauren -at- writeco -dot- net>
Subject: RE: Need printer suggestions
To: "'Techwr-l'" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Message-ID: <20080219225101 -dot- 59E9D8330A -at- web -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
> From: Al Geist
> So, which one is best? HP, Epson, Canon, Brother.... I
> suggest getting an
> idea of what you are looking for in output and your price
> range. Put a few
> samples of what you print on a CD and head over to Circuit
> City, Best Buy or
> a local computer store and see if they will print them out
> for you.
I took an SD card, but flash drives and other media devices will work too.
I don't think you have to ask a clerk for help if the printers have ink and
paper.
> I'm
> happy with Epson. Others swear by HP or some other brand.
> What you need is
> the one that suits your needs best for the price you can afford.
After reading what you said about sheen, I had to look at my photos to see
if there was a different sheen for different colors. There isn't. It's all
shiny on the gloss paper. Photos print out well on regular paper too.
The shiny photos have little raised specks on them and I don't know if
that's from air bubbles or dust, which is prevalent in my home. It's only
noticeable when I look close at the photos, though.
HP uses Vivera inks. There's one black and six colors.
http://h71036.www7.hp.com/hho/cache/331414-0-0-225-121.html
Lauren
------------------------------
Message: 48
Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 17:01:32 -0600
From: "Pro TechWriter" <pro -dot- techwriter -at- gmail -dot- com>
Subject: Re: know your ... who?
To: "McLauchlan, Kevin" <Kevin -dot- McLauchlan -at- safenet-inc -dot- com>
Cc: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Message-ID:
<6b35bddb0802191501v635767d4h5a9288c390ef407b -at- mail -dot- gmail -dot- com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
On Feb 19, 2008 2:42 PM, McLauchlan, Kevin <Kevin -dot- McLauchlan -at- safenet-inc -dot- com>
wrote:
> <Snip>
>
> How do you writerly folk, who work for companies that make esoteric,
> tens-of-thousands-of-dollars-per-unit products for technical users who
> live on the other side of the world, ever manage to become intimately
> acquainted with those users and their documentation needs?
>
> Just curious.
>
>
>
> Kevin
>
>
>
Hi Kevin:
I feel your pain, been there more often than not.
If you are fortunate enough to work where there are people who train users,
or if your company has tech support folks who support the software: Talk to
THEM. They can help you. :-) Ask their opinions; let them know you value
them, and the users they talk to.
My $.02 based on my experience.
- PT
--
"Life is short, but there is always time enough for courtesy."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
------------------------------
Message: 49
Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 15:01:39 -0800
From: "Lauren" <lauren -at- writeco -dot- net>
Subject: RE: censorious persnickety flibbertigibbets; was, "Re: know
your ... who?"
To: <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Message-ID: <20080219230244 -dot- 76BB884260 -at- web -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
LCP,
Why are the lines in your quoted messages only one word long?
Lauren
> -----Original Message-----
> From: techwr-l-bounces+lauren=writeco -dot- net -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> [mailto:techwr-l-bounces+lauren=writeco -dot- net -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> ] On Behalf Of LCP
> Sent: Tuesday, February 19, 2008 2:45 PM
> To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> Subject: censorious persnickety flibbertigibbets; was, "Re:
> know your ... who?"
>
> I have recently rejoined Techwr-l after a hiatus of several
> years. Techwr-l used to be a helpful and cordial list for
> professional writers. It saddens me to see it degraded, even
> only in part, into a venue for "censorious persnickety
> flibbertigibbets".
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----
> From: Lauren <lauren -at- writeco -dot- net>
> To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> Sent: Tuesday, February 19, 2008 2:21:48 PM
> Subject: RE: know your ... who?
>
>
> My
> rudimentary
> example
> of
> "knowing
> an
> audience"
> does
> not
> encompass
> *every*
> example
> of
> what
> a
> writer
> needs
> to
> know
> about
> an
> audience.
> There
> is
> not
> enough
> bandwidth
> to
> share
> *every*
> example
> and
> other
> examples
> are
> not
> "counter-examples"
> as
> you
> state.
>
> The
> "model"
> I
> described
> requires
> that
> the
> writer
> learn
> about
> the
> audience
> and
> your
> examples
> do
> not
> counter
> the
> model,
> but
> they
> further
> illustrate
> issues
> that
> require
> knowing
> one's
> audience.
>
> Lauren
>
> ----- Original Message ----
> From: "Gause_Brian -at- emc -dot- com" <Gause_Brian -at- emc -dot- com>
> To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> Sent: Tuesday, February 19, 2008 1:12:20 PM
> Subject: RE: know your ... who?
>
> ...Maybe
> your
> message
> was
> intended
> to
> be
> funny,
> but
> what
> it
> says
> about
> your
> work
> habits
> and
> creativity
> is
> a
> dispiriting
> notion,
> indeed.
>
> Brian
> Gause
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> ______________________
> Be a better friend, newshound, and
> know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now.
> http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>
> Create HTML or Microsoft Word content and convert to Help
> file formats or
> printed documentation. Features include support for Windows
> Vista & 2007
> Microsoft Office, team authoring, plus more.
> http://www.DocToHelp.com/TechwrlList
>
> True single source, conditional content, PDF export, modular help.
> Help & Manual is the most powerful authoring tool for technical
> documentation. Boost your productivity! http://www.helpandmanual.com
>
> ---
> You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as lauren -at- writeco -dot- net -dot-
>
> To unsubscribe send a blank email to
> techwr-l-unsubscribe -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> or visit
> http://lists.techwr-l.com/mailman/options/techwr-l/lauren%40wr
> iteco.net
>
>
> To subscribe, send a blank email to techwr-l-join -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
>
> Send administrative questions to admin -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot- Visit
> http://www.techwr-l.com/ for more resources and info.
>
------------------------------
Message: 50
Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 15:09:04 -0800 (PST)
From: LCP <lporrel -at- yahoo -dot- com>
Subject: Why are the lines of the quoted message only one word long?;
was, "censorious persnickety flibbertigibbets"
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Message-ID: <32753 -dot- 12247 -dot- qm -at- web57709 -dot- mail -dot- re3 -dot- yahoo -dot- com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
I have no idea. You? Anyone?
----- Original Message ----
From: Lauren <lauren -at- writeco -dot- net>
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Sent: Tuesday, February 19, 2008 3:01:39 PM
Subject: RE: censorious persnickety flibbertigibbets; was, "Re: know your
... who?"
LCP,
Why
are
the
lines
in
your
quoted
messages
only
one
word
long?
Lauren
>
-----Original
Message-----
>
From:
techwr-l-bounces+lauren=writeco -dot- net -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
>
[mailto:techwr-l-bounces+lauren=writeco -dot- net -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
>
]
On
Behalf
Of
LCP
>
Sent:
Tuesday,
February
19,
2008
2:45
PM
>
To:
techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
>
Subject:
censorious
persnickety
flibbertigibbets;
was,
"Re:
>
know
your
...
who?"
>
>
I
have
recently
rejoined
Techwr-l
after
a
hiatus
of
several
>
years.
Techwr-l
used
to
be
a
helpful
and
cordial
list
for
>
professional
writers.
It
saddens
me
to
see
it
degraded,
even
>
only
in
part,
into
a
venue
for
"censorious
persnickety
>
flibbertigibbets".
>
>
>
-----
Original
Message
----
>
From:
Lauren
<lauren -at- writeco -dot- net>
>
To:
techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
>
Sent:
Tuesday,
February
19,
2008
2:21:48
PM
>
Subject:
RE:
know
your
...
who?
>
>
>
My
>
rudimentary
>
example
>
of
>
"knowing
>
an
>
audience"
>
does
>
not
>
encompass
>
*every*
>
example
>
of
>
what
>
a
>
writer
>
needs
>
to
>
know
>
about
>
an
>
audience.
>
There
>
is
>
not
>
enough
>
bandwidth
>
to
>
share
>
*every*
>
example
>
and
>
other
>
examples
>
are
>
not
>
"counter-examples"
>
as
>
you
>
state.
>
>
The
>
"model"
>
I
>
described
>
requires
>
that
>
the
>
writer
>
learn
>
about
>
the
>
audience
>
and
>
your
>
examples
>
do
>
not
>
counter
>
the
>
model,
>
but
>
they
>
further
>
illustrate
>
issues
>
that
>
require
>
knowing
>
one's
>
audience.
>
>
Lauren
>
>
-----
Original
Message
----
>
From:
"Gause_Brian -at- emc -dot- com"
<Gause_Brian -at- emc -dot- com>
>
To:
techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
>
Sent:
Tuesday,
February
19,
2008
1:12:20
PM
>
Subject:
RE:
know
your
...
who?
>
>
...Maybe
>
your
>
message
>
was
>
intended
>
to
>
be
>
funny,
>
but
>
what
>
it
>
says
>
about
>
your
>
work
>
habits
>
and
>
creativity
>
is
>
a
>
dispiriting
>
notion,
>
indeed.
>
>
Brian
>
Gause
______________________________________________________________________________
______
Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your home page.
http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs
------------------------------
Message: 51
Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 15:13:48 -0800 (PST)
From: Jan Cohen <najnehoc -at- yahoo -dot- com>
Subject: Re: Why are the lines of the quoted message only one word
long?; was, "censorious persnickety flibbertigibbets"
To: LCP <lporrel -at- yahoo -dot- com>, techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Message-ID: <745714 -dot- 54235 -dot- qm -at- web55405 -dot- mail -dot- re4 -dot- yahoo -dot- com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
I've seen that happen in a couple of my posts too... it almost looks like a
script is interpreting spaces as line breaks, but I've no idea why it's not
happen in each and every case.
jan c.
----- Original Message ----
From: LCP <lporrel -at- yahoo -dot- com>
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Sent: Tuesday, February 19, 2008 6:09:04 PM
Subject: Why are the lines of the quoted message only one word long?; was,
"censorious persnickety flibbertigibbets"
I
have
no
idea.
You?
Anyone?
-----
Original
Message
----
From:
Lauren
<lauren -at- writeco -dot- net>
To:
techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Sent:
Tuesday,
February
19,
2008
3:01:39
PM
Subject:
RE:
censorious
persnickety
flibbertigibbets;
was,
"Re:
know
your
...
who?"
LCP,
Why
are
the
lines
in
your
quoted
messages
only
one
word
long?
Lauren
>
-----Original
Message-----
>
From:
techwr-l-bounces+lauren=writeco -dot- net -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
>
[mailto:techwr-l-bounces+lauren=writeco -dot- net -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
>
]
On
Behalf
Of
LCP
>
Sent:
Tuesday,
February
19,
2008
2:45
PM
>
To:
techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
>
Subject:
censorious
persnickety
flibbertigibbets;
was,
"Re:
>
know
your
...
who?"
>
>
I
have
recently
rejoined
Techwr-l
after
a
hiatus
of
several
>
years.
Techwr-l
used
to
be
a
helpful
and
cordial
list
for
>
professional
writers.
It
saddens
me
to
see
it
degraded,
even
>
only
in
part,
into
a
venue
for
"censorious
persnickety
>
flibbertigibbets".
>
>
>
-----
Original
Message
----
>
From:
Lauren
<lauren -at- writeco -dot- net>
>
To:
techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
>
Sent:
Tuesday,
February
19,
2008
2:21:48
PM
>
Subject:
RE:
know
your
...
who?
>
>
>
My
>
rudimentary
>
example
>
of
>
"knowing
>
an
>
audience"
>
does
>
not
>
encompass
>
*every*
>
example
>
of
>
what
>
a
>
writer
>
needs
>
to
>
know
>
about
>
an
>
audience.
>
There
>
is
>
not
>
enough
>
bandwidth
>
to
>
share
>
*every*
>
example
>
and
>
other
>
examples
>
are
>
not
>
"counter-examples"
>
as
>
you
>
state.
>
>
The
>
"model"
>
I
>
described
>
requires
>
that
>
the
>
writer
>
learn
>
about
>
the
>
audience
>
and
>
your
>
examples
>
do
>
not
>
counter
>
the
>
model,
>
but
>
they
>
further
>
illustrate
>
issues
>
that
>
require
>
knowing
>
one's
>
audience.
>
>
Lauren
>
>
-----
Original
Message
----
>
From:
"Gause_Brian -at- emc -dot- com"
<Gause_Brian -at- emc -dot- com>
>
To:
techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
>
Sent:
Tuesday,
February
19,
2008
1:12:20
PM
>
Subject:
RE:
know
your
...
who?
>
>
...Maybe
>
your
>
message
>
was
>
intended
>
to
>
be
>
funny,
>
but
>
what
>
it
>
says
>
about
>
your
>
work
>
habits
>
and
>
creativity
>
is
>
a
>
dispiriting
>
notion,
>
indeed.
>
>
Brian
>
Gause
______________________________________________________________________________
______
Never
miss
a
thing.
Make
Yahoo
your
home
page.
http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Create
HTML
or
Microsoft
Word
content
and
convert
to
Help
file
formats
or
printed
documentation.
Features
include
support
for
Windows
Vista
&
2007
Microsoft
Office,
team
authoring,
plus
more.
http://www.DocToHelp.com/TechwrlList
True
single
source,
conditional
content,
PDF
export,
modular
help.
Help
&
Manual
is
the
most
powerful
authoring
tool
for
technical
documentation.
Boost
your
productivity!
http://www.helpandmanual.com
---
You
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------------------------------
Message: 52
Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 18:22:05 -0500
From: "Al Geist" <al -dot- geist -at- geistassociates -dot- com>
Subject: RE: Need printer suggestions
To: "'Lauren'" <lauren -at- writeco -dot- net>, "'Techwr-l'"
<techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Message-ID: <73772B75660A4CFFAC28172E9CC0D6EC -at- GADESKTOP>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Good point on the SD or Flash card. I forgot all about them and I use a
Flash drive every day. It's more convenient. The RX595 can also print
directly from them, which makes your chance of getting a test print a lot
easier...you won't need the computer.
As for the sheen...all papers aren't the same. You need to be really picky
and look at them from several angles and from various distances. You will
notice subtle differences. I've seen the difference on Kodak, Epson, Ilford
and Canon papers so far. As for the little black specks, inks dry so fast
today that dust shouldn't be a problem, unless you also have a dry
environment. In a dry environment, static electricity comes into play as a
real pain-in-the-posterior. I run a humidifier in the winter in my office.
Check out the longevity of your inks by visiting Wilhelm Imaging
Associations. They are "the" last word in archival quality for ink and
papers. Not all papers are equal and some of those that you think would be
rated excellent didn't cut the mustard. (Kodak paper was rated as one of the
worst for longevity.) It also depends on the model number of your printer.
Not all Epson ink can last 150 years without fading (under ideal
conditions), but most can. Not sure of the HP inks. Of course, all that is
needed is for the print to look good for the next 50 years...unless you're
immortal.
Al Geist
Technical Writing, Help, Web Design, Video, Photography
Office/Msg: 802-872-9091
Cell: 802-578-3964
Website: www.geistassociates.com
See Also:
Fine Art Photography
Website: www.geistimages.com
"...I walked to work, quit my job, and kept walking. Better to be a pilgrim
without a destination, I figured, than to cross the wrong threshold each
day." (Anon.)
------------------------------
Message: 53
Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 15:22:03 -0800
From: "Lauren" <lauren -at- writeco -dot- net>
Subject: RE: know your ... who?
To: <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Message-ID: <20080219232309 -dot- BE97683E6B -at- web -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
> From: McLauchlan, Kevin
> So, you seem to be saying:
>
> "Be one of the people to whom your documentation is addressed"
>
> OR
>
> "Make educated guesses, based on assumptions about the people to whom
> your documentation is addressed."
>
> Is that a good summary?
No. It isn't.
"Knowing" one's audience does not mean "be one of the people" or make
"guesses" about the audience. In my high school graduate audience example
we've graduated high school so we should "know" how a high school graduate
learns, since we have been in that position ourselves. If we wrote from the
perspective of "being" a high school graduate, then we would write crap. If
we made "guesses" about high school graduates, then we would not do our jobs
as writers. If we have not been in the position of the audience, then we
should learn about the audience so that we can know the audience. SMEs and
other staff are good resources to interview to understand the audience of
the document.
Lauren
------------------------------
Message: 54
Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 15:38:40 -0800
From: Ned Bedinger <doc -at- edwordsmith -dot- com>
Subject: Re: OT? Community and tech writing in real life (was Re:
Ambiguous words and Phrases)
To: "techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com >> Techwr-L List"
<techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Message-ID: <47BB6880 -dot- 8020003 -at- edwordsmith -dot- com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
Tim Mantyla wrote:
> I support "real life" spillover occasionally, since our own lives revolve
> in "real life" as well as our "tech writer life" bubble at work.
If we are going to discuss health insurance documentary film making and
journalism, then let it be in aspects related to tech writing. Health
care and health insurance are real concerns for us, but if you run them
up the flagpole at techwr-l, without providing a tech writing context,
they should realistically get shot down.
Perhaps we should have a default tech writing context for all off-topic
posts. That context could be Simplified Technical English, which
doesn't get enough play on techwr-l anyway. So when the discussion
turns to browbeating Swallow about his monkey, or Combs' complaints
about the pachoulli-scented candles in the break room, we can give them
a dignified response. In favor? say Aye.
-- Ned "But Richard, what's wrong with Disiderata? It is nearly STE."
------------------------------
Message: 55
Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 18:20:32 -0600
From: "Pinkham, Jim" <Jim -dot- Pinkham -at- voith -dot- com>
Subject: RE: Need printer suggestions
To: "Al Geist" <al -dot- geist -at- geistassociates -dot- com>, "Lauren"
<lauren -at- writeco -dot- net>, "Techwr-l" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Message-ID:
<2BF7198089C96C438F66C74B3F43DD5E02A1497F -at- apls0111 -dot- euro1 -dot- voith -dot- net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Using HP inks and HP photo paper, the life expectancy on Advanced paper
(most typically used with the six-ink printers) is 80 years; Premium
Plus, HP's archival paper, is not as rapid-drying nor as water-resistant
as the Advanced paper, but it is rated for 105 years. Al's point about
paper is a good one. Whatever printer you settle on, you'll generally do
best with that same manufacturer's paper. HP, for one, invests a great
deal in ink and paper as a system, and the chemistry of ink and paper
are definitely engineered to work together. On the Epsons, I'm not sure
if that 150 year number is Wilhelm's or Epson's. But, in my view, HP and
Epson are the two overall best quality printers on the market, if you're
comparing apples to apples in terms of features and price points.
-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+jim -dot- pinkham=voith -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
[mailto:techwr-l-bounces+jim -dot- pinkham=voith -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On
Behalf Of Al Geist
Sent: Tuesday, February 19, 2008 5:22 PM
To: 'Lauren'; 'Techwr-l'
Subject: RE: Need printer suggestions
Good point on the SD or Flash card. I forgot all about them and I use a
Flash drive every day. It's more convenient. The RX595 can also print
directly from them, which makes your chance of getting a test print a
lot easier...you won't need the computer.
As for the sheen...all papers aren't the same. You need to be really
picky and look at them from several angles and from various distances.
You will notice subtle differences. I've seen the difference on Kodak,
Epson, Ilford and Canon papers so far. As for the little black specks,
inks dry so fast today that dust shouldn't be a problem, unless you also
have a dry environment. In a dry environment, static electricity comes
into play as a real pain-in-the-posterior. I run a humidifier in the
winter in my office.
Check out the longevity of your inks by visiting Wilhelm Imaging
Associations. They are "the" last word in archival quality for ink and
papers. Not all papers are equal and some of those that you think would
be rated excellent didn't cut the mustard. (Kodak paper was rated as one
of the worst for longevity.) It also depends on the model number of your
printer.
Not all Epson ink can last 150 years without fading (under ideal
conditions), but most can. Not sure of the HP inks. Of course, all that
is needed is for the print to look good for the next 50 years...unless
you're immortal.
Al Geist
Technical Writing, Help, Web Design, Video, Photography
Office/Msg: 802-872-9091
Cell: 802-578-3964
Website: www.geistassociates.com
See Also:
Fine Art Photography
Website: www.geistimages.com
"...I walked to work, quit my job, and kept walking. Better to be a
pilgrim without a destination, I figured, than to cross the wrong
threshold each day." (Anon.)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
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------------------------------
Message: 56
Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 20:17:51 -0500
From: "Al Geist" <al -dot- geist -at- geistassociates -dot- com>
Subject: RE: Need printer suggestions
To: "'Pinkham, Jim'" <Jim -dot- Pinkham -at- voith -dot- com>, "'Lauren'"
<lauren -at- writeco -dot- net>, "'Techwr-l'" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Message-ID: <5EC663BCEACE4A65BB3CDD2AAFA28E4D -at- GADESKTOP>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Jim Pinkham wrote:
"....On the Epsons, I'm not sure if that 150 year number is Wilhelm's or
Epson's. But, in my view, HP and Epson are the two overall best quality
printers on the market, if you're comparing apples to apples in terms of
features and price points."
The number is Wilhelms. One thing to keep in mind, manufacturer estimates
are marketing tools...they may not stand up to rigid, scientific scrutiny.
Kodak promotes it's papers at 100+ years. Wilhelm discovered that they used
25% of the light intensity for their tests, skewing the results. Their
rationale was most houses are not that bright; however, Wilhelm subjects all
their test products to the same standards. That is why I use Wilhelm for my
comparisons.
Al Geist
Technical Writing, Help, Web Design, Video, Photography
Office/Msg: 802-872-9091
Cell: 802-578-3964
Website: www.geistassociates.com
See Also:
Fine Art Photography
Website: www.geistimages.com
"...I walked to work, quit my job, and kept walking. Better to be a pilgrim
without a destination, I figured, than to cross the wrong threshold each
day." (Anon.)
------------------------------
Message: 57
Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 20:23:53 -0600
From: "Pinkham, Jim" <Jim -dot- Pinkham -at- voith -dot- com>
Subject: RE: Need printer suggestions
To: "Al Geist" <al -dot- geist -at- geistassociates -dot- com>, "Lauren"
<lauren -at- writeco -dot- net>, "Techwr-l" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Message-ID:
<2BF7198089C96C438F66C74B3F43DD5E02A1499A -at- apls0111 -dot- euro1 -dot- voith -dot- net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Sounds like a very reasonable basis for analysis, Al. I, too, have heard
about Kodak's approaches in this latest bid to find a footing in the
printer market. Sometimes s good dose of skepticism is a healthy thing.
-----Original Message-----
From: Al Geist [mailto:al -dot- geist -at- geistassociates -dot- com]
Sent: Tuesday, February 19, 2008 7:18 PM
To: Pinkham, Jim; 'Lauren'; 'Techwr-l'
Subject: RE: Need printer suggestions
Jim Pinkham wrote:
"....On the Epsons, I'm not sure if that 150 year number is Wilhelm's or
Epson's. But, in my view, HP and Epson are the two overall best quality
printers on the market, if you're comparing apples to apples in terms of
features and price points."
The number is Wilhelms. One thing to keep in mind, manufacturer
estimates are marketing tools...they may not stand up to rigid,
scientific scrutiny.
Kodak promotes it's papers at 100+ years. Wilhelm discovered that they
used 25% of the light intensity for their tests, skewing the results.
Their rationale was most houses are not that bright; however, Wilhelm
subjects all their test products to the same standards. That is why I
use Wilhelm for my comparisons.
Al Geist
Technical Writing, Help, Web Design, Video, Photography
Office/Msg: 802-872-9091
Cell: 802-578-3964
Website: www.geistassociates.com
See Also:
Fine Art Photography
Website: www.geistimages.com
"...I walked to work, quit my job, and kept walking. Better to be a
pilgrim without a destination, I figured, than to cross the wrong
threshold each day." (Anon.)
------------------------------
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****************************************
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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Create HTML or Microsoft Word content and convert to Help file formats or
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Microsoft Office, team authoring, plus more.
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