Document Hack (A Technical Writer's Journal): The Acrobat and the Illustrator

Using Acrobat, you can make minor edits to a PDF file, but Acrobat documents are very sensitive. Typing a single character can throw several lines off, destroy tables and cause all sort of other troubles. Alternately, it can be relatively uneventful and painless. You will not know until you type in that character.

Hewitt, John. Writer's Resource Center (2004). Articles>Document Design>Software>Adobe Acrobat

Document Layout Concepts (Frames and All That)

The primary reason to use Framemaker is the power that it offers in managing long and possibly technically complex documents. And while detailed control of the formatting of every paragraph and character is important, the overarching concern is overall structure and layout on a document- or book-wide basis. As the product's name announces, at the heart of FrameMaker's structure and layout paradigm is the 'Frame'. Yet I found the user documentation on the actual subject of frames to be perplexingly opaque. Frames are mentioned here and there, and what is described is not incorrect. But nowhere in the user docs is there a concise and complete discussion of this central FrameMaker feature -- which tends to stall efforts to actually get started on using FrameMaker in a productively-planned manner. Indeed, it is tempting to speculate that the FM learning curve is infamously steep precisely because this conceptual core is so ill illuminated. So, determined to dispell the fog (at least for me!), I resorted to studying the very helpful Programmers' Reference and Guide, and built a MIF-Browser tool to get to the bottom of the matter. Herewith is an effort to clarify what to me seem the essentials needed for productive use of FrameMaker, condensed in one place.

Wideman, Graham. WidemanOne. Design>Document Design>Software>Adobe FrameMaker

Document Setup in Adobe InDesign CS

In this topic, you will set up a new document in Adobe InDesign CS.

Adobe. Design>Document Design>Software>Adobe InDesign

Dragging and Dropping

There are a number of ways in which you can use drag and drop to get content in and out of InDesign. Here are my favorites: If you ever get a lot of content for a layout delivered to you in a folder full of images, logos, text files, etc., there's a fast and easy way to get the files into InDesign that will enable you to avoid placing them one by one.

Cole, Tim. Mac Design Magazine (2005). Design>Document Design>Software>Adobe InDesign

Dragging and dropping into InDesign  

There are a number of ways in which you can use drag and drop to get content in and out of InDesign.

Cole, Tim. Adobe Evangelists (2006). Design>Document Design>Software>Adobe InDesign

The Effects of Using Colored Paper to Boost Response-Rates to Surveys and Questionnaires    

Many people have speculated over the last 80 years or so about the possibilities of using colored paper to boost response-rates to surveys and questionnaires, and several studies have been carried out. Most of these enquiries report no significant effects from using colored paper, although there have been some exceptions. In this investigation we pooled together the results from all of the experimental studies known to us on the topic and we carried out a meta-analysis to see if there might be a positive effect for colored paper overall. The results indicated that this was not the case, for we found no significant differences between the response rates to white and to colored paper in general. However, when we considered separately the most common colors used, it appeared that pink paper had the greatest effect. "One of the first considerations [to obtain a high response-rate] is the color of paper used in mail questionnaires. United States government officials who are responsible for the mailing of several million questionnaires every year have definitely determined that yellow paper gives the highest percentage of returns, with pink next in effectiveness, while all dark colors give much smaller returns" [1, p. 142].

Hartley, James and Andrew Rutherford. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication (2003). Articles>Document Design>User Centered Design>Color

Efficiency: It's Not Just for Production Monkeys

With a few free tools from software companies and other users, you can carve out more time for what you really love -- creativity.

Ashcroft, Sean. Creative Pro (2007). Articles>Document Design>Software>Adobe InDesign

Embedded Indexing in FrameMaker   

Embedded indexing is the process of creating index entries electronically in a document’s files. Although desktop publishing packages are not the best tools for indexing, they can be used to create effective embedded indexes. For technical documents that will be updated frequently or will go online, technical communicators can create embedded indexes that will help their audience find information quickly and efficiently.

Mauer, Peg. STC Proceedings (1999). Articles>Document Design>Indexing>Adobe FrameMaker

Enhance Text Design with Nested Styles

Creating nested styles is a great way to add unusual text effects to your document.With Adobe InDesign® CS, you can apply one character style to the beginning of a paragraph, and then determine where that character style stops and the next character style begins. By creating a paragraph style that includes these nested styles, you can quickly apply the effect to multiple paragraphs.

Adobe. Design>Document Design>Style Sheets>Adobe InDesign

Enhancing Tutorials With Acrobat

Ideas for enhancing tutorial documents using Acrobat features.

McCue, Claudia. PlanetPDF (2004). Design>Document Design>Tutorials>Adobe Acrobat

Equations

Equations must have a number in parentheses at the right of the page. Must be numbered in the order they appear. Must be able to be read as part of the text.

Young, V.L. and K.J. Sampson. Ohio University (2004). Articles>Document Design>Technical Writing>Mathematics

The Euro: What Will It Mean to the Desktop Publisher?

How will the character be inserted into typeset copy? Every time typesetters set a piece containing a monetary amount in Euros, they will have to type a character that doesn't exist in most typeface character sets. A partial remedy is the inclusion of a Euro character in the character set of Macintosh and Windows. For instance, starting in Mac OS 8.5, pressing Option-Shift-2 will insert the Euro character — but only in the fonts that come with the Mac. Older fonts will insert a different character.

Adams, Peter C.S. Makingpages.org (2002). Design>Document Design>Typography>Europe

An Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Automated Templates  

Automated templates are an alternative to traditional supporting information for helping users perform complex tasks. In this study users performed tasks with and without wizard to trial and error, printed manuals, and online the use of automated templates. Results suggest that if fakes help, and examined the use of supporting information some time for users to learn to use automated templates, but in performing complex tasks. We also considered once they do, the templates help users perform tasks more whether automated templates serve an educational successfully and more quickly.

Bayer, Nancy L., R. Darren Carleton, Susan Goetchus, Robert Krull and Rick S. Sapir. STC Proceedings (1994). Articles>Document Design>Content Management

Everybody Makes Mistakes  

Special 'blooper reel' edition: the author's biggest paper mistakes.

Sidles, Constance J. Adobe Magazine (1996). Design>Document Design>Prepress>Paper

Explicit Structure in Print and On-Screen Documents    

The structure of print and on-screen documents is made explicit through headings and links. Three important concepts for understanding explicit structure are (1) the display-unit properties of each document medium, (2) the flexible relationship between explicit and implicit structure, and (3) the distinction between populated and unpopulated locations in a hierarchy. These concepts help us better understand standard print documents, structured writing, websites, help systems, and PowerPoint, as well as the potential effects of content management systems on how documents are created.

Farkas, David K. Technical Communication Quarterly (2005). Articles>Document Design>Information Design>Typography

Extracting Content

How to extract content from a portion of a PDF document.

Baker, Donna L. PlanetPDF (2004). Articles>Content Management>Document Design>Adobe Acrobat

Facts and Opinions About PDF Accessibility

PDF accessibility is not as straightforward as HTML accessibility. But it can be done, if you put the same care into marking up your PDFs that you put into marking up websites. Joe Clark tells all.

Clark, Joe. List Apart, A (2005). Design>Document Design>Accessibility>Adobe Acrobat

Fehlende WingDings-Zeichen in PDF-Dateien

Gewisse WingDings Zeichen fehlen, wenn ein PDF File erstellt wird. Dies ist unabhängig davon, ob Winword (Office 97) oder eine andere Applikation benutzt wird. Ausserdem spielt es keine Rolle ob das PDF mit dem Word Makro erstellt wurde oder nicht.

Transcom (2000). (German) Design>Typography>Document Design>Adobe Acrobat

Felicitous Frames  

There are plenty of things in life worth fearing, but frame-based layout isn't one of them. If you've been using PageMaker 6.5 but haven't explored frames yet, here's your chance to find out just how much fun you've been missing.

Kvern, Olav Martin. Adobe Magazine (1998). Design>Document Design>Software>Adobe PageMaker

Flyers in an Hour  

This paper presents some of the fundamental elements of good page layout and design.

Wadia, Mickey. STC Atlanta (2002). Design>Document Design

The Form and Function of Folds

Folds are as important to your brochure design as illustrations, typefaces, and color. A smart layout heightens the drama with which your message is revealed to the reader.

Chuck Green. Ideabook.com (2003). Design>Document Design>Prepress

The Form Revolution, Part II  

In Part I, you got PDF forms to run and talk. Now you get to make them really smart.

Guthrie, Malcolm. Adobe Magazine (2000). Design>Document Design>Software>Adobe Acrobat

Format Text with Style Sheets  

Format text once and apply the same style repeatedly and with ease. Style sheets in Adobe® InDesign® CS are a shortcut to formatting text.

Adobe. Articles>Document Design>Style Sheets>Adobe InDesign

The Fourteen Biggest E-Book Design Mistakes

Roger C. Parker returns with this tutorial to help make your electronic publications attention-getting, attractive, and easy to read... all part of his recent book Design to Sell.

Parker, Roger C. Design, Typography and Graphics (2006). Design>Document Design>eBooks>Usability