Document design is the field concerned with creating texts, that is books, pamphlets, posters and others that integrate words and pictures in ways that help people to achieve their specific goals for using texts at home, school, or work.
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Templates for Quark products to create newsletters, business cards, brochures, and other documents.
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From Pen to Print: The New Visual Landscape of Professional Communication 
Visual design has played an important role in the historical development of professional communication. The technology of laser printing has reestablished the importance of visual language in functional communication, transforming contemporary document design and redefining its relation to the traditions of handwritten, typewritten, and printed text. During this period of transition, three factors will shape the new visual language: (a) the development of a visual rhetoric that represents design as an integral part of the message rather than merely as external "dress," (b) the rediscovery of aesthetics as a legitimate factor in text design, and (c) the use of empirical research--particularly context-specific research--to guide the document design process.
Kostelnick, Charles. Journal of Business and Technical Communication (1994). Articles>Document Design>Visual Rhetoric>Printing
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The next best thing to buying a new system: getting the most out of PageMaker's performance on the one you have.
Cutler, Jim. Adobe Magazine (1996). Design>Document Design>Software>Adobe PageMaker
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Digital technology has transformed design, layout, and prepress; now it's beginning to change printing presses too.
Shuster, Robert. Adobe Magazine (1996). Design>Document Design>Prepress
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So, you think you'd like to get into Games development? Follow along as Sessions School of Game Art advisory board member Jolene Spry interviews Dave Taylor, independent video game producer and long-term veteran of the gaming industry.
Spry, Jolene and Dave Taylor. Design, Typography and Graphics (2006). Design>Document Design>Graphic Design>Games
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In the publishing world--when every word counts--knowing exactly how much space you have to work with is crucial. Because Adobe InDesign® 2.0 and Adobe InCopy 2.0 are tightly integrated and share the same composition engine, content.
Adobe (2003). Articles>Document Design>Software>Adobe InDesign
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Inline frames in Adobe InDesign help you keep your text and graphic frames (or text frames or groups) sticking together.
Kvern, Olav Martin. Adobe Magazine (1999). Design>Document Design>Software>Adobe InDesign
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Get the Most Out of Your Color 
Color can play an important role in technical documentation.
Copresco (1999). Articles>Document Design>Graphic Design>Color
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Working with leading grids can make your PageMaker layouts faster, easier, and better-looking - and you don't even have to be Swiss.
Cole, Tim. Adobe Magazine (1995). Design>Document Design>Software>Adobe PageMaker
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Getting the Most Out of Guides
If you're used to other layout applications, you may be unaware of all the things you can do with ruler guides in InDesign. If you use guides in your work, read on.
Cole, Tim. Creative Pro (2006). Design>Document Design>Software>Adobe InDesign
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Grouping similar elements helps the brain quickly decode a page layout. Proximity, Alignment, Containment, Rhythm and Styling are all tools that help indicate grouping.
Hunt, Ben. Web Design From Scratch (2005). Design>Web Design>Document Design
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PDF moves toward its destiny as the full-service, customizable digital file format we all want.
Kvern, Olav Martin. Adobe Magazine (1998). Design>Document Design>Software>Adobe Acrobat
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A Guide to International Paper Sizes
Metrics, not U.S. measurements, rule the universe. Therefore, before preparing publications for distribution abroad, you need to understand the basics of ISO paper standards.
Copresco (2000). Articles>Document Design>International>Paper
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Tips and advice on creating PDF files that are attractive, readable, and easy to download.
Nordling, Tamis and Wendy Katz. Adobe Magazine (1996). Design>Document Design>Software>Adobe Acrobat
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Heading Frequency and Comprehension: Studies of Print Versus Online Media
This paper describes a study that examined the effect of heading frequency on comprehension and perceptions of information presented in print versus online text. Results indicated that heading frequency did not differentially affect the comprehension of readers of print text while it did differentially affect the comprehension of readers of online texts who had considerably lower comprehension scores with text that had high frequency versus medium frequency headings.
Spyridakis, Jan H., Laura D. Schultz and Alexandra L. Bartell. STC Proceedings (2005). Articles>Document Design>Writing>Usability
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Most users spend a considerable amount of time scanning rather than reading information on Web sites. Well-designed headings help to facilitate both scanning and reading written material. Designers should strive to use unique and descriptive headings, and to use as many headings as necessary to enable users to find what they are looking for--it is usually better to use more rather than fewer headings. Headings should be used in their appropriate HTML order, and it is generally a good idea not to skip heading levels.
Usability.gov (2006). Design>Web Design>Document Design
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Everyone hates forms--users hate filling them out, and writers hate creating them. But forms offer writers a unique opportunity for rewarding work. Jarrett suggests ways to improve forms--and, possibly, users' lives.
Jarrett, Caroline. Intercom (2004). Design>Document Design>Forms
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How Document Design Helps English Learners Master Science
Explores how basic, scaffolded technical-writing exercises can help ESL students gain cognitive maturity, practice science literacy, improve their note taking, and use text signals and science idioms more effectively.
Girill, T.R. ACM SIGDOC (2005). Articles>Education>Document Design>Language
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How Does Commerical Offset Printing Differ from Desktop Printing?
The three primary differences in offset printing and desktop printing (such as inkjet and laser) are the colors of ink and the way the ink is placed on the paper as well as the type of machinery used to accomplish the task.
Howard Bear, Jacci. About.com (2007). Articles>Document Design>Prepress>Printing
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The grid of a table can feel like a prison sometimes—too confining, dreary and dull. Important information just mopes inside the cells.
Valiulis, Dave. Adobe Magazine (1998). Design>Document Design>Graphic Design
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How to Control the Page Numbering in a Word Document
Word's page numbering scheme isn't directly obvious but it isn't needlessly complex, either. Indirect might be a good term for it. Once you understand how it works, all sorts of possibilities open up. Unfortunately, the built-in tools that simplify the insertion of page numbers also happen to make it more difficult to tell what's really going on. So, for the moment, forget everything you've learned or think you know about page numbers.
Coan, Bill. Word MVP Site, The (2005). Articles>Word Processing>Document Design>Microsoft Word
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How to Open a PDF With Highlighted Words
The goal: to launch Acrobat Reader from an external application, automatically highlighting some words.
PDFzone (2003). Articles>Document Design>Software>Adobe Acrobat
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How to Set Up a Document with Front Matter Numbered Separately
Publishers call the preliminary pages in a book the 'front matter.' They aren’t always numbered separately—some books start with the title page as page 1 and are paginated continuously throughout—but when there is a significant amount of front matter, it’s conventional to number it using lowercase roman numerals.
Barnhill, Suzanne. Word MVP Site, The (2002). Articles>Word Processing>Document Design>Microsoft Word
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Newsletters are one of the least expensive -- and most effective -- public relations tools that exist for drawing attention to a business or Web site. By sending out a quality newsletter on a regular basis, you can keep clients, potential clients, the media, and other important sources updated about your business. Frequency of mailing builds familiarity, and familiarity inspires return visits. Plus, the effort of creating a newsletter itself speaks volumes about your commitment to the subject. It also positions you as an expert and a valuable resource.
Writing That Sells. Articles>Document Design>Journalism>Writing
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A How to Write a Project Proposal
Writing a good proposal is a very important tool for organizing time and resources to complete a project which fully realizes your objectives. Whether the proposal is done as a PQP for credit separate from the one-unit project, or as the first fraction of credit towards the one-unit requirement, a project proposal will be invaluable in structuring your ideas about carrying out your research and writing your conclusions. Some faculty use it as an informal 'Contract' to establish an agreement about the content and limits of the final project report. Also, since the project proposal is a widely used communications tool in the professional world, you will have the advantage of learning what goes into a proposal as part of your undergraduate education.
Worchester Polytechnic Institute (1999). Resources>Document Design>Proposals>Africa
