Each month, Copresco produces hundreds of jobs. No two
are exactly alike. Variables run the gamut from the computer platforms and
applications used by the authors to graphics techniques, paper stocks and
document finishing and binding methods.
Some jobs we get
won’t even print, due to one problem or another. To assure that your job
flows through our shop—or anywhere else—without a glitch, Copresco
has developed seven habits for the preparation of highly successful documents.
Here are two that must be considered before you begin your project. The others
will be presented in the next two issues of Overnight Lite.
Will it be online or print? It makes a big difference.
Imagine how your publication, book or manual will look in its final bound
format.
Where will your book be used? Remember that
metric standards are used everywhere in the world, except the United States and
Canada.
Will the pages be two-sided? There are no sides
to worry about on the web, but a printed document’s length will obviously
be greatly affected by the way the pages are backed up.
Should you leave room for annotations? Margin space is fre-quently
required for notes and comments in technical and reference manuals. Some
binding styles also require extra margin space.
The
binding method may be determined by the thickness of your book and your project
deadline. Comb binding can accommodate documents up to two inches thick.
However, a saddle stitched book over 60 pages gets unwieldy. While looseleaf
binding is available at Copresco overnight, some binding styles may add
production time.
You should also consider the use of
special color sheets, inserts or other special pages.
Call Copresco if you have questions.
Choosing the proper software for producing complex documentation for commercial reproduction is vital. To put things very bluntly, we’ve never seen a QuarkXPress document reflow. We’ve rarely seen a Word document that didn’t reflow!
For long, text-intensive publications, FrameMaker
can’t be beat. Quark and PageMaker, long the standards for graphic
intensive page layout, are very popular. Adobe’s new InDesign has gained
the attention of desktop publishers because of its excellent typesetting
capabilities.
Microsoft Word falls seriously short in
page layout and design categories. It’s a line-by-line, rather than
page-by-page program...and has no built-in graphics tools. You’ll find
that Microsoft has never made claims for Word as a layout program—and
instead offers its own desktop publishing product.
Switching to another word processor will only make
things worse. Save your word processor for correspondence and memos and use the
proper document management software for layout. Or, use your word processor for
writing, then import the text into your layout program.
Likewise, use dedicated graphics programs such as
Illustrator and Photoshop that offer the proper drawing and image editing
tools. Don’t use the draw functions of Word—the resulting graphics
are often impossible to print. Also avoid the use of Quark or PageMaker for
creating or sizing graphic elements. Although graphics can be edited in page
layout software, they don’t always print at the best quality. You’ll
get sharper reproduction by editing in Illustrator and Photoshop and importing
the files into your layout program.
These rules will help you with any job, be it destined
for print or html output. Watch for our next Seven Habits installment next
month.
Meanwhile...when you need help with publications,
books and manuals, call the company that can meet all your digital on-demand
printing needs. Call Copresco.
Copresco will be open on Good Friday, April 21. We wish you all a happy Easter weekend.
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