FWD: CD-Based Documentation: SUMMARY

[PHILA -at- Mail -dot- VIPS -dot- com]

Good morning!

Forwarding, with thanks to all who answered...

Thanks,
Phila 
********************
Philomena Hoopes
Phila -at- vips -dot- com <Phila -at- vips -dot- com> 
(410) 832-8330 ext. 845


-----Original Message-----
From:	Arianna McFarren 
Sent:	Thursday, February 17, 2000 3:57 PM
To:	Philomena Hoopes
Subject:	CD-docs responses (SUMMARY)

Hello All,

This is a summary of responses to the following qustion:

		I am entering the design phases of a project to create
		CD-based PDF files from our existing document set, which is
based in
		FrameMaker.  While I am familiar with Acrobat and Frame, I
am new to the
		world of recordable CDs.

		Could anyone suggest some useful resources?  Please reply
		directly as I am not on the list... 


I found a really useful FAQ at  <http://www.fadden.com/cdrfaq/>   I also
received the following responses....

(Lynn, sorry I could not reply to your email to me directly...my life got
really hectic, really quickly...)

Thanks for all of your responses!

Arianna
Arianna -at- vips -dot- com <mailto:Arianna -at- vips -dot- com> 

-----Original Message-----
From: William Swallow [mailto:william -dot- swallow -at- aptissoftware -dot- com]
Sent: Friday, February 11, 2000 1:52 PM
To: 'PHILA -at- Mail -dot- VIPS -dot- com'
Cc: 'arianna -at- vips -dot- com'
Subject: RE: CD Based documentation


We do the following:

1. Create jewel case inserts in Frame and send them out for full-color
publishing and proper scoring.

2. Create the PDFs, PDF Contents file, Catalog of search terms.

3. We use Dupe-It's dual 8X recorder with Adeptec's EZ CD software to burn
the master disk, then read the contents of that disk into the Dupe-It's
internal memory and make as many copies of the CDs as we need.

4. Then we take the data-written CDs over to our Rimage Prism CD printer and
print the artwork to the non-data side of the disks. 

5. When the inserts arrive from the publisher, we finish packaging the CDs
and ship.

Sounds like you are beginning on a journey that we've started a few years
ago, as we also use Frame. If you have any further questions, let me know.

==========================================================
	-----Original Message-----
	From:	Philomena Hoopes 
	Sent:	Thursday, February 10, 2000 12:31 PM
	To:	Arianna McFarren
	Subject:	RE: CD Based documentation

	Hi, Ari -

	Just remembered a great local resource - the SIGCAT Foundation, aka
SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP ON CD/DVD APPLICATIONS & TECHNOLOGY.
<http://www.sigcat.org/>

	They make available huge quantities of cutting-edge
information...and host a springtime conference in this area (MD/DC/VA). I
went in 1998 and learned a great deal from it.


-----Original Message-----
From: MORGAN -at- epos -dot- com [mailto:MORGAN -at- epos -dot- com]
Sent: Thursday, February 10, 2000 11:35 AM
To: arianna -at- vips -dot- com
Subject: CD burners


Arianna,

If I understand your questions, then the solution is easy (please excuse me
if I am wrong).  All you need to do is create the PDF files and copy them to
your CD drive.  I have found that Adaptec's Easy CD Creator is the easiest
of the programs to use and that HP makes the best CD burner, for single
copies.  As far as speed of the write process is concerned; the faster, the
better!  I do recommend that you get a dedicated, external CD burning
machine if you need to make more than 20 copies and will be making them
regularly, updates and such.  These can be found at the major catalog
vendors  (pcmall.com, pcconnections.com, tigerdirect.com,...) and usually
you can fine the best price there too, for the single burners.  As far as
the CD's themselves, the 50-100 spindle sets, from major manufactures will
do just as well as the ones in the jewel cases.  Don't forget to get a CD
labeling system too, it adds that extra "icing" on the cake of producing a
professional looking product.  One more thing, if you decide to 
go with the single CD burner, go ahead and get the
CD-R/RW(writer/re-writer); it is a GREAT method to back up your files and
the rewritable disks are used just like floppies.

Let me know if I can do anything else for you,

Joey Morgan, MCSE, MCP+I
EPOS Corporation
177 Technology Pkwy
Auburn AL 36830
Morgan -at- epos -dot- com
(334) 321-7427

-----Original Message-----
From: David Chinell 
Sent: Thursday, February 10, 2000 10:45 PM
To: arianna -at- vips -dot- com
Subject: RE: CD Based documentation


Arianna:

I developed our method for putting our technical libraries on cd a couple of
years ago. We use Word and (now) Acrobat, though we started with a
custom-built browser.

My overall message to you is that it's not as much of a big deal as it may
seem at first. The software, once you get it in place, is real simple. You
don't have to fiddle around with optimizing the location of this or that
track on the CD or stuff like that.

(As you may have surmised by this point, I'm not going to give you a list of
authoritative texts on the theory behind structuring large collections, or
optimal formatting for online distribution. I went pretty much by instinct.)

I stuck to using the built-in "bookmark" tools as the TOC. I used Catalog to
create a collection-wide, full-text search tool.

I created a top-level navigation structure called Home.pdf and put it in the
root of the CD. This is little more than a splash screen and a top-level
list of the contents of the collection.

Since Word can (with the appropriate Adobe macros) create documents complete
with bookmarks, that part was automated. I suspect you can do the same with
Frame.
..

Bear