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The management of my company decided LONG ago that they wanted our product
(mainframe & PC software) documentation distributed to our customers in
3-ring binders. It's been that way ever since. They like the way the binders
look on their bookcases. They think it's a *good* look.
I disagree. I think it makes our doc look temporary or, even worse, as
though it requires frequent updating (which it does NOT). I think that large
binders are unwieldy, they require too much desk space, they're a pain to
lug around, and they're a disaster when the darned pages fall out. I've
suggested going to a plasticoil (or similar) binding that would allow the
book to be folded back (so only one page is visible at a time). Management
thinks this doesn't look as classy, and they don't want to lose the
bookshelf look.
To further complicate things, our printing has been handled by our Admin
department, so I no longer have a personal relationship with a printer I
trust to counsel me on this. And our books range in size from a few dozen
pages to as many as 450 pages!
My questions:
1. How do you other Whirlers bind your documentation for distribution to
customers?
2. Do you have any suggestions for a compromise solution? (It must be no
more expensive than the 3-ring binders!)
3. Can anyone point me to studies that have been done about this? If I'm
going to make a change, I'll have to prove to them that the new look will
give our customers a positive impression!
Please copy me directly on answers, as I'm on digest. Many thanks!
Joyce
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