Re: Engineering Textbook: Word MasterDocs vs FrameMaker vs ... ???

[Keith Soltys <keith -at- soltys -dot- ca>]

Word is quite capable of handling large documents but you have to be 
VERY careful about your formatting. You need to use a good template that 
uses multilevel lists and never, ever use the formatting toolbar for 
numbered and bulleted lists. In my final job at the TSX, I used it for 
documents > 300 pages with few problems, but I was the only author 
working on the document so I had complete control over formatting.

As for master documents, I avoided using them. When I had to create a 
document that had content from more than one author, I created a shell 
document for the front matter and added the individual files using RD 
fields. I edited only in the individual files and made sure they all 
used the same template. The only problem with this approach is that page 
numbering can be complex to manage (I used chapter-page numbering).

If you do use master documents, the most critical thing is to make sure 
that all the documents use the same template. And then backup, backup, 
and backup some more.

If the document has complex formatting and uses many images, you may 
want to consider importing the content into InDesign, as another poster 
has suggested.

Regards
Keith


On 10/20/2021 8:16 AM, Nina Rogers wrote: