TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Subject:Re: Usability -- page numbering From:Paul Goble <paulg -at- COL -dot- HP -dot- COM> Date:Sat, 20 Nov 1993 23:09:40 GMT
Kelly Hoffman (kelly -at- nashua -dot- hp -dot- com) wrote:
: Do your readers actually update their copies with these frequent updates
: and revisions? Really?
Back when we used offset printing, we sent out update kits. I haven't
heard of a single customer who actually inserted the updates in their
manuals.
I've found that serial page numbering (1,2,3,...) somehow encourages me
to use actual page numbers for cross-references. The same mindset that
tells me "avoid renumbering all those pages" also tells me "keep your
cross-references vague."
IMHO, the page numbering method is unimportant for readers. What IS
important is that every page is clearly labelled with the chapter
number, chapter name, and section name.
So much depends on your tools, not on what's best for the customer. If
your publishing tools will not quickly renumber, re-cross-reference, or
re-index a manual, OR if you use "traditional" printing methods,
inserting a serially-numbered page is a problem. With good tools and
high-speed laser printing, it's easy.
--------======= * =======--------
Paul Goble
Hewlett-Packard Colorado Springs Division
Learning Products Engineering
paulg -at- col -dot- hp -dot- com
