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s>We have differing opinions in my office and I'd like to hear from this
s>group. When do you force page breaks in a technical (printed) manual?
I try to keep related topics all on one page. For example, in the
description of a keypad, I'll do my utmost to keep the description of
the keypad on the same page as the graphic of the keypad and keep the
description all together, even if it means too much white space at the
bottom of the page.
I also try to keep all the text about one topic on facing pages if
possible, which can also result in uneven white space. If possible, I'll
move topics around to get the best page fits.
Cautions, warnings, notes and so on ALWAYS stay with the text they
relate to. Worst case, they'll be at the top of a facing page, but I
avoid that as much as possible.
I usually don't use page breaks - instead I use "keep lines together,"
"keep with next" and "keep with previous" commands. I keep the user in
mind - is he or she going to have to flip pages constantly to get
through something? If so, get it all on one page or facing pages.
Hope this helps -
Barb
barb -dot- philbrick -at- pcohio -dot- com
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* CMPQwk 1.4 #9107 * Does anal retentive have a hyphen?
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