Page comp options

[Katav <katav -at- YAHOO -dot- COM>]

---Tom <eagles -at- CONNECTION -dot- COM> wrote:

  My department is considering all possibilities,  including switching
to Macs if they'll make us more productive. On that note, I'll start
my little fact gathering tour with the following request:

=============================
Tom:
     Before you compile replies (and to the replies
     from TECHWR-L add brochures and other info
     from the s/w houses), define your WORST CASE
     document.

     As examples:
        Do you use intra- and inter-chapter xrefs?
        Do you use chapter#-page# pagination?
        Do you pick up page information for headers
          (e.g. H1 head copied into running head)?
        Do you mix layouts within a document?
        Do you need auto-generated TOC, Index, etc.?
        Do you intend to create text, graphics, or
         both within the page comp application?
          If not, which applications support the text
          and graphic editors' output options (e.g.
          the page comp may NOT support the ZYX V.99's
          'native' format, but both ZYX and the page
          comp support RTF [or EPS or ... ]
        Do tables need repeating heads with
          [continuation] lines - repeating column
          heads and no bottom line on preceding
          pages of continued table?
        Do non-tech pubs people provide files - in
          other words, is cross-platform a requirement?
        Do you need HTML, PDF, XML, SGML output?
          (Answer='Yes' - if not today, then tomorrow,
           at least for HTML/XML and PDF.)

     Examine your current documents to define what
     /is/ then consider what you want the /future/
     document to /be/.

     Try to get demo/evaluation copies of each s/w.
     Adobe has [had] 'everything but save' versions
     of PageMaker available.

     Try to beg/borrow copies of the USER GUIDES.
     Is the INDEX accurate? Are the instructions
     grouped so all related tasks are together
     (e.g. footers=page numbering=running copy).

     Now, armed with your requirements, you can sort
     out which s/w best meets those requirements.

     BTW, the short list I presented in hardly
     all-inclusive. Take time to develop a REAL list
     of requiremnts for yoour organization; it will
     be time well spent.



==
Katav ( katav -at- yahoo -dot- com )
''Despise not any person and do not deem anything unworthy
of consideration, for there is no person without his hour,
and no thing without its place'' {Ben Azzai [Avot 4:2]}

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