RTFM
New member
So I stumbled across this forum this morning and found it darned interesting. Read the PC VS MAC Platforms thread and the Legal issues with designer's files thread. I was encouraged that the PC VS MAC Platforms thread didn't turn into a holy war like it might in a technical writing forum and that many of the responses in the Legal issues with designer's files thread were supportive and understanding about copyright ownership.
I'm a technical writer. I'm a top-notch technical writer. Been doing it for 22 years. Mostly, I write user manuals for software. My tool of choice for creating a user manual? Microsoft Word. I also sometimes use Adobe FrameMaker. For image manipulation, I pretty much stick to Paint Shop Pro and for the creation of PDFs I use Acrobat Professional. The stuff I do hasn't required color separations or the like so this workflow has been sufficient.
It's probably a dirty word around here but I've had good luck with lulu.com. I've created cover art with Adobe Illustrator and was very pleased with the results.
However, I'd like to learn about prepress issues in the event that at some time in the future I get involved in a project where it might be a concern. So my question is, what are my options there? Books? Online courses? Real classroom courses? I'm in southeast Wisconsin, about 40 miles south of Milwaukee but also about 50 miles from Chicago so if there's an institution in either city that might have a suitable offering that could be an option (although I'd probably prefer either books or online courses).
Thanks for your input.
Mike
--
Mike Starr WriteStarr Information Services
Technical Writer - Online Help Developer - Technical Illustrator
Graphic Designer - Desktop Publisher - MS Office Expert
(262) 694-1028 - [email protected] - http://www.writestarr.com
I'm a technical writer. I'm a top-notch technical writer. Been doing it for 22 years. Mostly, I write user manuals for software. My tool of choice for creating a user manual? Microsoft Word. I also sometimes use Adobe FrameMaker. For image manipulation, I pretty much stick to Paint Shop Pro and for the creation of PDFs I use Acrobat Professional. The stuff I do hasn't required color separations or the like so this workflow has been sufficient.
It's probably a dirty word around here but I've had good luck with lulu.com. I've created cover art with Adobe Illustrator and was very pleased with the results.
However, I'd like to learn about prepress issues in the event that at some time in the future I get involved in a project where it might be a concern. So my question is, what are my options there? Books? Online courses? Real classroom courses? I'm in southeast Wisconsin, about 40 miles south of Milwaukee but also about 50 miles from Chicago so if there's an institution in either city that might have a suitable offering that could be an option (although I'd probably prefer either books or online courses).
Thanks for your input.
Mike
--
Mike Starr WriteStarr Information Services
Technical Writer - Online Help Developer - Technical Illustrator
Graphic Designer - Desktop Publisher - MS Office Expert
(262) 694-1028 - [email protected] - http://www.writestarr.com