Creating a Word template...

[Alan Litchfield]

Richard,

On 20/01/2007, at 7:29 AM, Combs, Richard wrote:

>
> To which I say, Amen! In fact, I can't help but wonder if you or your
> supervisor are misinterpreting what's actually required. "Once the
> content has been approved it cannot be varied" -- well, changing the
> font, leading, left indent, etc., does NOT change the CONTENT.
>

"Misrepresenting" is a little strong don't you think? Excuse me for  
not being sufficiently pedantic, but yes, you're right, and wrong too.

> What is the deliverable?
>
> -- A Word doc? (As a .doc, .docx, or .rtf file? On a floppy, CD, DVD,
> email attachment, or what?)
>
> -- A PDF? (Created how? With what job options? Fonts embedded? What  
> zoom
> level and view settings on open? Any security settings?)
>
> -- A hard copy? (What size paper? Single-sided or double-sided?
> Letterhead? Watermark?)
>

These issues have been dealt with at the final production stage and  
are not being addressed here. The question relates to the initial  
stages. The submission of content (i.e. the stuff that is obtained  
from the great unwashed) from a wide range of sources (i.e. people,  
the unwashed). The sources are going to submit inclusions as Word  
documents. It is the desire of the client to reduce the various  
problems that have arisen in the past when people gone carte blanche  
with their Word formats (various numbering formats, random heading  
usage, a wide range of bulleting formats, etc.).

[personal comments snipped]


> Admittedly, there is some overlap -- the _relative_ level of a heading
> shouldn't change because it's relationship to others in the hierarchy
> conveys meaning and thus affects content.

Yes, that is the point. There is a non-trivial acceptance process for  
content (i.e. the stuff that is being included in the final document)  
that may take several years to complete. During that process the  
content may traverse committees, courts, public submission processes,  
and be recycled many times before it is signed off. At any stage, for  
now, any person can add whatever formats they like and once it has  
been approved by a judge the client is not allowed to change the  
structure, regardless of whether it fits the rest of the document.  
That means even the shape of bullets that were used.

You see, at this level one has relatively little control over some  
things. It's not like writing a user manual or typesetting a book.

> But to forbid a font change is
> indeed crazy.
>

It is not the changing of fonts that is the issue here. Richard, I  
think you have missed the point. But thanks anyway.

> "It's my opinion and it's very true."
>

As all opinions are ;)

Alan
--
Alan T Litchfield, MBus (Hons), MNZCS
AlphaByte: PO Box 1941, Auckland, New Zealand
Publishing systems specialists
http://www.alphabyte.co.nz