Re: [WinMac] RE: How I can get screen shots?

Darron Spohn(dspohn[at]clicknet.com)
Tue, 27 Jul 1999 11:31:34 -0400

> Do your screen capture in black and white, not color.
>

Doug,

You're assuming print-only reproduction.

We use FrameMaker to produce our printed documentation, as well as PDF
files for those who like to work onscreen with hyperlink
cross-references. Color looks much better on screen than does
black-and-white. And if we decide to make our documentation available on
the Internet, it is simple to export FrameMaker documents as HMTL (yes,
this actually works in version 5.5). The HTML still needs a little
cleanup in a text editor, but not much if you've set up the reference
page properly.

> you can compress the image size by removing color
> information (setting the image mode to bitmap)

As I stated in my previous reply, save your screen shots as EPS files.
Bitmaps take forever to raster in a Postscript RIP, and greatly increase
processing time when converting to PDF. Postscript files also compress
nicely when converting to PDF, unlike bitmaps Get enough bitmaps in your
document (or god forbid use high-resolution bitmaps) and you'll have
problems printing them to a Postscript RIP. This is one reason service
bureaus charge more for Windows files than for Macintosh files; they
simply have fewer problems with Mac files, partially because Mac users
have been at this longer, made all those mistakes already, and know how
to set up files for proper printing. Don't embed bitmaps in your
documents. If you do you'll get bit in the ass eventually.

> I've seen MS Word created user guides
>that are 2-3MB huge

Microsoft Word for a user guide? It is overkill as a word processor and
woefully inadequate as a document publishing application. You're not one
of those who publishes 80-page PDF files with no Table of Contents on
the left of the window and no hyperlinks in the traditional TOC and
Index are you?

We regularly create 300-page user guides that total 30-40MB with screen
shots, and we have no problems printing them. I'm going to say this one
more time: Do not embed bitmaps in your documents.

--


Darron Spohn
Publications Manager
ClickNet Software Corp.
San Jose, CA 95131
408.576.5952
http://www.clicknet.com


"You can't depend on your eyes if your imagination is out of focus."
Mark Twain


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