Printing the manual (4.6.4)

[John Hawkinson]

Hi, again.

I decided I finally needed to print the manual...this was a bit more work than I expected. So some feedback; hmm, this is a bit nitpickery -- oh well:

1. I couldn't find the 4.6.4 manual, only the 4.6.3 manual. No big deal, but did I miss it?
2. The PDF is formatted for A4 -- is it possible to publish a letter-format PDF as well? Printing A4 is kind of a pain around here (I even went to the trouble to cut some down...but now it's kinda tall for my bookshelf...)
3. It's formatted for single-sided printing, not double-sided? So all the page numbers are on the right, instead of being on the "outside" (left side of even pages and right side of odd pages). But oddly the subheads and keyboard shortcuts are all on the left ("inside" of odd pages, whereas page numbers are "outside" of odd pages), when I'd expect them to be on the right for odd pages.
4. The margins are a bit tight..., esp. the right edge of even pages. Kind of falls into the binding...
5. Most of the body text is blue...kind of makes it a bit pricier to print. (it came out 39%/33%/19%/8% for C/M/Y/K toner)

None of these are big deals...now I have a manual--yay!


Thanks again for a great product!

[Kirk Baker]

John,

I decided I finally needed to print the manual...this was a bit more work than I expected. So some feedback; hmm, this is a bit nitpickery -- oh well:

1. I couldn't find the 4.6.4 manual, only the 4.6.3 manual. No big deal, but did I miss it?

There is no 4.6.4 manual.  4.6.3 is the latest version of the manual.

2. The PDF is formatted for A4 -- is it possible to publish a letter-format PDF as well? Printing A4 is kind of a pain around here (I even went to the trouble to cut some down...but now it's kinda tall for my bookshelf...)

I don't know what it would take to change the page format, but I suppose it would be possible with some effort.

3. It's formatted for single-sided printing, not double-sided? So all the page numbers are on the right, instead of being on the "outside" (left side of even pages and right side of odd pages). But oddly the subheads and keyboard shortcuts are all on the left ("inside" of odd pages, whereas page numbers are "outside" of odd pages), when I'd expect them to be on the right for odd pages.

It's formatted to be viewed on your computer, not for print.

4. The margins are a bit tight..., esp. the right edge of even pages. Kind of falls into the binding...

I guess it would.

5. Most of the body text is blue...kind of makes it a bit pricier to print. (it came out 39%/33%/19%/8% for C/M/Y/K toner)

Again, not a concern when viewed on a computer display.  Basically once you print it, you lose much of the functionality of the document (hyperlinks don't work in print, nor do the bookmarks) and it's just more efficient.  But of course you can't curl up in a chair for light reading of the entire manual if it is only on your computer...

-Kirk

[Hayo Baan]

2. The PDF is formatted for A4 -- is it possible to publish a letter-format PDF as well? Printing A4 is kind of a pain around here (I even went to the trouble to cut some down...but now it's kinda tall for my bookshelf...)

I don't know what it would take to change the page format, but I suppose it would be possible with some effort.

I was actually glad it was A4 paper; in Europe that's the default, so please don't abandon it 

3. It's formatted for single-sided printing, not double-sided? So all the page numbers are on the right, instead of being on the "outside" (left side of even pages and right side of odd pages). But oddly the subheads and keyboard shortcuts are all on the left ("inside" of odd pages, whereas page numbers are "outside" of odd pages), when I'd expect them to be on the right for odd pages.

It's formatted to be viewed on your computer, not for print.

It prints well double sided, true, the page numbers etc. are at the "wrong side", but I can live with that. I printed the whole 4.5.3 manual two years ago. I used Acrobat's "booklet print" method to create an a-5 booklet-able print. I then cut the sheets, put two holes in them and inserted them into an A5 ring binder. Very neat 

4. The margins are a bit tight..., esp. the right edge of even pages. Kind of falls into the binding...

I guess it would.

True, the holes for the ring bind are right at the inner text. So just enough room (for me)

5. Most of the body text is blue...kind of makes it a bit pricier to print. (it came out 39%/33%/19%/8% for C/M/Y/K toner)

Again, not a concern when viewed on a computer display.  Basically once you print it, you lose much of the functionality of the document (hyperlinks don't work in print, nor do the bookmarks) and it's just more efficient.

Yes, but even on-screen, wouldn't black be more readable?

But of course you can't curl up in a chair for light reading of the entire manual if it is only on your computer...

Which is indeed what I did 
I love to read manuals cover to cover, that way I get the most out of the software

Cheers,
    Hayo

[Offline]

I also support the printed manual.  Maybe I'm too old-school, however - I remember when the manual came with the software and explained, in detail, how to use the software.  I also remember when that stopped.  Two reasons were given:  it was too expensive, and people prefer to see it on-screen.  The one they left out was that someone has to maintain it and the product can't ship until the documentation/manual is complete.  Programmers hate that.

I don't know of anyone who prefers an on-screen technical manual in lieu of a printed one (in which one can make notes), where you can lay it down next to you as you learn and explore the software.

I wouldn't mind paying a little more to get the most out of this product, if that meant you would supply the means of doing so.  Also, it's not cost effective, I've discovered, to print just one copy - whereas, if I expect to sell 500 or 1,000 units and do a print-run for that amount, the price per copy is substantially reduced.  I speak from personal experience with this.  From a software manufacturer's point of view in addition to a user's consideration.

So - unless and until there's a way to annotate a screen which lays at my side as I work, I want a book.  Unsurprisingly, I'm not a fan of the Kindle and their ilk, either.

[Luiz Muzzi]

The funny thing is that I had a lot of trouble to print a copy of the manual only to find out that when I need to look anything up I can`t remember where I put it (and it is always definitely at hand in my Mac...)

-Luiz Muzzi

[Offline]

I have a similar problem; but I can ascribe it to ADHD and OCD ?