On Wed, 13 Nov 2002 09:19:52 +0000, Chris Lale <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>Here are some results and ideas from my initial research: > >1. Basic Debian documentation >a. The installation manual 'Installing Debian GNU/Linux 3.0 for Intel >x86' is available in pdf format. 124 pages of A4 80gsm single-sided >comes to 1.3cm (0.5") thick. > >b. The post-install guide 'Debian Reference' is also available in pdf >format. 199 pages of A4 80gsm single-sided comes to 2.1cm (0.8") thick. > >c. These two together weigh in at 3.4cm (1.3"). Even with a duplex laser >printer or photocopier this documentation alone would be nearly 2cm >(3/4") thick. > >i. Bindings with a glue-based spine would be unsuitable. > >ii. Plastic tube with tangs that pass through slots in the paper might >be feasible, but the spine is difficult to label. > >iii. A slim ring binder (with 4 rings) might work, but librarians don't >like them because pages go missing. A ring binder might make CD storage >simpler though. 1a,b,c: I don't think the thickness is too much of a problem. 3/4" is thin for a novel, let alone a computer book. Compare "Teach yourself foo in 21 days" series. i: I agree glued spines are crap, but they are ubiquitous, and they're not too bad with A4-sized pages. ii: Great, and the spine is only difficult to label if the material it is made of is black. Common mistake when binding these: trying to use a spine which is too small for the number of pages, which results in the tangs pinging free of the spine and the back pages falling out. iii: Ring binders are awkward to stack on shelves and they tend to explode when you drop them, resulting in chaos; I'm not surprised librarians don't like them. CD storage: A4-size card separators with plastic CD wallets pasted to them, just inside the front cover which has "This book contains x CDs" in big letters; straightforward and easy for the librarian to check on return. Style: Maybe a bit personal, but the most comprehensibly styled computer books I've ever seen were the manuals for Borland Turbo C 1.0. Maybe not so personal - the company I was working for at the time copied this style for its own internal computer documentation. Pigeon -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
