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MS Office Forum / Word / Long Documents / November 2004Advice for preparing a long document
OS: Mac OS X Word Version: 2004 My experience of Word has been limited to opening a new document and writing a letter or two, with occasional curses when things didn't 'work'. However, I have taken on an enormous job that requires a professional knowledge of the programme. I have been reading everything I can, but would like some advice on how to approach this job: I have a number of long word documents (1 - 200 pages long), prepared on different systems and by different people that I have to 'make into one' long document which looks like it has been created by one person - i.e cohesive look and feel and language. This "one" document will be shared and worked on by three different people (including myself), on different platforms and with different versions of Word. Ultimately a PDF will be created for emailing the document to others. I will be the person responsible for the formatting of the document, although it's possible the others will have do some as well. In order to avoid reformatting as we work on the document I presume I should: - Create a document specific template which I attach to the document and send to each person working on it - Request that the "Automatically update styles on open" box be unchecked - Use unique styles throughout, (except default Heading styles that come with Word) - Not basing any style on "Normal" style Questions: Am I on the right track? If I use unique styles, and the document has to be emailed to other people who won't want to deal with handling a .dot document as well, will the document still retain as much of the formatting as possible? We do not know what the ultimate printer driver is. What is the best way to handle this? Thank you very much in advance, Sandra My two bob's worth: 1. Create a Style Sheet that defines what styles are used for what purpose. DO use the built-in styles. There's nothing to gain by creating your own unique style names; it just makes more work. At this stage don't worry about the actual format of those styles (that's very easy to change later). What's important is that all the people working on it use the same style *names* for the same purposes. Eg, every chapter starts with a 'Header 1', the TOC will use Headings 1, 2, 3; style X is used for table heads, style Y for captions, etc etc. 2. Leave the formatting till last. Don't try to get it right as you go. With different people working on it, especially with different platforms and different printers you will otherwise waste a lot of effort. Get all content right, with the document correctly structured. In practice, composite documents like this always need a final 'graphic edit' anyway. 3. Don't worry about what templates people use. Pull all their contributions together, then apply a single template of your own making. Provided they've used standard style names, the final formatting will be a relatively straighforward task (or rather, it will make little difference what template they used). 4. If the document has embedded graphics, make sure these are delivered as separate files, of standard size and resolution. Even if you are embedding the graphics, always keep a separate file copy. > OS: Mac OS X > Word Version: 2004 [quoted text clipped - 44 lines] > > Sandra Thanks Jezebel - very helpful. I do have a further question about using graphics.... Just to be clear on my situation: I'm working on a mac with Word 2004; my file will be emailed to others on PCs; I don't have control over final printing; it's a long document (about 300 pages). It will be converted to a PDF as well as printed from the Word Doc (and probably imported into a page layout programme for final production...how, I believe, this document should have been created in the first place...but that wasn't my decision) There are a number of images and graphics to be used in this document. I will definitely only insert these once I've finished all the rest of the formatting. However: - What is the best file format to use? ( I can do all converting/resizing myself in Photoshop) - I realize there will be a conflict between image quality and bloating the document itself... would PNG be the way to go? I've always thought EPS or TIFF, but I believe these may be too heavy and not usuable by some versions of Word. I could create an EPS as well and have it available in case it is needed. - How best to place/format the images in the document? I believe using styles and inline with text is best, however I have set up a deep left hand indent to my body text, and I would like to offset some images so they fall half in the text and half in the wide left margin, and have the text run around the image. I will also need to place a caption or an photo credit underneath the image ( none of which need to be referenced by a TOC or elsewhere). I believe floating graphics are difficult to control, as are text boxes, which seem to be the solution to what I want to do. Is there any other way? thanks in advance, Sandra I have an add-on question. We have a long document with images (pictures of Excel graphs) within the document. If we convert the pictures to metafiles, we believe that they can't be changed within the document. Is this a correct assumption? > Thanks Jezebel - very helpful. > I do have a further question about using graphics.... [quoted text clipped - 34 lines] > thanks in advance, > Sandra Hi Sandra On file formats - nothing beats experimentation, but Word can make use of EPS files. You'll find the screen display is poor (it uses the TIFF preview stored in the EPS) but the EPS does get used when output to a PS printer driver (which is what Distiller is). Since your final production is not via Word, presumably you'll keep the graphics external to the file and linked, so I don't think there's any reason not to use EPS for vector graphics if that's likely to work best with the page layout program. Figure placement - Frames (the old type, not Web frames) are often a good alternative. Unlike a text box they are 'inline', but can be positioned freely. You can add a frame to a style, and if you base your caption style on the framed graphic style you will find the two will live together in the same frame. The only problem you may have is that there can be some odd effects where text alongside a frame is 'attracted' to it, rather than using its proper indent. Again it's well worth experimenting here - including what happens when you export to your page layout program (in InDesign, IIRC, framed text will appear at the position it is anchored, while text boxes all appear at the end.) Or you could use negative indents (outdents) to place the figures and captions. If neither of these do what you want and you have to use floating pictures or text boxes, the way to control them is to get on top of anchor behaviour - I find it's usually best to lock the anchor to a paragraph that will be on the same page as the floater, whether or not you position the floater wrt the paragraph or the page. Hope this is some help.  SignatureMargaret Aldis - Microsoft Word MVP Syntagma partnership site: http://www.syntagma.co.uk Word MVP FAQ site: http://www.word.mvps.org > Thanks Jezebel - very helpful. > I do have a further question about using graphics.... [quoted text clipped - 34 lines] > thanks in advance, > Sandra [cross-posting to the MacWord group--there are cross-platform issues about image formats, I believe] > Thanks Jezebel - very helpful. > I do have a further question about using graphics.... [quoted text clipped - 34 lines] > thanks in advance, > Sandra Hi Sandra: On 10/11/04 2:56 AM, in article BDB6289C.8426%daiyaNOSPAM@mvps.org.INVALID, >> - What is the best file format to use? ( I can do all >> converting/resizing myself in Photoshop) - I realize there will be a [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >> Word. I could create an EPS as well and have it available in case it >> is needed. EPS probably won't work in Mac Word. It certainly won't display. That's a design bug, but we're stuck with it. If you are doing all the images yourself, you CAN choose to link the graphics without embedding them. If you do that, you can use any file format you wish since the content of the image never gets stored in the document. Linking but not embedding is described in the Word Help. It's an advanced technique used by documentation professionals. In the hands of unskilled users you will have constant problems with the document being moved somewhere without its pictures. The real problem there is that if the document is opened when its pictures are missing Word will resize the missing graphics to a one-inch square, which means you have to reset all your images and repaginate to fix it. If you are linking, it pays to: 1) Create a separate folder for the document 2) Place all of the picture files with the document in that folder 3) Toggle field codes and search/replace the path out of the picture file names. Word writes an explicit file path for each image when it inserts linked graphics. Word will not do "relative" path names (except in HTML). However, if the pictures are in the same folder as the document, if you remove the path names Word will not put them back. You can then move the document and its pictures around the network freely. Provided you move the whole folder, the pictures will remain linked. If your authors want to see the pictures, you will have to put them in the document. There is no vector format that will successfully cross between PC and Mac. EPS won't work. WMF works "sort of". EMF is better. Both will be converted to PICT by the Mac, which will alter some line styles. I tend to use PNG: it's the smallest and least lossy of the compressed formats. But you have the option of using TIFF because file size is not such a concern to you. TIFF is totally non-lossy, which is good for publishing. >> - How best to place/format the images in the document? I believe using >> styles and inline with text is best, So do I. That's the only method I use. >> however I have set up a deep left hand >> indent to my body text, and I would like to offset some images so they >> fall half in the text and half in the wide left margin, and have the >> text run around the image. I will also need to place a caption or an >> photo credit underneath the image ( none of which need to be >> referenced by a TOC or elsewhere). Use Caption style for your captions. Make a Graphics style to position the pictures. Set Keep With Next ON in your Graphics style to hold the caption together on the same page as the picture. There's an old feature known as a "Frame" which enables you to have pictures in the text layer and still have text running around them. Look them up in the help and try them. They're not as easy to use as Text Boxes, but they will do the job. >> I believe floating graphics are difficult to control, as are text >> boxes, which seem to be the solution to what I want to do. Is there >> any other way? One more: Insert>Object>Microsoft Word Picture... This creates an embedded document within the document that holds everything together very nicely. You can wrap text around it. You can keep it inline with text. It's the way I do all pictures that are constructed of Word Drawing Objects. Look it up in the Help and get back to me if you cannot understand how to use it. I use it all the time because it's totally stable once you get used to it. Hope this helps SignaturePlease reply to the newsgroup to maintain the thread. Please do not email me unless I ask you to. John McGhie <john@mcghie.name> Consultant Technical Writer Sydney, Australia +61 4 1209 1410 > Hi Sandra: > [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > EPS probably won't work in Mac Word. It certainly won't display. That's a > design bug, but we're stuck with it. In my experience it almost always works ok. It mishandles the eps on print to PDF. The preview is printed in error. You can work around that with print->output options->print to file choose postscript, not PDF. Then, in Preview, open the ps file. It will automatically make it into a PDF which you can save. <snip> > If your authors want to see the pictures, you will have to put them in the > document. There is no vector format that will successfully cross between PC > and Mac. EPS won't work. WMF works "sort of". EMF is better. Both will > be converted to PICT by the Mac, which will alter some line styles. I have not had much problem pushing embedded eps files at PCs from my Mac. There are subtle differences between epsf files made with various tools, especially getting previews that Word will understand. I included some eps drawings from OmniGraffle yesterday. They printed OK, but there was no preview. I fixed that with GraphicConverter. The previews look horrible on my Mac, but looked OK on the recipient's PC. SignatureI thought I would be the last on earth to mung my e-mail address. fsnospam$elliott$$ Thank you so much everyone for the sterling help. Of course I've now been told by my 'manager' that I should NOT worry about the images in the Word document, however I do need to produce a reasonable looking PDF (with images...). The Word document will be dissemenated without images, just a note where they would be. For final publishing, the whole thing will be taken out of my hands - Word doc and non-linked/ non embedded images will be sent off for 'proper' page layout etcetera. Sheesh. I'm sure I'll have further questions once I get to the PDF stage. Thanks again. Sandra A word of caution -- DO DO DO keep a file of grapihcs separate from the graphics you insert in word. Once you've inserted them, it is harder than pulling hens' teeth to get them out again for editing or whatever. Word just kind of takes control, sinks its claw into them, and won't let go. Not friendly that way. <*((((><{ Fishy@Ocean.Net In the last exciting episode on 10 Nov 2004 01:11:17 -0800, |Thank you so much everyone for the sterling help. | [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] | |Sandra >> EPS probably won't work in Mac Word. It certainly won't display. That's a >> design bug, but we're stuck with it. > In my experience it almost always works ok. It mishandles the eps on > print to PDF. The preview is printed in error. You can work around that > with print->output options->print to file choose postscript, not PDF. In my experience, EPS works great in Mac Word, other than its fuzzy preview, and as long as any font that's called for in the EPS is available to the operating system. Great PDFs too (but see next entry). > Then, in Preview, open the ps file. It will automatically make it into > a PDF which you can save. Elliot, I think that the Preview method uses the Mac's own PDF/Quartz engine versus the Adobe, resulting in different ... type? ... of PDF. You don't get embedded fonts, compression is less, etc. Descriptions and a comparison can be found at http://www.prepressure.com/pdf/info/MacOSX.htm and elsewhere. For documents destined for distribution and that contain EPS graphics, I run the PostScript file through Distiller. For basic stuff, I use Apple > >> EPS probably won't work in Mac Word. It certainly won't display. That's a > >> design bug, but we're stuck with it. [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > For documents destined for distribution and that contain EPS graphics, I run > the PostScript file through Distiller. For basic stuff, I use Apple That's a pretty good summary of the situation as I see it too. The url is an excellent 1 page comparison. It is dead right about transparency. That bit me last week. I really should shell out for full Acrobat. I keep hoping that Quartz will catch up. Preview was a huge improvement with Panther. Maybe the stripy one will close the gap further. SignatureI thought I would be the last on earth to mung my e-mail address. fsnospam$elliott$$ >>>>EPS probably won't work in Mac Word. It certainly won't display. That's a >>>>design bug, but we're stuck with it. [quoted text clipped - 25 lines] > up. Preview was a huge improvement with Panther. Maybe the stripy one > will close the gap further. Elliot, if your going to shell out for Acrobat. please get the ProVersion and don't waste you money on the Standard version. Also you need to wait until after Xmas if you buying for the first time. They are going from version 6 which was Adobe's First Full attempt at a OSX only application (the Mac version). Acrobat 7 is suppose to have tons of bug fixes and system tweaks over version 6. Signature--------------------------------------------------------------------------- Phillip M. Jones, CET |MEMBER:VPEA (LIFE) ETA-I, NESDA,ISCET, Sterling 616 Liberty Street |Who's Who. PHONE:276-632-5045, FAX:276-632-0868 Martinsville Va 24112-1809 |pjones@kimbanet.com, ICQ11269732, AIM pjonescet --------------------------------------------------------------------------- If it's "fixed", don't "break it"! mailto:pjones@kimbanet.com <http://www.kimbanet.com/~pjones/default.htm> <http://home.kimbanet.com/~pjones/birthday/index.htm> <http://vpea.exis.net > Elliot, if your going to shell out for Acrobat. please get the > ProVersion and don't waste you money on the Standard version. [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > OSX only application (the Mac version). Acrobat 7 is suppose to have > tons of bug fixes and system tweaks over version 6. Heh! Thanks for that Phillip, I am wrestling with an uncontrollable desire to lash out for the full CS suite to get myself fully up-to-date and legal too. Maybe waiting to get the version with Acro 7 will give me a bit more will power. SignatureI thought I would be the last on earth to mung my e-mail address. fsnospam$elliott$$ >>Elliot, if your going to shell out for Acrobat. please get the >>ProVersion and don't waste you money on the Standard version. [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > CS suite to get myself fully up-to-date and legal too. Maybe waiting to > get the version with Acro 7 will give me a bit more will power. No problem. If you go to adobe's website they are taking "pre-orders" that won't be charged to your card until the day they ship the order. Signature--------------------------------------------------------------------------- Phillip M. Jones, CET |MEMBER:VPEA (LIFE) ETA-I, NESDA,ISCET, Sterling 616 Liberty Street |Who's Who. PHONE:276-632-5045, FAX:276-632-0868 Martinsville Va 24112-1809 |pjones@kimbanet.com, ICQ11269732, AIM pjonescet --------------------------------------------------------------------------- If it's "fixed", don't "break it"! mailto:pjones@kimbanet.com <http://www.kimbanet.com/~pjones/default.htm> <http://home.kimbanet.com/~pjones/birthday/index.htm> <http://vpea.exis.net I believe John McGhie has already addressed these questions on the MacWord group in another thread. "Sandra Jensen" and "SandJ" are the same person. Sandra, if there are still unanswered issues, post back. Signature***Please always reply to the newsgroup!*** Beth Rosengard Mac MVP Mac Word FAQ: <http://word.mvps.org/MacWordNew/index.htm> Entourage Help Page: <http://www.entourage.mvps.org> On 11/9/04 7:56 AM, in article BDB6289C.8426%daiyaNOSPAM@mvps.org.INVALID, > [cross-posting to the MacWord group--there are cross-platform issues about > image formats, I believe] [quoted text clipped - 37 lines] >> thanks in advance, >> Sandra
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