Tech Biz Writing

A few short years ago the materials and equipment of a technical writer would not have seemed out of place in the latter part of the 19th century. Today, much of that has been swept away by the all-devouring march of information technology. It’s hard to think of any function now that is not carried out using computerized equipment of one sort or another.

Whole swathes of earlier textbooks on the subject have had to be scrapped because of this. Irritating though this might be in one regard, in another — convenience — it’s a Godsend. Life is so much easier now for tech writers that they don’t have to worry about mountains of small, specialised items relating to their task and their’s alone. Almost every office is now equipped with the standard kit for every trade. Hot-desking is a real solution.

So, when it comes to describing the materials and equipment of a technical writer, there’s not that much to say beyond the contents of an average office. Paper sizes are now standard, and esoterica like “demy octavo” a thing of the past, except to the historically-minded.

Photocopying technology has moved on to digital printing/copying using fast laser techniques which are set to replace offset litho for most jobs in the very near future.

Microfilm is still around, especially in libraries, but is being rapidly replaced by CD ROMS and DVDs with “burn” capabilities.

As we discussed in the previous section, almost all technical artwork is now done on-screen, and for small-to-medium sized technical documentation a single cluster of IT hardware handles every task from draft to final copy, to design and artwork, to resource storage, to draft print, final output and binding. Such is the capacity of modern systems to embrace every task within the same box of tricks. All that’s needed to make it work is that even more exquisite unit of hardware/software: the technical writer in person.

The Technical Writer
Technical writing is rather a mixed bag of a career. The qualities required of a writer vary from literary proficiency of a basic sort to capabilities of man management. In between, there are the technical skills and a knowledge of many divergent disciplines. A writer usually requires some aptitude for general management, and also the elusive ability to prise information from reluctant sources: engineers, busy technicians or frantic designers behind on their schedules.

A technical writer may be pictured as the co-ordinating centre of a complex web of trades and profession. here we examine some of the peripheral aspects of the subject. It’s not possible to cover everything here, but prospective writers should get at least a glimpse of the kind of tasks they may be faced with. We begin with translations — points to look for when preparing technical material for a translator. We then examine the sometimes awkward topic of abstracting and abridging; awkward because it takes some skill to distil a larger document to a smaller one, without missing anything out. A brief consideration of indexing is included here, as also in the next module which deals with the editing of an index. This is followed by a section on the Development Documentation System (DDS), and a look at the documentation systems used for the maintenance of complex equipment. A discussion of Network Analysis concludes the section.

Next: 42. Translations.

Technical illustrations need to be checked in much the same way as the accompanying text. In complex drawings, authors should watch particularly for omissions of lines or annotations. Annotations may be direct or indirect. That is, set on the drawing, or keyed to a separate table. In the latter case all cross-referencing should be confirmed.

The following checklist suggests points to look for when vetting a technical illustration:

* Has the specification been adhered to?
* Is the format correct?
* Are there any technical inaccuracies?
* Is the titling correctly placed and worded properly?
* If the illustration is to be reduced, is the lettering readable?
* Is the page identity or figure number accurate?
* Is the security marking present and correct?
* Is the layout and composition clear?
* Is the line thickness to spec and uniform?
* Are cross-references correct, or hyperlinks live and true?
* For double-page spreads, is the material across the fold readable?
* For simulated shadow-lines, are these placed correctly and uniformly?
* If a variety of tints are used, have they been correctly indexed?

For more detail in this peripheral area for the author, there are many good books available.

Next: 41. Materials and Equipment.

Picture from designer-info.com.

The half-tone process is used to reproduce any subject with continuous varying tones, such as photographs, shaded-in or wash drawings, air-brush work, and drawings in which the lines are so closely spaced that they would reproduce as tonal gradations.

Half-tone illustrations are generally more costly to reproduce than line drawing. Photographs may need retouching by expert hands, or the tonal contrasts may require heightening. Another consideration is the compatibility of the printed half-tone with the rest of the artwork, especially since it demands a certain quality of paper for satisfactory reproduction. We have all come across relatively expensive books which have half-tones like poor photocopies — mostly a sludge of black ink with a few dim details barely discernible. New tech doesn’t always serve the reader as well as it might.

Line drawing may sometimes be more appropriate, and less expensive, for the subject matter and presentation required. In order to produce a continuously toned subject, a printer overlays the photographically sensitive material with a screened (grid-like) glass plate or negative, which has the effect of breaking up the image into a pattern of dots. Dark areas of the original are reproduced by large dots with less separation than the smaller points representing lighter areas. In this way, tone and shape are built up on the plate. Newspaper pictures are traditionally printed this way.

You must always be careful not to submit a printed screened picture for printing — and hence further screening — without making sure that the printer adjusts the screen adequately to eliminate that irritating wavy effect you can sometimes spot in cheaply produced brochures.

Next: 40. Validating Technical Illustrations.

Photography:
This section covers only the basics of photography and doesn’t deal specifically with digital cameras which are almost universal now. To find how-to articles on digital photography, see our blog: Digital Camera Latest.

We will assume that all photographs to be used in illustrating a handbook will be taken professionally. This is not to say that many writers are not also effective photographers, but generally their time is spent more efficiently in attending to writing tasks. There are times, however, when an author will be called upon to photograph equipment for information purposes, or to supply an illustrator with the basis for line drawings.

Consequently, a useful addition to any writer’s baggage train is a good quality 35mm camera — SLR or compact. It should be capable of focusing down to about 18in, and have a maximum aperture of at least f/1.8 — factory storerooms can be surprisingly dark areas. If you are an experienced photographer, skip the following section. If not, it may give you some background knowledge on which to build.

Photography in a technical age has largely been reduced to pressing buttons on highly automated optical recorders. Most new cameras are fully, or partially, automatic, and very little choice is left to the operator. Apart from focusing, the photographer has only to make a choice of either shutter speed (in a shutter-priority model — good for fast-moving subjects), or aperture (in an aperture-priority instrument — good for dark places).

A light reading for a shot is expressed as a trade-off between two associated parameters:

* f/stop — the ratio of lens focal length (on infinity) and the diameter of the lens aperture.
* Shutter speed — the time, expressed as a fraction of a second, for which the shutter remain open.

For a given light intensity, opening the aperture wider (say from f/5.6 to f/4) will require a corresponding decrease in shutter speed (say, from 1/125th sec. to 1/250th sec.). The difference between f/4 and f/5.6 is said to be one f/stop, in that f/4 allows twice as much light to pass through the lens in any given period of time as f/5.6. Therefore, by halving the time for which the shutter is open, the correct exposure is restored.

For example, the following combinations all represent the same exposure onto the film:

f/1.4 1/1000
f/2 1/500
f/2.8 1/250
f/4 1/125
f/5.6 1/60
f/8 1/30
f/11 1/15
f/16 1/8

The most appropriate choice between these eight combinations will depend on the situation to be photographed. A shutter speed should always be selected in relation to the subject and its capacity for movement within the field of the shot. For example, a handheld photograph will probably exhibit camera-shake at shutter speeds of 1/30 or lower. Heavy drinkers should uprate that speed! For speeds lower than 1/60, a tripod or firm surface is essential.

In choosing the shutter speed the movement of the subject is the deciding factor. A low-flying jet aircraft will require at least 1/500th and, ideally, 1/1000th of a second, even when panning with the subject. A stationary vehicle, on the other hand, may be shot handheld at speeds as low as 1/30th, and at any speed on a tripod.

The aperture of the lens at the time of shooting presents another problem of choice. Apart from considerations of light, the wider the aperture, the smaller the depth of field. This means that with the lens focused on a specific object, the range of tolerable definition extending before and beyond the subject, increases as the aperture is decreased. At full aperture, say f/1.8, very little depth of field is available. This may be useful for eliminating unwanted or fussy backgrounds, but it’s not so welcome when shooting subjects which extend considerably in distance and which must be sharp overall. The only solution may be to move it to a lighter spot, or bring in artificial lighting so that the aperture can be closed a little.

At f/22, the depth of field on a standard lens is such that if the lens is set at 10-15 feet, almost everything from about 6ft to infinity will appear acceptably sharp. Cameras nowadays do come in fully automatic form, but for most technical work it is felt that some choice should be left to the operator.

Next: 24. The Synopsis.