Tech Biz Writing

Final draft
Copy preparation: The following points should be observed when preparing copy for the typist or compositor:

* Use double spacing
* Type or print on one side of the paper
* Be legible
* Number each sheet consecutively
* Circle keying instruction so that they don’t become part of the text
* Conform to house style.

Cast off: Estimating the length of a document in terms of pages. Word processor packages, like MS Word, will give you the number of characters and words. No-one manually estimates these now.
Prelims: Preliminary pages. These may be:

* Half-title page
* Half-title verso
* Title page
* Title verso
* Preface/foreword
* Contents list
* List of illustrations.

End pages: The final pages in a book following the body text:

* Conclusions
* Postscript
* Glossary
* Notes/references
* Appendixes/annexes
* Bibliography
* Index.

Production Phase

Proofreading
Types of proof: There are three types of proof in the traditional printing process:

* Galley proofs
* Page proofs
* Machine proofs.

There is also an intermediate stage of proofing referred to as “page-on-galley” proofs. The first two categories indicate the textual arrangement of the type, but not the final print finish. The machine proof approximates this quality.
Corrections at proof stage: Two types of correction are acknowledged by printers:

* Compositors’ errors corrected by printer or author.
* Author’s corrections indicated during proofreading.

The first are usually made gratis, but the second may be limited to 10% of the total cost of composition.

Next : 57. Reinforcements - Printing

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.

Perspective is an artist’s attempt to come to terms with the world as it exists. To represent objects in space as they really are — or seem to be — on a flat plane (paper or screen), various expedients have to be employed. The essence of it is to project the three-dimensional object onto the two-dimensional surface in such a way that the apparent linear relationships of receding planes are maintained, or, in some cases, exaggerated. There are three types of linear perspective:

* One-point (parallel)
* Two-point (angular)
* Three-point (oblique)

For a cube the first would show one face only; the second would show two; and the third, three faces. Distortions would appear if a one-point drawing showed two faces; two-point showed three faces, and so on. Only three-point perspective allows a true depiction of three faces of an object. For this reason it’s usually used in technical illustration.

Photographs may also be used for line drawings as a guide for the illustrator. This is not as simple as it sounds since there are many problems associated with camera angle and obtaining the right axis or axes through the equipment. Photographic prints may be useful as a simple introductory guide for exploded views or cut-aways.

A further technique is to draw in the outlines and relevant details on a photographic plate with ink, and to bleach out the image with potassium ferricyanide leaving the line drawing intact. This is not frequently used in technical work nowadays, but it can be cheap and effective in certain circumstances.

Next: 39. Half-Tones