Graphics

15.1 Introduction 15.1.1 Choosing Graphics 15.1.2 Creating Graphics or Using Graphics from Other Sources 15.1.3  Introducing Graphics
 * Chapter 15: GRAPHICS**

15.2 Graphic File Types 15.2.1 Raster 15.2.2 Vector 15.2.3 Preferred File Formats 15.3 Types of Graphical Illustration in Technical Writing 15.3.1 Tables  15.3.2 Graphs 15.3.3 Maps 15.3.4 Charts <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">15.3.5 Photographs <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">15.3.6 Representational Illustrations <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">15.3.7 Cartoons and Clip Art <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">15.3.8 Screen Captures <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">15.4 Labels, Callouts, Captions and Notes <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; padding-left: 50px;">15.4.1 Labels and Callouts <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">15.4.2 Captions <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; padding-left: 50px;">15.4.3 Notes

15.5 Graphics in Commonly Used Software <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; padding-left: 50px;">15.5.1 Microsoft Word <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> 15.5.2 FrameMaker <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; padding-left: 50px;">15.5.3 <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Adobe Acrobat Professional <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">15.1 INTRODUCTION = = <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Graphics are used to illustrate complex information at a glance and to help the reader retain information. Graphics also improve the readability of a document and serve to make a technical document less intimidating by breaking up the text. Text-heavy, verbose documentation often bores readers and has difficulty conveying complex ideas. Simple, uncluttered graphics enhance text and are easy to understand and translate.

Consistency in the way graphics are presented enables the reader to easily interpret information from one graphic to another (and especially from one “book” to another “book” in a documentation set). Using appropriate graphics and graphic techniques described in this chapter will enhance the readability of technical documentation and enable authors on geographically diverse documentation teams to achieve consistency.

This chapter of the MS-PTC Editing Guide provides editorial guidelines for working with graphics. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> 15.1.1 Choosing Graphics <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> It is often difficult to know when a graphic is necessary. Conversely, technical documents become less usable if graphics are overused. A standard rule of thumb is to avoid duplicating information both in text and in a graphic; instead, use graphics to expand on the text or replace the text. If written information lends itself to graphical depiction, use graphics to minimize the written text. The written text and graphic(s) should rely on one another and work in concert to convey information. In other words, if the text is descriptive enough and provides sufficient information to readers, perhaps a graphic is not required. On the other hand, if a graphic completely covers the salient points of a topic, minimal descriptive text is preferred over verbose text. The text and the graphic should minimally overlap.

====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> An important point to keep in mind for all aspects of technical communication is the needs of the target audience//.// Screenshots are a valuable visual tool when explaining procedures to novice audiences. Similarly, if a document is describing complex numerical information to readers, consider using graphs or charts to visually depict data. Audiences typically absorb information better when it is shown visually instead of described textually. ==== <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> 15.1.2 Creating Graphics or Using Graphics from Other Sources <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Ideally, graphics used in technical documentation should be original and created with a personally-licensed or corporate-licensed graphics software package. Popular graphics software packages include the following:
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Microsoft Visio
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Adobe Photoshop
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Adobe Illustrator
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP)
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Corel Draw
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Microsoft Paint

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">It is worth noting that licenses for all of the above software packages cost money, some licenses are several hundred dollars. The GIMP program, however, is part of the GNU software project is available for free. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Copyright rules discourage borrowing of graphics from other sources. Uncited use of copyrighted material can lead to legal problems. When editing a document that includes graphics, the editor should be fully aware of copyright laws and whether or not appropriate permissions are in place to re-use graphics developed by other sources. If permission is not in place, editors should flag the issue and notify either the document author or the company legal team about potential copyright conflicts. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> 15.1.3 Introducing Graphics <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Whether or not graphics are supplemented by thorough descriptive text, standard text to introduce the graphic should precede the actual graphic. This helps the graphic fit in with the flow of the documentation by informing readers in advance about a graphic. Without text that formally introduces a graphic, the graphic placement can seem haphazard and disruptive to the flow of text.

At a minimum, a “stem” sentence should be provided that briefly describes the graphic and includes a cross-reference to the caption, for example, Figure 15.1 depicts a male painted bunting.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Figure 15.1. A male painted bunting. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">

15.2 GRAPHIC FILE TYPES <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">There are two basic methods for a computer to render a graphic: raster or vector. When a graphic is generated and saved as a specific file format, the graphic is created as either a raster or vector format. This section provides a brief introduction to raster and vector formats and includes popular examples of each format. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> 15.2.1 Raster <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"> <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Raster graphics, also known as bitmap images, are composed of pixels. Common Raster graphic formats include BMP, GIF, TIF, JPG and PNG.

Raster images are generated by a grid of individual pixels, where each pixel can be a different color or shade. Each pixel has a value determined by its placement and the color it represents. The number of ones and zeros (bits) used to create each pixel denotes the depth of color in a graphic. If a pixel is denoted with only one bit per pixel, an image is relegated to black or white only, because the pixel can only be on (black) or off (white). If an image is 4 bits per pixel, a pixel can be set to one of 16 colors. If the bits per pixel is raised to 8, a maximum of 256 different colors is allowed. Editors should be aware of color limitations inherent in specific file formats, as such limitations can greatly decrease the clarity of intricate graphics such as photographs.<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">

Raster image formats can also be saved at 16, 24, and 32 bits per pixel. At the two highest levels, the pixels themselves can carry up to 16,777,216 different colors. That is certainly enough for a beautifully rendered photograph, but the resulting trade-off is file size. A graphic that supports so many color options is often very large, sometimes over 1 MB. Editors should seek a balance between image quality and file size, especially when working with HTML or XML documentation on the Web, as 1MB images require a considerable load time for most browsers and Internet connections. A Web page littered with 1MB photographs would result in a long load time and end-user frustration. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The number of pixels in a given area is known as resolution, commonly expressed as dpi (dots per inch) or ppi (pixels per inch). Raster images are resolution-dependent, meaning they are often distorted when re-sized. Figure 15.2 shows a typical raster image. Figure 15.3 shows a re-sized portion of the same raster graphic; note the pixelated distortion.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Figure 15.2. Raster Image.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Figure 15.3. Zoom view of Raster image. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Editors should keep this distortion issue in mind when importing raster graphics into a document. If the graphic needs to be re-sized within the document, the lines within the graphic may become distorted, an effect also known as pixelated. If certain graphics will need to be resized to accommodate page widths and fill white space, consider vector graphics. As discussed in Section 15.2.2, re-sizing does not distort vector graphics. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> 15.2.2 Vector <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Vector graphics are based on mathematical formulas between points and the paths connecting them. These points and paths, which are encoded as textual or binary instructions, are combined to form an image. Common formats for vector graphics include WMF, SVG and CGM.

Vector graphics are independent of resolution, meaning they can be scaled or rotated without distortion.

Figure 15.4 shows the same smiley face from the Raster section, rendered as a vector graphic. Figure 15.5 shows a re-sized portion of the same vector graphic; note that the re-sizing does not impact the clarity of the graphic.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Figure 15.4. Vector graphic.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Figure 15.5. Zoom of vector graphic. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> 15.2.3 Preferred File Formats <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">This section provides a brief description of the various raster and vector graphic file formats, except for the first subsection, which describes the PDF format. Graphics that have been converted to PDF are neither raster nor vector and are useful for a variety of graphics options. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Each graphic file format has unique advantages and disadvantages, including proprietary compression algorithms, file size and color constraints. As mentioned in the previous section, editors should carefully consider all aspects of a given file format before deciding to use the format for the graphics in a given document. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">**<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> 1. ****<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> PDF ** The Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) is typically used for publishing complete electronic documents to be distributed over the Internet or printed. However, to avoid raster vs. vector issues, graphic files may be converted to PDF and then imported into desktop publishing or word processing applications. Although the original graphic file must be generated using graphics software, such as Photoshop, Visio or Illustrator, converting to PDF before importing into a document offers many advantages, such as: <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Figure 15.6 shows a graphic that has been converted to PDF.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">PDF graphics display and print using PostScript, a page description language that ensures the printed version of a PDF looks identical to the electronic version.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Fonts are embedded within the PDF graphics, so the reader’s computer does not need to have fonts installed.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">PDF graphics can contain hyperlinks to other PDFs in a document or to the Internet.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Figure 15.6. PDF graphic. 2. JPG ** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPG or JPEG) is a raster file format that is typically used for photographs. The JPG conversion algorithm uses compression to reduce file size and enhance download speed. However, certain non-critical data is discarded as part of the compression routine, which means that once a file is saved as JPG, certain data is permanently lost. Figure 15.7 shows a 5KB JPG file.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">



<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Figure 15.7. JPG **<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> 3. TIF ** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Tagged Image File (TIF) is a raster file format that is typically used for photographs and file scanning. The TIF conversion algorithm is owned by Adobe and supported by all graphics applications. Figure 15.8. shows an example TIF file (must have TIF-enabled software installed).

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Figure 15.8. TIF. 4. PNG ** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Portable Network Graphics (PNG) is a raster file format that was created to replace the Graphics Image Format (GIF). The primary use of PNG is to transfer images on the Internet, not for professional graphics editing. As a result, PNG supports a limited color palette. Unlike JPG, the PNG conversion algorithm employs “lossless” data compression, meaning that no data is removed from the original file when the file is saved as PNG.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">

PNG is not native to Windows, so most desktop publishing software packages, including Adobe FrameMaker, support PNG. Figure 15.9 shows an example PNG file.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Figure 15.9. PNG. 5. GIF ** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Graphics Interchange Format (GIF) is a raster file format. To enhance compression efficiency and download times, GIF is limited to only 256 colors, which is far below the spectrum available to most of today’s computer monitors. GIF does not work well with photographs, which carry much more than 256 colors. Due to constraints on color, GIF is best used for images with solid colors or areas of uniform colors, such as logos. Figure 15.9 shows an example GIF file.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">



<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Figure 15.9. GIF. 6. WMF ** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Windows Metafile (WMF) is a file format that supports vector and raster components. WMF was specifically designed by Microsoft for Windows systems in an attempt to develop a graphics file format that is portable between Microsoft applications. In fact, WMF is the native vector format for all Microsoft Office applications, such as Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Publisher. WMFs generally display properly in PDF files, but the format is not supported by non-windows applications such as FrameMaker. Figure 15.10 shows an example WMF file.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Figure 15.10. WMF.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) is a file format used for both vector and raster graphic types. EPS files contain a description of the data within them, so they can grow quite large and should be avoided by editors intent on minimizing file size. Figure 15.11 is an example of an EPS file (must have EPS-enabled software installed). <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">
 * 7. EPS**

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Figure 15.11. EPS. 8. VSD ** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">VSD is the standard file format for Microsoft Visio. Visio uses vector graphics to create diagramming software for the Microsoft Windows OS. Filters are available to convert VSD source files to various other formats, including JPG, PDF and WMF. Figure 15.12 is an example of an VSD file (must have Microsoft Visio installed).
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">

[[file:Graphics_livingflow.vsd]]
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Figure 15.12. VSD.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">**<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">9. SVG **

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) is an XML-based file format for describing vector graphics. SVG is described in an open standard that is maintained by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). SVG images are defined by XML text files, enabling categorization, indexing, searching and compression via XML manipulation. Because SVG is XML-based, they must be assembled by an SVG-enabled Web browser. As a result, SVG files should be reluctantly used for online documents only. Even then, editors should be confident that the intended audience will have SVG-enabled browsers. An example SVG file is not shown due to potential browser compatibility issues. 10. BMP ** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Bitmap (BMP) is a raster file format used to store digital images, especially on applications powered by the Microsoft Windows OS. Editors should note that BMP images can grow quite large and embedding too many BMP files in a document causes the size of a document to grow exponentially. Figure 15.13 is an example of a BMP file.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Figure 15.13. BMP.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">

15.3 TYPES OF GRAPHICAL ILLUSTRATION IN TECHNICAL WRITING <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;"> <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Graphics used in technical documentation serve a specific purpose - to present information in the clearest format possible for the reader. Basic graphic principles apply: <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"> <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Graphics should never be used to dress up a document; they should only be used to enhance understanding. When principles of design replicate principles of thought, the act of arranging information becomes an act of insight (E. Tufte intro).
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">avoid clutter,
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">orient the image properly,
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">be aware of scale,
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">always verify content, and
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">avoid any graphic that is extraneous.

A reader's attention is drawn to graphics more than to blocks of text. The use of graphics enables writers to present technical information more clearly and emphatically than words alone. Therefore, graphics for a technical document must be designed, edited, and prepared with precision to avoid weakness. Readers often look at graphics quickly. The message in a figure or table should be clear and readily apparent. The writer should be familiar with the intended audience of the document so that the right graphics are selected. Each graphic should focus on clearly conveying one piece of information.

Uncomplicated graphics work best. Avoid what Edward Tufte calls "chart junk" (E. Tufte, Visual) that distracts the reader from the intended information the graphic is presenting. The //Franklin Covey Style Guide for Business and Technical Communication// provides comprehensive guidelines for each of the graphical components, and this wiki content text draws heavily upon it for both content and style recommendations (Franklin). <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"> <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">There are several types of graphics, each with its own function. Graphics can represent these elements in a technical document: >> <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Visual techniques for depicting quantity include direct labels - for example, the numerically labeled grids of statistical graphics; encodings - for example, color scales; and self-representing scales - for example, objects of known size appearing in an image (E. Tufte 13).
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Numbers:
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Tables
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Graphs
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Bar graphs
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Line graphs
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Pie graphs
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Maps
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Concepts:
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Charts
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Flow Charts
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Organizational charts
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Scheduling Charts
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Objects:
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Photographs
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Illustrations
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Drawings
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Diagrams
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Schematics
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Words - Words emphasized by boxing them, by changing the color or the font, or enlarging them to call attention in a text are all forms of graphics, albeit not very sophisticated (McMurrey).

Illustrations are classified as either tables or figures: if the illustration is not a table (information is presented in columns and rows), then it is a figure. Tables and illustrations are numbered independently; within each category, they are numbered sequentially. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> 15.3.1 Tables <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Tables are the best graphic to use when readers need to focus on specifics. "A table is an effective display for two-dimensional data, usually when one dimension is a collection or series of items and the second dimension consists of attributes or characteristics that all or most of the items have in common, such as description, type, size, and color" (Gurak 357). Tables can communicate many details in a simple way; details that would be hard to comprehend if done through words alone. An advantage of tables is that they can be quickly scanned for information and that "commonalities and differences" across entries are readily apparent (Gurak 358).


 * Guidelines for Creating Tables** (Gurak 359)
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Explain what the table contains and how it will help the reader.
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Give the table either a title or caption, as appropriate.
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Write informative, understandable, and visually distinct heading labels.
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Make rows distinct through headings or display of categories.
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Avoid wordiness, limit text in cells to a few words.
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Use color coding and symbols to facilitate quick scanning and data comparison.
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Ensure the table will be readable in the display format.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Figure 15.14. Table of data for a steel wall product. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> 15.3.2 Graphs <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Graphs plot a set of points on a set of axes, usually along the horizontal (x) and vertical (y) axes, to show abstract information in an easy to understand way. They visually represent and compare numerical data, and as such are useful for showing trends, cycles, cumulative changes, relationships between variables, and distributions. Though not as effective as a table in presenting precise data, readers can "see in one image a trend or pattern within a large data set" (Gurak 319). Graphs are better than tables to show the meaning of data.

"Because graphs represent complex data in visual form, they can be powerful and persuasive"(Gurak 322). Therefore, one must be careful when creating graphs that information is not distorted or misrepresented, that resource information is accurate, and that the graph is clear and easy to read (Gurak).

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Graphs should be numbered sequentially, include a title, and an informative caption which identifies the specific purpose of the graph. Warrant the source of the data contained in the graph with a footnote reference. Labels, numbers and letters should each be kept parallel with the horizontal axis. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"> <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Line - or coordinate - graphs are plotted using grid lines, with a horizontal axis and a vertical axis. Labels and scales should indicate the quantity, magnitude and range of each axis. The key data lines should be made heavier than grid lines for less important data. Multiple lines can appear in the same chart to show different variables, and should appear in different colors or patterns to differentiate them (Franklin 108).
 * Guidelines for Creating Graphs** (Gurak 323)
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Ensure the axes are clearly labeled, and that units of scale or measurement are identified (Gurak 323).
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Ensure that axes that do not begin at zero are clearly labeled.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Ensure that the graph does not distort or modify the trend.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Indicate the source of data used to construct the graph.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Explain how the graph supports points discussed in the text.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Design for simplicity, avoid overuse of colors and typefaces.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Use software programs such as Microsoft Excel to create graphs.
 * 1.** **Line Graphs** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">

Line graphs are especially helpful to show several variables relating to one other variable. For example, time is the variable tracked in Figure 15.15, and several types of mortgage rates plotted over time. This creates a clear and simple visual comparison for the reader.



<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Figure 15.15. Mortgage interest rates from August 1992 through February 2009. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Bar graphs, as the name implies, use colored bars to depict a trend between two or more variables over time. "Most readers are familiar with bar graphs and can quickly grasp quantitative relationships by comparing the heights or lengths of the bars" (Gurak 319).
 * 2.** **Bar Graphs** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">

Bar graphs are not useful if the quantities shown do not differ significantly. Changing the axis scales to dramatize slight differences skews the reader's perception of the data.

Bar graphs can be horizontal or vertical - vertical bar graphs are considered better for showing trends and horizontal bar graphs are considered better for showing magnitude changes (Franklin 111).

Bars should be wider than the gaps between them, different patterns should be used to indicate differences and they should be labeled clearly.



<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Figure 15.16 //<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">. //<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Ozone concentration in locations A through E. 3. **<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"> **<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Pie Graphs ** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Pie graphs are circles divided into sectors, or slices, to show the relationship of parts to a whole. "Pie charts are often accompanied by numerical data presented as a spreadsheet or table to allow readers to explore the displayed information in more detail" (Gurak 271).
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">

The sectors must add up to 100 percent. Pie graphs are useful for general comparisons of relative size, but they are not useful if accuracy is important. They are also not useful for showing a large number of items. Different colors and/or fill patterns should be used for adjacent pie sectors. Small percentage items should be grouped under a general label such as "Other" (Franklin 113).

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 8pt;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Figure 15.17. Pie Chart of populations of English native speakers.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> 15.3.3 Maps <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Maps, both 2D and 3D, represent many purposes from simple road maps to visualizing complex numerical data. "The design and content of a map depends on the purpose and type of map being constructed, the conventions for that type of map, and the audience using it" (Gurak 324). <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">To map sequential data, it is best to use gradations of one or two colors to show gradations in the data. But, to show differences "in kind rather than in amount", many colors may be used; choose colors that are easily distinguished from one another (Gurak 325- 326).

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Figure 15.18. 2D Map of the United States; colors used for neighboring states are easily distinguishable.
 * 2D Map**

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> For complex data, 3D maps are able to visualize abstract concepts, as shown in Figure 15.18. Software is available in many fields that model data into these 3D representations.
 * 3D Map**



<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Figure 15.19. 3D Map displaying an open pit with drill holes penetrating to the bedrock below. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> 15.3.4 Charts <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Charts are some of the most valuable and frequently used types of graphics. Charts have several conflicting definitions, depending on the resource consulted. For the purposes of our Style Guide, we will follow the style supported by the //Franklin Covey Style Guide for Business and Technical Communication//. Charts are graphs that do not rely on numerical interpretations, including organizational charts, flow charts and schedule charts. The purpose of the chart, the audience, the medium, and the data and ideas being conveyed in the document should determine the best type of chart to use, rather than adhering to a hard rule (Franklin 42).

A chart is only as good as the effect it creates. A chart should only be included if it communicates information quickly and simply. Charts should be integrated with the text and convey information more dramatically than is possible without their use. A chart can both replace text and provide a visual road map that readers can use as they read through dense and complex material. Charts also provide a visual, which can aid recall. Flow charts, organization charts or scheduling charts should be used to help readers visualize the major points in a document. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">**Guidelines for Creating Charts** (Gurak 275) <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Sequentially number and label all charts the same as other graphics contained within a document. Do not have a separate numbering scheme for charts. Place footnotes and warranting evidence below a chart. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"> <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">A flowchart is a common type of chart, representing an algorithm or process, and showing the steps as boxes of various kinds, and their order by connecting these with arrows. Flowcharts are used in analyzing, designing, documenting or managing a process or program in various fields.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Ensure the chart is consistent with how the audience will view the data.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Design the chart so that it shows one primary idea or specific relationship.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Keep the chart simple and clear; do not include too much information.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Use clear, concise labels and titles; do not include too much text.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Ensure that the information is not distorted or misleading.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Use software programs such as Microsoft Excel to create charts.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Ensure the chart is easily read from one page orientation.
 * 1.** **Flowchart** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">

There are many different types of flowcharts for different users (such as analysts, designers, engineers, managers, or programmers) representing different types objects.


 * Four General Types of Flowcharts** (Sterneckert)

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">**Document**
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">shows document flow through system
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">**Data**
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">shows data flows in a system
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">**System**
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">shows controls at a physical or resource level
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">**Program**
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">shows the controls in a program within a system (Business)
 * Features of a Flow Chart** (Gurak 273)
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Each step in the process is represented by a shape.
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Decision steps are labeled in the form of a question. Different paths may be taken depending upon the answer to the question.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Figure 15.20. Flowchart representing steps for troubleshooting a broken lamp. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Organizational charts help readers visualize the structure and internal relationships of units or individuals within an organization.
 * 2.** **Organizational Chart** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">


 * Organizational Charts Typically Show**
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> divisions and subdivisions of the organization,
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">hierarchy and relationship of the groups to one another,
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">lines of responsibility and authority, where solid lines indicate direct lines of control, and
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">lines of communication and coordination through the use of dashed lines.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Figure 15.21**.** Organizational chart of the US government. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">A common project task is to schedule a series of events; the complexity of this task can vary considerably depending on how many steps are involved in the process. Some common challenges are: <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"> <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">A scheduling chart visually illustrates the steps and their dependencies in a process. There are several types of commonly used scheduling systems.
 * 3.** **Scheduling Chart** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Resource Scheduling or the scheduling of people to work on and resources required by tasks.
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Dealing with uncertainties in the estimates of the duration of each task.
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Arranging tasks to meet various deadlines.
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Juggling multiple projects simultaneously to meet a variety of requirements (Franklin 47).


 * Examples of Scheduling Systems**
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Gantt,
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">MindMapper,
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Fixed Point Chart (FPC), and
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">PERT (Program Evaluation and Review Technique) (Evaluation).

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Figure 15.22. PERT Network Chart for a seven-month project with five milestones (10 through 50) and six activities (A through F). <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> 15.3.5 Photographs <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Using photographs in technical documentation conveys realism and gives the document credibility. While current technology allows complete manipulation of a photograph, readers still like the realism a photo provides. Information about size and scale should remain constant throughout a set of related images - scale should be constant (E. Tufte, Visual Graphics 25).

Photographs are used to show a reader what is - or what can be - rather than conveying a concept. Selection of a photograph should always be done after text is written. Match the message you want to convey to the text as closely as possible. All photographs need to support the message - a project should have several photographs for each message, from different sources, from which to choose. Budget allowing, color photographs are preferred, unless your text has been written to convey a historical message and the use of sepia tones or black and white images enhances your message (Franklin 231).

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Figure 15.23. Mt. St. Helen's erupts, spewing ash into the air for hundreds of miles. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> 15.3.6 Representational Illustrations <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Representational illustrations include many types of graphics such as diagrams and drawings of actual products that allow a reader to see what they look like in concept, or to see inside the product to places that are usually hidden or not viewable. These help the reader to visualize an idea or a relationship. Even rough sketches convey information better than words in many instances.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> All types of illustrations should always be kept as simple as possible, with color used to enhance them. Sometimes in technical communications, full color may not be an option. In this case, working with two colors is preferred. The second color can highlight specific areas of an illustration to bring the reader's attention to that area.
 * Types of Representational Illustrations**
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">technical illustrations,
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">exploded-view drawings,
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">cutaway drawings, and
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">symbols and icons.

Each illustration should be clearly labeled, with parts of the object shown.

When adding a series of illustrations, the viewing angle should be consistent for each figure.

All letters and numbers on the illustration should be numbered so they can be read without reorienting the book or manual. In a drawing showing a process, the flow of the process should read left-to-right (Franklin 120).

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Figure 15.24. Illustration of a flying machine, by Leonardo da Vinci. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Technical illustration is the use of illustration to visually communicate information of a technical nature. Technical illustrations can be component technical drawings or diagrams that aim to generate expressive images to effectively convey certain information visually to both technical and non-technical audiences. The visual image should be accurate in terms of dimensions and proportions, and should provide an overall impression of what an object is or does, to enhance the reader's understanding.
 * 1.** **Technical Illustrations** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">



<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Figure 15.25. Technical illustration of an interface card conveying placement of the interface cable. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">An exploded view, or assembly, drawing is a diagram, picture or technical drawing of an object showing the relationship or order of assembly of various parts.
 * 2. Exploded View Drawings** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">

The components of an object are shown slightly separated by distance - as if there had been a small controlled explosion emanating from the middle of the object, causing the object's parts to be separated an equal distance away form their original locations.

The exploded drawing is used in parts catalogs, assembly and maintenance manuals and other instructional material (Exploded).

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Figure 15.26. Exploded diagram of the Space Shuttle. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">A cutaway drawing, also called a cutaway diagram, is a 3D graphic, drawing, diagram and/or illustration, in which surface elements are selectively removed to make internal features visible, without sacrificing the outer context entirely (Cutaway).
 * 3. Cutaway Drawings** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Figure 15.27. Airplane hangar, showing exterior with cutouts to expose interior. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Symbols and icons are very valuable technical communication tools in the global marketplace. Many symbols are considered "internationally recognized" and are used on signs in airports, train stations, and hospitals. These symbols are also used in manuals developed for international audiences. Incorporating symbols and icons into technical documentation can considerably reduce the number of words to describe something.
 * 4. Symbols and Icons** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">



<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Figure 15.28. Recycling symbol.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Figure 15.29. Tool icons.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> 15.3.7 Cartoons and Clip Art <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Other types of graphics that may be used to add interest or humor to a document are clip art and cartoons. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"> <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Cartoons are drawn visuals that engage an audience through humor. Cartoons can be used to: <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"> <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">"Humor, when used appropriately, offers an effective emotional appeal for persuasion. Showing a sense of humor can also build rapport with audiences" (Gurak 268).
 * 1. Cartoons** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Introduce a general topic in a report or other document.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Provide a funny example to make a difficult topic understandable.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Connect with the audience to 'break the ice'.

To use humor effectively, the audience must not be offended, and must be able to see themselves in the situation. To do this, editors need to know their audience well. Because humor does not translate well across cultures, it is best to **//not//** use humor in international venues.

Cartoons can be found on newspaper and magazine websites as well as //Comics.com// and //Slate.com//. Be sure to cite the comic or source of the cartoon; and if the terms require, obtain the necessary permissions (Gurak). <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Audiences enjoy comic strips like Dilbert, Figure 15.30, "Because it reveals the absurd realities of many workplaces" (Gurak 269).

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Figure 15.30. **Dilbert** by Scott Adams, April 14, 2010.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Clip Art is the simple, informal artwork associated with software programs like Word, or on the Web, or in clip art books. It is not necessarily humorous, and can be used to add interest to a document. It can also be used to highlight document text or guide the reader through the document. But like other graphics, it must be kept to a minimum so as not to look unprofessional.
 * 2. Clip Art** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Figure 15.31. Clip Art in Communications category from Microsoft Online.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">15.3.8 Screen Captures <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Screen captures are very helpful in technical documentation because they show the reader what an application looks like, rather than telling them. Seeing the actual screen is much more useful than describing it with words. Screen capture software may allow sections of a screen to be circled or numbered. Written instructions referring to these circles and numbers can help guide a user through a complex process.

Software programs such as TechSmith Snagit make capturing screens quick and easy. Whole screens,or just relevant portions, are quickly and easily captured. They may be annotated and added to technical documents.

This screen shot was created with Snagit:

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Figure 15.32. Screen Capture of Travelocity Home Search Page. With callouts providing additional information for the reader.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">

15.4 LABELS, CALLOUTS, CAPTIONS AND NOTES <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;"> <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Labels, callouts and captions are identifying text for graphics. Labels and callouts identify specific elements or features on a graphic; whereas captions are short phrases or sentences that describe the graphic. Notes, or footnotes, explain or give credit.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> 15.4.1 Labels and Callouts <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">To identify specific elements or features, labels and captions are placed directly on the graphic or near it. "Although the terms are used interchangeably, labels are text identifers that are self-explanatory in an image, while callouts are labels that require further information outside the image to explain what they are identifying" (Gurak 304). They supplement the visual information. But use them selectively; use them only if readers need them (Rude 116). <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The advantage of labels is that the reader gains a basic understanding of elements in the graphic without referring to supplementary explanations. But, too many labels obscure the image. In this case, callouts are the better option. Use numbers or letters to identify each element and the supplementary explanations.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">**<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> 1. Labels ** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Labels can take different forms (Gurak 304 - 306) -
 * Guidelines for Creating Labels and Callouts**
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Determine the number of items to identify in the image (Gurak 308).
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Estimate how much explanation each item requires to determine if labels or callouts are more appropriate (Gurak 308).
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">When writing labels and callouts,
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">create a consistent visual style (Gurak 308)
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">use the same terms on the label or callout as in the text (Rude 116)
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">in general, all parts mentioned in the text should have a label or callout, and all parts with a label or callout should be mentioned in the text. (Rude 116)
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Layout the labels or callouts next to the elements in the graphic they identify, using a line to connect the two, if necessary.
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Use a standard font and size for readability (Rude 116)
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Align the labels and callouts for a neater appearance (Rude 116)
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">If callouts are used, place the explanatory text in a key next to the graphic.
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">they may be placed directly on the graphic (whereby they become part of the graphic), or
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">they may be placed around the graphic and use lines to point to the relevant element in the graphic.
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Online, labels can be links or hotspots whereby more information about the element is displayed on mouse rollover.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Figure 15.33. Map of the West Side Central Park, NYC between 102nd and 110th Streets. Labels placed directly on the graphic.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Figure 15.34. Parts of a flower. Labels placed around the graphic.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Figure 15.35**.** Labels as hotspots. When the mouse is rolled over the 'Firebox' label, the text, "Literally a box containing the fire. It is surrounded by water on the top and all sides. The bottom is a grate with an ash pan below that.", is displayed. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Callouts are best used when many parts of the image need to be labeled and each part requires a longer explanation.
 * 2. Callouts** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">

The label sequence may be in alphabetical or numerical (as in Figure 15.36) order. Ensure that the explanation is near the graphic.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Figure 15.36. How to understand and use the Nutrition Facts Label. Coded callouts in numerical sequence; the explanation for each number appears below the graphic. (This example shows part of Number 1 explanation only.) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> 15.4.2 Captions <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Captions, table, and graphics titles must clearly identify information to the reader. Interpretive captions usually require one or more sentences. Captions should be informational, without becoming too lengthy. Captions that are merely a title for a graphic are not very helpful (Franklin 96).

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Good captions are what guide readers not only to see, but also to understand. Captions label graphics with titles and explain to readers what they are seeing, and how to interpret the information captured in the visual. The //Franklin Covey Style Guide for Business and Technical Communication// provides an excellent source for writing captions (Franklin 39 - 41).
 * Writing Style for Captions**
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Captions for graphics include the title and any explanatory material, immediately under the graphic.
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Words such as //Figure//, //Illustration//, and //Table// should be in bold type.
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The caption should be italicized.
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Treat tables and figures the same.


 * Five Specific Style Rules**
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> **Use interpretive captions** whenever possible. Interpretive captions provide both a title and explanatory information,usually expressed in a complete sentence, to help readers understand the central point(s) that the writer wants to convey. A graphic and its caption should be clear and understandable without requiring readers to search for clarifying information in the text:
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">**Figure 4.** //**Cabin-Temperature Control System.** Constant cabin temperature control is maintained by the system's modulated cabin sensor.//
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">This interpretive caption gives the title and then tells the reader the principle message - that the check valve provides near-zero risk. And, it states how the check valve provides near-zero risk (Franklin39).
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">**Figure 23. //Check Valve.//** //The risk of bad air entering the changer is near zero because the check valve permits air flow in one direction only.//
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">This interpretive caption gives the title of the figure and emphasizes that the cabin has a constant temperature - a benefit provided by the feature described in the figure. The caption states clearly what the writer wants the reader to learn from the drawing (Franklin 39).
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> **Avoid using short, often ambiguous, titles** to replace interpretive captions. In the past, styles for technical and scientific documents used only short, simple title captions for visuals. These were often superfluous, providing no real information other than the obvious to the reader, i.e. - //A Horse//. Titles that are so short and cryptic that they sound telegraphic are not useful. Such captions are only useful when the graphics are self-explanatory, and require no interpretation (Franklin 40).


 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> **Number figures and tables sequentially** throughout the document, and place the number before the caption. If an important figure or table is presented twice, treat it as two separate visuals and number each. Figure and table numbers should be whole numbers. (Franklin 40).


 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> **Use periods** following interpretive captions but no punctuation following short captions that are not sentences. Interpretive captions are usually complete sentences and should therefore end with a period. Short captions, like titles and headings, are not usually complete sentences, so they require no punctuation (Franklin 41).
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Captions may appear below or above a visual, but consistency throughout a document is critical. Arguments support both options; choose one, warrant your choice, and be consistent.


 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">**Put the caption above the visual** for better visibility when captions are used with slides and other project visual aids. Captions placed at the bottom may be blocked by the heads of those seated in front (Franklin 99).

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> 15.4.3 Notes <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Notes or footnotes are categorized as either explanatory or source notes. Explanatory footnotes are identified by a superscript number or letter. The order in which notes appear is important; explanatory footnotes are placed //above// source notes. And both are placed //above// the caption, if the caption is placed at the bottom of the illustration.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Figure <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">15. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">37. Placement of footnote, source note and caption. Source: Rude, p. 115, modified.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">

15.5 GRAPHICS IN COMMONLY USED SOFTWARE <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> 15.5.1 Microsoft Word <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Microsoft Word is the word processing software typically bundled with the Microsoft Office software package. MS-Word supports various types of of graphics to enhance written text: <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Drawing objects include shapes, diagrams, flowcharts, curves, lines, and WordArt. MS-Word does have an environment for drawing objects, but the interface is difficult to use and the results are far less superior than that of a specialized graphics software package, such as Visio, PhotoShop, or GIMP. To simplify the editorial guidelines, this section will assume that text was written in MS-Word and a supporting graphic was generated by standalone graphics software. This section provides a list of graphic formats supported by MS-Word and a standard procedure for inserting graphics into an MS-Word source file. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"> <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Microsoft-Word provides filtering mechanisms to support a wide variety of file formats. Some of the more popular MS-Word-compatible graphic file formats are listed below: <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">To avoid compatibility issues, editors should ensure that any graphics inserted or scheduled to be inserted in an MS-Word source file before publication are Microsoft compatible.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">drawing objects
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">smartArt
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">charts
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">pictures
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">clip art
 * 1. Types of Graphics Files**
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">EMF
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">WMF
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">JPG
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">PNG
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">BMP
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">GIF
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">TIF
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">EPS

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">MS-Word allows users to import many formats of graphics into a document. An imported graphic can simply be copied into a document, or it can be linked to the file, meaning MS-Word merely inserts a pointer to the graphic source file and displays the graphic when needed. Using the right method for importing graphics is a critical editorial strategy, as copying too many graphics into a MS-Word document greatly increases the size of the document while linking to graphics requires that the relative directory path between the MS-Word document and the graphics source file remains intact. By default, MS-Word embeds or copies graphics into a document. To reduce the size of an MS-Word document, graphics can be linked to the document. A procedure for both methods is described below: > To insert a link to the file, select //Link to file// from the //Insert// drop down menu.
 * 2. Importing Files into MS-Word** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">
 * 1) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Open the MS-Word document.
 * 2) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Create an empty line where the graphic is to be inserted. Place the cursor in the empty line.
 * 3) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Select //Insert>Picture//. The Insert Picture navigation window appears.
 * 4) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Navigate to the graphic source file.
 * 5) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">To insert a copy of the graphic into the MS-Word document, click the //Insert// button.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Note: As previously stated, editors should be wary about copying too many graphics into an MS-Word document, as each graphic increases the size of the document. On the other hand, //Link to file// does not substantially increase the size of the MS-Word source file, but the relative directory path between the MS-Word source file and the graphics source file must remain in tact; otherwise, MS-Word will not be able to consistently locate the graphics source file. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> 15.5.2 <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">FrameMaker <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Adobe FrameMaker allows a user to draw shapes - as well as straight and curved lines. Complex illustration can be created by combining several objects, including text. Object properties such as fill pattern, width of lines, and colors can each be specified and shapes can be reshaped, resized, rotated and rearranged in a variety of combinations. The software offers tremendous flexibility. <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">

<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Two grids help users draw and align objects. The visible grid appears as horizontal and vertical lines on-screen, but not on the printed page. The invisible snap-to-grid, which "attracts" objects to it, allows the user to work and manipulate graphics, and snap to the invisible grid, keeping all graphics components aligned (Adobe 222).

Graphics can be drawn, or they can be placed on a page in anchored frames that move with text associated with them, or in unanchored frames that crop the edges of an illustration. Text and graphics appear in rectangular frames. Text frames control placement of the document text. Graphic frames, anchored or unanchored, will control the position and look of graphics (Adobe 232). <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Text frames can be used with graphics, as an example, for callouts and captions. Text frames can also be incorporated to create effects such as sidebars to text. For a single line of text, such as a callout or caption, it can be created using a text-line - a single line of text that FrameMaker treats independently from other text. The line can expand or shrink in length with edits, but will not wrap to the next line. Text can be made to run-around graphics, but it can not run around a text line or an equation. <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Anchored frames - used to crop graphics that stay in the same place on the page. Graphics placed in unanchored frames will not be exported to HTML, Microsoft Word, or RTF. To include a graphic at a specific location on a page, such as a logo or bleed tab, draw or import the graphic directly on the page.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Unanchored frames - used to crop a graphic or include graphics as reference art on a reference page. An unanchored graphic frame stays wherever it is placed on a page; even when the text around it moves during editing.

<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">When several objects - with the exception of graphic frames, are part of the same graphic, the pieces can be grouped so they can be edited together, arranged as one single object. Grouped objects can be further combined with other objects to form even larger groups. This is done hierarchically within FrameMaker, so the first set of grouped objects is maintained as a set when a user groups other objects with it.

In FrameMaker, objects can be joined to create complex outlines; flipped to create mirror images; rotated any number of degrees to change the angle; and resized and reshaped in unlimited directions (Adobe 245). <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">FrameMaker supports the import of a wide variety of file format types.
 * 1. Types of Graphics Files** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Adobe Illustrator - FrameMaker imports files in PDF, consequently, some complicated graphics, or graphics that use transparency, may not print as expected on a PostScript level 1 or non-PostScript printer. Files are imported at the page size, not the image size. Users need to resize the anchored frame in order to crop the image to fix it (Adobe 48).


 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">PDF - Any PDF file, whether it is text, chart, photograph, etc. is imported as a graphic. Only one-page of the PDF file can be imported into a FrameMaker document at a time. Both process and spot colors can be displayed and printed. Graphics that use transparency may not print as expected. See "Adobe Illustrator" above (Adobe 419).


 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) - When importing SVG files, a dialogue box allows a user to select the rasterization quality of the image. Increasing the rasterization enhances the finished quality, and printed and PDF versions are crisper; however, increasing the rasterization also increases the file size of the image, and it takes longer to import the file. Imported SVG images will display as bitmaps. Embedded imported animations will not be functional in FrameMaker (Adobe 423).


 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Movies - Both Windows and MacOS allow movies to be imported. Windows allows movies to be embedded using .avi or .mov formats. MacOS allows QuickTime movies to be imported the same way as other graphics. The movie can also play in a document if QuickTime is installed on the system. When a document containing a movie is printed, only the movie title appears on the printed version (Adobe 424).

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">UNIX - A graphic inset is a graphic created in a special UNIX application - a graphic inset editor - and then inserted into a document. A system administrator should configure FrameMaker for users who will be importing using graphic insets editor (Adobe 437).
 * 2. Importing Files into FrameMaker**

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">FrameMaker allows users to import many formats of graphics into a document, including other FrameMaker documents, documents created in other applications, text files and graphic files. An imported object can simply be copied into a document, or it can be linked, such as when a user imports by reference, so the imported file remains tied to its source for easy updating (Adobe 415). Using the right method for importing and linking is important for saving files, and making edits. There are several ways to bring graphics into a FrameMaker document (Adobe 415). The broad categories for importing are 'Importing by Copying' and 'Importing by Reference'.


 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Importing by Copying - FrameMaker uses the Clipboard, and makes it easy to transfer imported materials from one location to another. However, it increases the document size. Also, if changes are made to other source material, the file must be re-imported to reflect the updates. This method is good for "quick and dirty" documents, but not for documents that will have a long lifetime, requiring edits and updates to content (Adobe 415).

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"> <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Importing by Reference differs from Object Linking and Embedding (OLE). Always import by reference when: <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"> <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Use OLE so a graphic will retain its association with the application that created it, but will not retain a dynamic link to its source document.
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Importing by Reference - FrameMaker maintains an imported graphic's link to its source files. FrameMaker stores the path name to the source file in the document. Each time a document is opened, the files are located and redisplayed. If a source file was revised, the software updates the displayed document with the latest version. Importing by reference can reduce total file sized because it allows reuse of the same material in several places, without storing the imported images in the document (Adobe 416).
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Users will edit and view documents from multiple platforms. OLE works only in Windows.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Text and graphics included in a document come from an application that does not support OLE.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Material included comes from another FrameMaker document, to provide many more import options for the user in document creation.

To achieve the best online-viewing quality and the best print quality and clarity, refer to the Adobe Acrobat section for setting up the PDF file creation from a FrameMaker file. Different settings should be used, depending on the final document and how it will be used. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> 15.5.3 Adobe Acrobat Professional <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Adobe Acrobat does not contain a menu option for creating a new file, as it was never intended for use as an original authoring program. Acrobat begins with file conversion to the PDF format. Users start with a document authored in another program and the resulting document is converted to PDF using tools either within Acrobat or from tools or commands with the programs that support PDF conversion from native documents (Adobe 176).

The number of methods a user can employ for converting documents to PDF is enormous. Any program file can be converted to PDF through a number of different methods offered by Acrobat, operating systems and many authoring applications (such as Microsoft Word). The method selected to convert a document to PDF and the purpose for which the PDF is intended require familiarity with a number of different options for file conversion.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">A PDF is created from within Acrobat with default tools and with menu commands. Acrobat can be used to open various file formats in the viewer, and the files are immediately converted to PDF. Alternatively, a file can be printed to file to the Adobe PDF printer (installed with the viewer) from almost any authoring program, and the native document is converted to PDF. While this may sound simple, there are two important distinctions between these conversion methods. Opening files in Acrobat does not involve any intervention from companion programs. Using the PDF printer required help from the Adobe Distiller software.
 * 1. Basic PDF Convesion Methods** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">

Acrobat Distiller accepts either a PostScript file or an Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) file that it processes to produce a PDF document. Distiller applies different options during conversion, including image sampling, font handling, color control, PDF format compatibility assignment, document encryption, hypertext linking a host of other settings. This can all be set up in the options Distiller offers. There are different settings for files created for printing than there are for files created to optimize screen viewing. PDF settings are applied during distillation - if access to the PDF settings in not made available when converting, the default settings in Distiller are used. When conversion does not automatically open Distiller, it is advisable to open Distiller and change the default settings to match the final desired output format (Adobe 176).

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Virtually any document created in an authoring program that allows printing can be converted to PDF through the use of the Adobe PDF printer. This is accessed through the Print dialog box. Rather than printing a file to a printer, the file is printed to disk. During this process, the file is temporarily saved as a PostScript file, and the PostScript file is distilled in Acrobat Distiller. The settings assigned to Distiller control the attributes of the resulting PDF file (Adobe 177).
 * 2. Converting Documents to PDF** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">

Adobe PostScript is a page description language - it describes the text and images that appear on a monitor screen in a language. A raster image processor (RIP) interprets this language. The PostScript requires that the entire code be processed by the interpreter before the image bitmap is created - this often results in a long wait followed by a PostScript error or RIP crash. PostScript comes in many "dialects" and is a streamed language. For example, files coming from Quark Express, Adobe Illustrator EPS and Macromedia EPS each have its own dialect, according to the way the manufacturer handles its coding. If the same font is used by each of the three component files, the font description has to reside in three separate areas of the PostScript file when printed to disk. PostScript is notorious for redundancy, especially with fonts (Adobe 262).

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Alternatively, a PDF is like a database file - it has a database structure. PDF eliminates redundancy with file resources. Fonts only appear once, no matter how many occurrences are used in imported files. PDF takes all the different PostScript files coming from different sources, and converts them to one single dialect. A PDF file is page independent in that each individual page is imaged before proceeding to the next page, making it much more efficient than PostScript for printing purposes (Adobe 263).

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">At first glance, Distiller looks like a fairly simple application, with a simple //File// menu, limited to opening a file, addressing preferences, and quitting the program. The real power is contained in the second menu item, the //Settings// menu. The commands in this menu offer all the control for determining how the PostScript files are converted to PDF (Adobe 266).
 * 3. Using Acrobat Distiller Preferences** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">

Before making choices in the //Settings// menu, it is important to note the options in the //Preferences// menu. Available options are listed in three groups including //Startup// //Alerts//, //Output Options//, and //Log Files//. Two items are listed in the //Startup Alerts// section of the Distiller //Preferences// dialog box. Each has to do with the initial startup upon launching Distiller and how watched folder have been set up by the user.

PDF Distiller output options relate to how the final PDF file will be saved, and what its purpose will be after conversion. The location of where to save the file is the first prompt. The second prompt is whether to replace an existing PDF file with the same name, if one exists in the folder where the new PDF is to be saved. Final options pertain to viewing the PDF using Distiller, after the PDF has been created. Distiller launches the Viewer and opens the PDF in the document pane after it has been created.

Options available using the tabs in the Adobe PDF //Settings// dialog box control how PDFs are produced with Distiller, and what attributes are assigned to the files (Adobe 268). Nine preset options are installed with Acrobat, and all can be seen in a pull-down menu for //Default Settings//; they are:
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">//High Quality Print// - Use this setting for the highest-quality images for high-end digital pre-press and printing. The lowest levels of compression and down sampling are used to preserve image quality.


 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">//PDF/A:Draft// - This is a standard for archival purposed. Acrobat Distiller does a minimal check to assure compliance. 'Draft' is included in the preset name because the standard is not finished.
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">//PDF/X-1a:2001// - For pre-press and printing, PDF/X files are streamlined for print output. PDF/X is an ISO Standard developed by a committee outside Adobe Systems. While Adobe participates in the standards committee, the format is a collaborative effort between members of the ISO standards committee. PDF/X files result in PDF documents that eliminate data not essential for printing. It does not mean the file sizes are necessarily smaller, but they are optimized for printing and produce fewer problems than non-PDF/X files.
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">//PDF/X-1a:2003// - A newer version of the //PDF/X-1a// subset that supports Acrobat 5 compatible files.
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> //PDF/X-3:2002// - Like //PDF/X-1a//, the file format is a subset of the PDF format, this one supports ICC profile embedding. If working in a color-managed workflow, use this version.
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> //PDF/X3:2003// - A new version of the //PDF/X-3// subset that supports Acrobat 5 compatible files.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Acrobat supports the import of a wide variety of file format types, including (Acrobat 184): <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"> <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Many of these file formats can have //PDF Options// or other settings applied during conversion. These settings are available to all formats except: <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"> <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">These image file formats do not use Distiller and no Adobe PDF Settings are applied during file conversion. All of these file formats are image formats and the types of settings that can be applied to them relate to image options, such as file compression and color management (Adobe 186-187). <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> //Press Quality// - Virtually identical to the settings for //High Quality//. The difference between the two is that when using the //High Quality// settings, any fonts not available for embedding during distillation are noted in the log file but the PDF is produced without the embedded fonts. //Press Quality// jobs cancel at the first encounter of a font not available for embedding and the PDF is not produced.
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> //Smallest File Size// - The intent for this option is to produce files for Web hosting, e-mailing, and screen views. The name implies that the file sizes are very small, but in reality, smaller file sizes can be accomplished by editing the down sampling of the images.
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> //Standard// - General purpose setting and quite often the default when accessing settings the first time in Acrobat. For office desktop color printers, laser printers, photocopiers, and general-purpose printing, the settings create PDF files with no lower than 150 ppi resolutions and embedded fonts when necessary (Adobe 269).
 * 4. File Formats Supported by Acrobat** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Autodesk AUTOCAD
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">BMP - Bitmap
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Compuserve GIF - Graphic Interchange Format
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">HTML - Hypertext Markup Language
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">JDF Job Definition - used in pre-press workflows; a standardized XML-based job ticket system.
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">JPEG - Joint Photographic Experts Group. Can degrade images rapidly when compressed at high levels. JPEG 2000, a newer compression scheme offers a "lossless" option for compressing images. Used for the most discriminating quality required for high-end printing.
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Microsoft Access - The PDFMaker utility or tool is installed in Access and permits the user to export databases directly to PDF.
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint), Publisher, Visio, and Project - These programs also include installation of the PDFMaker, which installs tools and menu options in the authoring applications at the time Acrobat is installed.
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">PCX - Native to the PC, and commonly used as an extension for PC Paintbrush. Adobe Photoshop can export in PCX format, but it is rarely used for any kind of image representation. Useful for legacy documents containing PCX files; Acrobat can import files directly, avoiding a two-step operation of opening a PCX file in an image editor and then saving in a more common format for file conversions.
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">PICT - PICT is native to the Macintosh, and equivalent to PCX. Photoshop supports PICT file exchanges in both opening and saving; however, Acrobat only supports the format for conversion to PDF via the //From File// or //From Multiple Files// commands.
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">PNG - Portable Network Graphics. PNG is a format which enables users to save a 24-bit color image without compression. It was designed for Web use and is becoming more popular among web designers.
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">PostScript, EPS - PostScript and EPS files were formerly converted only with Acrobat Distiller. Now, Acrobat 7 allows these files to be opened in Acrobat using the //Create PDF// tool; Distiller works in the background handling the conversion to PDF.
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Text - Text listed in the //Convert to PDF// preferences relates to plain text files. Unformatted text from word processors, text editors, and any file saved in a text-only format can be opened in Acrobat.
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">TIFF - Tagged Image File Format. TIFF is the most popular format among print people, regardless of platform. TIFF files originate from image editors and scans. When scanning text, users can save it as a TIFF, import the file into Acrobat, then convert the image file to Rich Text with Recognize Text using OCR (formally known as Paper Capture) (Adobe 185-186).
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">GIF, HTML, JDF, JPEG2000, Text and XML.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Settings for BMP, JPEG, PCX, PNG, PICT, TIFF are identical.


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