atw: Re: Adobe Indesign - document templates

>I am new to the field of technical writing.  I recently completed 6mnths
> with a training company - they used a Word Template which I found
> buggy and untidy.
> Having recently purchased Adobe InDesign (yes much OUCH!) I am
> considering setting up my templates up with that.

You don't say what the templates are for. Obviously, if you're going to use
InDesign, you'll need InDesign templates. But the first question to resolve
is whether you'll use InDesign to do the work, or more generally, what tool
you'll use.

InDesign is a delight to use, but its domain of application comprises
documents with a largeish 'design' content, such as magazines. In our field,
it would entail reference cards and manuals for consumer devices like DVD
players, where you want lots of graphics and icons and callouts, artfully
arranged in double page spreads. And it's good for newsletters, such as the
ASTC NSW newsletter (now done with InDesign through the courtesy of Adobe).
But InDesign can't do some of the things larger manuals need, like automatic
numbered lists, bulleted lists (OK, you can put the bullet in by hand),
fields (containing the name of the product, say), alternative text, and
chapter titles in the page header. (And if I've got it wrong on any of these
points, I'll be pleased to be corrected.) For such manuals, my choice is
Adobe FrameMaker, at about the same price. This isn't really helpful advice,
since you've already bought InDesign.

I hope this is of some help and relevance, even though it doesn't answer the
question you asked. If not, let us know.

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