Posts by Ugur Akinci
How to Edit Vector Drawing Objects in Inkscape
Inkscape is a great vector drawing software with poor documentation. Most people quit using Inkscape after a few tries because the GUI looks different than that of (say) Illustrator. Although I use Illustrator for most of my technical drawings I can’t help but appreciate the amount of functionality packed into Inkscape, which is after all…
Read MoreHow to Control Widow and Orphan Lines in Your Technical Document
You should avoid widow and orphan lines in your technical documents. A WIDOW line is one that ends up all alone at the top of the page. An ORPHAN line is the opposite: it’s that single line that sits at the bottom of the page. Both look weak (especially an orphan HEADER) and should be…
Read MoreHow to Exclude a Chapter in a FrameMaker Book
If there are certain chapters in your Adobe FrameMaker book that you’d like to exclude from the final PDF print, you can do that easily by right-clicking on the chapter and selecting File > Exclude. The excluded chapter’s ICON will display a RED outline around it: In the above example, Sample Chapter 2 is excluded…
Read MoreHunting for a Technical Writing Job: Forget the Titles; Focus on Your Content
© Ugur Akinci I’m frequently asked this question: “”What kind of job titles I should search for to get a job as a junior (or senior) technical writer?” To such inquiries, my honest and simple response is always the same: “Forget about the titles; focus instead on what you know and what you can…
Read MoreHow to Observe Invisible Codes in International Business Communications
Our world is getting smaller and smaller each day. Although good’old memos and even traditional e-mail are taking a back seat to new platforms like social networking, communication is still the only way to negotiate a contract or describe how a product or service is used to an increasingly diverse consumer base. That’s also the…
Read MoreHow to Enter Math Equations into a MS Word Technical Document
© Ugur Akinci There is an easy way to enter math equations into a MS Word technical document. Open the Word document into which you’d like to insert a math formula. Insert your cursor to where you’d exactly like to insert it. Click the start button and from All Programs select Accessories. Then select Math…
Read MoreHow to Select a Template for a MS Word Document
© Ugur Akinci MS Word offers two different types of templates: (1) The first kind do not allow macros in them. Their file extension is .dotx. It is safer to use these types of macros because Word macros can hide extremely dangerous virus and malevolent code. (2) The other Word template type allows macros and has…
Read MoreHow to Select Safe File Names for Your Technical Documents
© Ugur Akinci Here are some suggestions to select file names that won’t create problems when you are dealing with technical documents: (1) Watch out for the length of your file names. The length limit for Path + File Name is 255 characters for Windows XP, 260 characters for Windows Vista and Windows 7. So…
Read MoreWhat is a FrameMaker Lock File (.lck)?
When you open a FrameMaker file which is stored on a network server (on a Windows or UNIX platform), FM creates a lock file (with the extension .lck) to prevent other users from editing the same file. Mac OS operating system prevents that from happening without creating a .lck file. To make sure your open…
Read MoreHow to Fix a Font-Related PDF Generation (Printing) Problem
© Ugur Akinci Sometimes you will not be able to generate a PDF copy of a MS Word or Adobe FrameMaker technical document because of a font problem. More specifically, your PDF will not be generated because you have the “Rely on systems fonts only” setting turned on in your printer preferences. This will create…
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