Manuals: Uses and Production Processes

From corporate documentation instructional manuals to technical documentation like user manuals, these documents remain a staple of many workplaces.

Manuals have a variety of uses. From corporate documentation such as training and instructional manuals to technical documentation and user manuals, these documents remain a staple of many workplaces.

Whatever your needs, Mimeo has got you covered. As a leading innovator of online managed content distribution and printing, there is no project too big or too small for us to tackle. We know how quickly these ventures can become complex undertakings; let us make the printing piece as painless as possible. From tabs, to covers, to gatefolds, we can ship an impeccable product out to multiple locations, catered to your exact specifications.

However, before you get started on your manual production, we thought it would be useful to take a look at what goes in to creating manual content. Let’s find out:

Creating Strategic Content
As with any product, manuals are only as effective as you make them, explained Reference for Business. Document creators must be sure to define three key criteria before beginning to create their manual.

1. Audience: When creating documents such as training or instruction manuals, defining your audience is one of the most important steps. This is mainly because different people have different levels of understanding. For example, if you plan on creating a new hire manual, it may be worth the time to explain key industry lingo or (what may seem to you) basic business functions. A manual for onboarding a new executive leader would skip those technicalities and get right into the heart of things.

2. Purpose: When approaching the purpose of a manual, ask yourself what the end goal of this document is. Are you trying to teach a skill? Or are you trying to explain the value of a product? The answers to these questions will largely dictate the content and even the writers you choose to task with manual content.

3. Scope: Within any given topic there are a wide range of topics that could potentially be covered. However, you want to make sure that you define a clear subject matter for the manual. This will ensure that you don’t create a 70-page manual when you set out to create a 10-page product or that you don’t do the reverse. Before making the manual, ensure you have a clear idea of what you will and won’t be covering.

Beyond Content
So, you’ve got the content down, but what about the actual look and feel of the document itself? There are so many options for physical features when it comes to manuals. Whether it is the inclusion of bright and detailed graphic instructions or paper quality, the work is only half done once the content has been written.

The choices you make for production have clear implications for attributes, including longevity and ease of use. Covers and bindings need to be durable and long-lasting in order to ensure maximum purchase value. The most common paper stock is 24 lb white paper, and many manuals include O-ring binders with varying amounts of coloured printing.

However, depending on the document and its importance, you may want to step up or down a notch. Mimeo is dedicated to securing the best rates for our clients with all our documents, and manuals are no exception.