Document layout categories

A variety of technologies and techniques may be used to prepare, manage and publish material to paper. But most are only appropriate in specific circumstances, and the most significant factor that affects the choice of approach is the layout of the final document. The layout reveals underlying characteristics of the text itself, and documents can usually be classified as one of the following three types:

  • designed

  • templated

  • structured.

It is necessary to understand what each of these terms means (but note that they are not used beyond this book), and what the technology implications are, especially in regard to the possible role of XML in the process.

Three categories

In a designed document, there is heavy emphasis on ...

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